How to Prevent Studio Ninja Emails from Landing in Clients’ Junk Mail

Ever wonder why your emails keep getting lost in your clients’ junk folders? It’s frustrating – you send an invoice, a contract, or an important update, and instead of landing in their inbox, it disappears into spam.

When using platforms like Studio Ninja, it’s crucial to make sure your emails actually get delivered. Otherwise, you risk missed payments, unanswered contracts, and confused clients wondering why they never heard from you.

The good news? There’s a fix. By setting up a few key email authentication records, you can tell your email provider, “Yes, this email is actually from me!” and keep your emails out of spam.

Why Do Emails End Up in Junk Folders?

Whenever you send an email through a third-party system (like Studio Ninja, Dubsado, Flodesk, or MailChimp, etc), your email provider (Google, Outlook, etc.) gets a little suspicious.

It thinks:
💭 “Wait… this email says it’s from you, but it wasn’t sent directly from your inbox. Is this legit? Or is someone pretending to be you?”

Without the right security settings in place, your email provider doesn’t know for sure – so it plays it safe and dumps your email into spam.

That’s where SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records come in. These fancy-sounding settings tell your email provider:

✔ Yes, I approve this email being sent on my behalf.
✔ No, it hasn’t been tampered with.
✔ Yes, it’s safe to land in the inbox.

Setting these up may sound technical, but don’t worry, I’ll break it down step by step.

Step 1: Add a Studio Ninja SPF Record

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is like a security badge for your emails. It tells your email provider, “This email is coming from an approved sender.”

Here’s how to add the SPF Record:

1. Log in to your domain provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Wix, Google Workspace, CrazyDomains—wherever you purchased your domain)
2. Go to your domain’s DNS settings (this is like your email’s backstage).
3. Add a new TXT Record and paste this into the ‘value’ field:
   v=spf1 includes:_spf.google.com include:spf.studioninja.co ~all
4. Save the record and allow up to 48 hours for the changes to take effect

Step 2: Add a DKIM Record

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is another security layer that prevents emails from being altered after they’re sent. It ensures your emails are delivered exactly as you sent them – without interference.

How to generate and add a DKIM key:

• For Gmail or G Suite:
  • Log in to the Google Admin Console.
  • Navigate to Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > Authenticate Email.
  • Follow the instructions to generate a DKIM key.
    
• For Office 365:
  • Log in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
  • Go to Settings > Domains.
  • Select your domain and follow the prompts to set up DKIM.
    
• For web hosting services (like cPanel):
  • Log in to your web hosting control panel
  • Look for sections like Email Authentication, Email Security, or Advanced DNS Zone Editor.
  • Find the DKIM section and follow the instructions to generate a DKIM key.

Once you have the DKIM key, add it to your DNS settings:

1. Access your DNS settings (where you added the SPF record)
2. Add a new TXT Record.
3. For the host/name, enter the DKIM selector provided by your email service (e.g., google._domainkey for Google).
4. In the value field, paste the DKIM key you generated earlier.
5. Once the TXT record is added, go back to your email service provider’s admin settings and activate the DKIM by following the prompts.

Step 3: Add a DMARC Record

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) helps prevent email spoofing and phishing scams by confirming that your SPF and DKIM records are working properly.

Here’s how to add the DMARC Record:

1. Access your DNS settings.
2. Add a new TXT Record.
   • Host Name: _dmarc.[YOUR DOMAIN] – for example: _dmarc.kpvirtualassistance.com.au
   • Value: v=DMARC1; p=none; adkim=r; aspf=r
3. Save the record and allow up to 48 hours for the changes to take effect

Step 4: Use a Domain-Based Email Address

If you’re still using a Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo address for your business (like yourphotographybusiness@gmail.com), switching to a domain-based email (like hello@yourphotographybusiness.com) can improve email deliverability.

While using hello@yourdomain.com is not inherently bad, using a personalised email address (e.g., yourname@yourdomain.com) makes your emails look more trustworthy and professional.

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Final Thoughts (And A Heads Up About Hotmail)

By setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, you can significantly improve your email deliverability rates – keeping your important messages out of spam and in your clients’ inboxes.

That said, no system is 100% perfect. Some emails may still get flagged, especially when emailing Hotmail addresses (which tend to be extra sensitive). However, by implementing these steps, you’ll see a huge improvement.