Before you send a single email to your list, there is one setup step that determines whether your messages land in the inbox or disappear into spam. It takes about 15 minutes and it only has to be done once. This guide walks you through it completely.
MONDAi is built on GoHighLevel infrastructure — so if you've been searching for GHL email sending setup help, you're in the right place. Everything here applies directly to your MONDAi account, translated into plain language.
Why You Need a Dedicated Sending Domain
When you first set up MONDAi, your emails send from a shared domain. That means your messages share a sending reputation with other senders — and if anyone on that shared domain sends spammy content, your deliverability suffers too. Not ideal for a creator building a real relationship with their audience.
A dedicated sending domain gives your emails their own identity. You use a subdomain of your own domain — something like mail.yourdomain.com — and your sender reputation is entirely yours to build and protect. This is the professional setup. It's what every serious creator needs before they start growing their list.
What SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Actually Mean
You're going to set up three DNS records during this process. Here's what each one does in plain language — no tech degree required.
| Record | What it does | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| SPF | Tells email providers MONDAi is allowed to send from your domain | Prevents spoofing — proves the email actually came from you |
| DKIM | Adds a digital signature to every email you send | Proves the email wasn't altered in transit — builds provider trust |
| DMARC | Tells email providers what to do if either check fails | Required by Gmail and Yahoo since 2024 for all bulk senders |
Step-by-Step Setup
Inside your MONDAi dashboard, go to Settings → Email Services → Dedicated Domain and IP. This is where all email sending setup lives.
Click "Add Domain" and enter a subdomain of your own domain. Use something like mail.yourdomain.com or send.yourdomain.com. Using a subdomain — not your root domain — protects your main domain's reputation while you build your sender history.
MONDAi will show you the exact DNS records you need. You'll add these at your domain registrar — wherever you bought your domain (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Google Domains, etc.). Here's what each record looks like:
Value: v=spf1 include:spf.leadconnectorhq.com include:mailgun.org ~all
Value: Copy the exact value shown in your dashboard — it's a long string of characters
Value: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:you@yourdomain.com
Back inside MONDAi, click the three-dot menu next to your domain and select "Verify Domain." You'll see a list of all your records with a status indicator next to each one. Wait for all of them to show green before moving on.
DNS propagation typically takes 5–30 minutes but can take up to 24 hours. If records aren't verifying after 30 minutes, double-check that each value was copied exactly — no extra spaces, no missing characters.
Click the three-dot menu again and select "Set Headers." Fill in your display name — the name people see when your email lands in their inbox — and your From email address. Use an address on your verified domain: hello@yourdomain.com or mel@yourdomain.com.
Before sending to your list, send a test to yourself at a Gmail address. Open it, click the three-dot menu, and select "Show Original." Look for these three lines in the email headers:
DKIM: PASS
DMARC: PASS
All three should say PASS. If any say FAIL or NONE, your DNS records need attention before you send to your audience.
One More Thing: Warm Up Your Domain
A fresh sending domain has no sending history, and email providers are cautious about unknown senders. If you blast your entire list on day one, you'll likely see deliverability issues. Instead, warm up gradually — start with your most engaged contacts and increase volume over two weeks.
A simple warm-up approach: start with 100-300 emails on day one. Double your volume every 2-3 days. By week two you'll have built enough sending history to reach your full list reliably.
Common Issues and Fixes
| Issue | Most likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Records not verifying after 1 hour | Extra space or character in DNS value | Re-copy the value from MONDAi. Paste to Notepad first, then to DNS. |
| SPF showing FAIL | Multiple SPF records on your domain | Only one SPF record is allowed. Merge all includes into one TXT record. |
| Emails still going to spam | Domain not warmed up yet | Send in smaller volumes first. Prioritize engaged contacts. |
| Cloudflare showing SSL error | CNAME set to Proxied (orange cloud) | Change to DNS Only (grey cloud) in Cloudflare. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What to Set Up Next
With your sending domain live and verified, you're ready to start building your email system. The next two things to set up inside MONDAi:
Your welcome automation — a workflow that fires the moment someone joins your list. And your first email campaign — so you have a broadcast ready when you're ready to speak to your audience.
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