Custom Email Domain DNS Setup

Using a custom sending domain improves email deliverability, reinforces your brand in customer inboxes, and ensures SPF/DKIM alignment. This guide walks you through adding the required DNS records for your domain.

Why Custom Domains Matter

When LostChurn sends dunning emails on your behalf, the "From" address domain affects whether emails land in the inbox or spam folder:

Custom domains provide:

• SPF alignment -- the sending IP is authorized by your domain's SPF record
• DKIM signing -- emails are cryptographically signed with your domain's key
• DMARC compliance -- SPF + DKIM alignment satisfies DMARC policies
• Brand recognition -- customers see your domain, not a third-party subdomain

Prerequisites

Before starting, you need:

1. Access to your domain's DNS management panel
2. The DNS records from LostChurn (found in Settings → Email → Custom Domain)
3. About 10 minutes for configuration (plus propagation time)

Getting Your DNS Records

1. Go to Settings → Email → Custom Domain
2. Enter the domain you want to send from (e.g., billing.yourcompany.com)
3. Click Generate Records
4. LostChurn displays the DNS records you need to add

You will need to add three types of records:

Provider-Specific Instructions

Cloudflare

1. Log in to the Cloudflare Dashboard
2. Select your domain
3. Go to DNS → Records
4. Click Add Record for each record:

CNAME record (sending delegation):

Type:    CNAME
Name:    billing          (or your chosen subdomain)
Target:  send.lostchurn.com
Proxy:   DNS only (grey cloud -- important!)
TTL:     Auto

TXT record (SPF):

Type:    TXT
Name:    billing          (or your chosen subdomain)
Content: v=spf1 include:spf.lostchurn.com ~all
TTL:     Auto

CNAME record (DKIM):

Type:    CNAME
Name:    lc._domainkey.billing
Target:  dkim.lostchurn.com
Proxy:   DNS only (grey cloud)
TTL:     Auto

AWS Route 53

1. Open the Route 53 Console
2. Go to Hosted Zones → select your domain
3. Click Create Record for each:

CNAME record (sending delegation):

Record name:  billing.yourcompany.com
Record type:  CNAME
Value:        send.lostchurn.com
TTL:          300
Routing:      Simple routing

TXT record (SPF):

Record name:  billing.yourcompany.com
Record type:  TXT
Value:        "v=spf1 include:spf.lostchurn.com ~all"
TTL:          300

CNAME record (DKIM):

Record name:  lc._domainkey.billing.yourcompany.com
Record type:  CNAME
Value:        dkim.lostchurn.com
TTL:          300

GoDaddy

1. Log in to your GoDaddy Account
2. Go to My Products → select your domain → DNS Management
3. Click Add under the DNS Records section for each record:

CNAME record (sending delegation):

Type:   CNAME
Name:   billing
Value:  send.lostchurn.com
TTL:    1 Hour

TXT record (SPF):

Type:   TXT
Name:   billing
Value:  v=spf1 include:spf.lostchurn.com ~all
TTL:    1 Hour

CNAME record (DKIM):

Type:   CNAME
Name:   lc._domainkey.billing
Value:  dkim.lostchurn.com
TTL:    1 Hour

Namecheap

1. Log in to Namecheap
2. Go to Domain List → select your domain → Advanced DNS
3. Under Host Records, click Add New Record for each:

CNAME record (sending delegation):

Type:   CNAME Record
Host:   billing
Value:  send.lostchurn.com
TTL:    Automatic

TXT record (SPF):

Type:   TXT Record
Host:   billing
Value:  v=spf1 include:spf.lostchurn.com ~all
TTL:    Automatic

CNAME record (DKIM):

Type:   CNAME Record
Host:   lc._domainkey.billing
Value:  dkim.lostchurn.com
TTL:    Automatic

Google Domains

1. Go to Google Domains
2. Select your domain → DNS → Custom Records
3. Click Manage Custom Records and add each record:

CNAME record (sending delegation):

Host name:  billing
Type:       CNAME
TTL:        3600
Data:       send.lostchurn.com

TXT record (SPF):

Host name:  billing
Type:       TXT
TTL:        3600
Data:       v=spf1 include:spf.lostchurn.com ~all

CNAME record (DKIM):

Host name:  lc._domainkey.billing
Type:       CNAME
TTL:        3600
Data:       dkim.lostchurn.com

Vercel

1. Go to your Vercel Dashboard
2. Select your project → Settings → Domains
3. Select your domain → DNS Records
4. Click Add for each record:

CNAME record (sending delegation):

Type:   CNAME
Name:   billing
Value:  send.lostchurn.com

TXT record (SPF):

Type:   TXT
Name:   billing
Value:  v=spf1 include:spf.lostchurn.com ~all

CNAME record (DKIM):

Type:   CNAME
Name:   lc._domainkey.billing
Value:  dkim.lostchurn.com

Verification Process

After adding all DNS records, return to LostChurn to verify:

1. Go to Settings → Email → Custom Domain
2. Click Verify DNS Records
3. LostChurn checks each record and displays the status

Verification Statuses

Troubleshooting DNS Propagation

DNS changes do not take effect instantly. Propagation time depends on your provider and TTL settings.

Expected Propagation Times

Common Issues

Records not detected after 48 hours:

• Verify you added the records to the correct domain (not a subdomain or different zone)
• Check for typos in the record name and value
• Ensure you saved the changes in your DNS provider's panel

CNAME conflict with existing records:

• A CNAME record cannot coexist with other record types on the same name
• If you have an existing A or AAAA record on billing.yourcompany.com, remove it before adding the CNAME

SPF "too many lookups" error:

• SPF allows a maximum of 10 DNS lookups
• If your existing SPF record already has many include: entries, you may need to consolidate
• Consider using an SPF flattening service if you are at the limit

DKIM verification failing:

• Ensure the DKIM CNAME name is exactly lc._domainkey.billing (with your subdomain)
• Some providers add the root domain automatically -- enter only the subdomain portion

Checking DNS Records Manually

You can verify your records have propagated using command-line tools:

# Check CNAME record
dig billing.yourcompany.com CNAME +short

# Check TXT record (SPF)
dig billing.yourcompany.com TXT +short

# Check DKIM CNAME
dig lc._domainkey.billing.yourcompany.com CNAME +short

Or use an online tool like DNS Checker to see propagation status across global DNS servers.

Auto-Provision Alternative

If you prefer not to configure DNS, you can use LostChurn's auto-provisioned subdomain:

yourcompany.send.lostchurn.com

This requires zero DNS setup and is available immediately. To use the auto-provisioned domain:

1. Go to Settings → Email → Custom Domain
2. Click Use LostChurn Subdomain
3. Enter your preferred prefix (typically your company name)
4. The domain is active immediately -- no verification needed

You can switch from the auto-provisioned domain to a custom domain at any time without disrupting active recoveries. Emails already queued will be sent from the old domain; new emails will use the updated domain.

Next Steps

• Quick Setup Wizard -- configure email as part of the guided setup
• Email Templates -- customize dunning email content and design
• Security -- learn about email encryption and data protection