Email Deliverability: Best Practices for RQ Platform Users
How to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC so your RQ Platform emails reliably reach applicants' inboxes
Email Deliverability: Best Practices for RQ Platform Users
Google and Yahoo have tightened their email authentication requirements to cut down on spam and abuse, and those changes now directly affect whether your program's emails reach applicants at all. This guide walks through exactly how to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your RQ Platform sending domain, so confirmations, reminders, and decision notices land in the inbox instead of spam.
Why This Matters for You
RQ Platform sends email confirmations and reminders to your applicants on your behalf. Proper authentication keeps those emails credible in the eyes of mailbox providers and significantly reduces the likelihood they get flagged as spam. RQ Platform follows the mandatory rules required of email senders to keep emails sent through our system reliable, but your domain also needs to be configured correctly on your end for that reliability to hold.
Next Steps
Verify that the "from addresses" used on RQ Platform are actively tied to your connected domain.
Loop in your IT department or domain administrator the recommended updates below are made at the domain/DNS level, not inside RQ Platform itself.
What Needs to Be Updated
The core requirement for all RQ Platform clients and subscribers is to authenticate outgoing email using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Working with your domain provider, RQ Platform recommends setting up the following records so your emails can continue to be sent reliably through our email provider, SocketLabs.
The domain in the sender's "From" header must be aligned with both the SPF and DKIM record for authentication to pass.
1) Set Up SPF and DKIM Email Authentication for Your Sending Domain
Your IT team will need to:
Set up a DKIM record by connecting your email sending domain, per SocketLabs' documentation.
Add SocketLabs, our email gateway provider, to your SPF record, per SocketLabs' documentation.
2) Add a DMARC Record to Your DNS
A DMARC record tells receiving systems what to do if SPF or DKIM checks fail. Unless your organization already has an existing DMARC policy in place, we recommend starting simple. A template example is below, this configuration tells receiving systems not to quarantine or reject failed emails outright:
SocketLabs' DKIM record generator tool offers further ways to customize your DMARC record if your organization needs a stricter policy.
Common Questions About Email Authentication
What happens if I don't set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC?
Without proper authentication, mailbox providers are more likely to flag your program's emails as spam or reject them outright, meaning applicants may never see confirmation emails, reminders, or important program updates.
Who needs to make these changes, me or my IT team?
These updates happen at the domain/DNS level, so they typically require your IT department or whoever manages your domain's DNS settings, not your RQ Platform account settings.
How long does it take for these changes to take effect?
DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours to fully propagate, depending on your domain provider, so it's worth setting these up well before a critical send like application deadlines or winner announcements.
Summary
Email deliverability isn't a one-time setup, it's an ongoing part of keeping your program's communications trustworthy in the eyes of mailbox providers. Authenticating your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protects your sender reputation and helps make sure the emails RQ Platform sends on your behalf, confirmations, reminders, and updates actually reach your applicants instead of landing in spam.
If you have questions or need help coordinating with your IT team, reach out to your Onboarding Specialist or Customer Success Specialist.
KEEP YOUR EMAILS OUT OF SPAM
Get expert help setting this up
Our onboarding team can walk your IT department through SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup, step by step.