Pink PostWhat this test checks
Mailbox providers ask three questions before they trust an email: is this server allowed to send for the domain (SPF), was the message signed by the domain and left unchanged (DKIM), and what does the domain owner want done when those checks fail (DMARC)? MX records answer a fourth question that matters for outreach: can this domain receive the reply?
Since February 2024 Google and Yahoo require bulk senders to have SPF, DKIM and a DMARC record, and expect every sender to authenticate with at least SPF or DKIM. A cold pitch from an unauthenticated domain is far more likely to land in spam, whatever the copy says.
How to read your result
- SPF: we parse the record, follow every
include:, and count DNS lookups. More than 10 is a permanent error and SPF fails for every message. - DKIM: keys live at
selector._domainkey.domain. Leave the selector blank and we try about 40 common ones (Google Workspace usesgoogle, Microsoft 365 usesselector1andselector2). Not finding a key does not prove it is missing; it may use a selector we did not guess. - DMARC: we read the policy (
p=none,quarantineorreject), reporting addresses and alignment. - MX: we list mail servers and name the provider when we recognise it.
The score weights SPF and DMARC at 30 points each, DKIM at 25 and MX at 15. It is a checklist, not a prediction of inbox placement.
Fixing the common problems
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| No SPF record | Add one TXT record at the root of the domain listing every service that sends for you, ending in ~all. For Google Workspace: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all. |
| Too many SPF lookups | Remove services you no longer use, replace a and mx with ip4: ranges, or keep one include per provider. |
| No DKIM key | Turn on DKIM signing in your email provider's admin console and publish the TXT or CNAME record it gives you. |
| No DMARC record | Publish v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:you@yourdomain at _dmarc, read the reports for a few weeks, then move to p=quarantine. |
Why this matters for link building outreach
Outreach is one-to-one email from a real mailbox, often on a fresh domain or a teammate's address. Editors get dozens of pitches a day and their providers filter hard. Before your first campaign, run this check on every sending domain, then warm the mailbox up slowly. In Pink Post each connected mailbox has daily and hourly caps, warm-up that starts at 5 emails a day, and automatic pausing when bounces pass 5%.