Instantly, Smartlead, Email Bison: Complete Authentication Setup Guide

Proper email authentication is the difference between cold email success and failure. This guide provides specific setup instructions for popular cold email tools: Instantly.ai, Smartlead.ai, Email Bison, Lemlist, and others.

Why Authentication is Non-Negotiable

The Cold Email Reality

Without Authentication:

70% to 90% of emails rejected
5% to 15% inbox placement
Campaigns fail before they start

With Authentication:

80% to 95% inbox placement
16x to 19x improvement
Campaigns scale successfully

Provider Requirements

Google & Yahoo (2024):

Bulk senders: SPF, DKIM, DMARC required
All senders: SPF or DKIM required

Microsoft Outlook (2025):

Bulk senders: SPF, DKIM, DMARC required

What This Means:

Without authentication: Emails rejected
With authentication: Emails delivered

Instantly.ai Authentication Setup

Overview

Instantly.ai is one of the most popular cold email platforms. Proper authentication is essential for success.

SPF Configuration

Step 1: Get SPF Include

Log into Instantly dashboard
Go to Settings → Domains
Add your domain
Copy SPF include: include:spf.instantly.ai

Step 2: Add to DNS

If Using Dedicated Subdomain:

v=spf1 include:spf.instantly.ai -all

If Using Main Domain (with other services):

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.instantly.ai -all

DNS Record:

Type: TXT
Host: @ or leave blank
Value: Your SPF record
TTL: 3600

Step 3: Verify

Instantly dashboard shows verification status
Use MXToolbox to verify: https://mxtoolbox.com/spf.aspx
MailSentinel DNS scan verifies automatically

DKIM Configuration

Step 1: Get DKIM Records

In Instantly dashboard, go to Settings → Domains
Click on your domain
Instantly generates DKIM keys automatically
Copy DNS records provided

Step 2: Add to DNS

Example Record:

Host: instantly._domainkey
Type: TXT
Value: v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQC...

Step 3: Verify

Instantly dashboard shows verification status
Wait 15-60 minutes for DNS propagation
Send test email and check headers

DMARC Configuration

Step 1: Set Up Monitoring

Sign up for MailSentinel - Free trial
Add your domain
Get report address: your-id@reports.mailsentinel.io

Step 2: Create DMARC Record

Starting Policy:

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:your-id@reports.mailsentinel.io

Step 3: Add to DNS

Type: TXT
Host: _dmarc
Value: Your DMARC record
TTL: 3600

Step 4: Monitor

Check MailSentinel dashboard
Review DMARC reports
Verify Instantly emails pass DMARC

Instantly Best Practices

✅ Use dedicated subdomain for cold email
✅ Monitor DMARC reports weekly
✅ Keep spam complaints below 0.3%
✅ Warm up domain gradually
✅ Maintain list hygiene
✅ Track engagement metrics

Smartlead.ai Authentication Setup

Overview

Smartlead.ai offers AI-powered cold email automation. Authentication ensures your AI-generated emails reach the inbox.

SPF Configuration

Step 1: Get SPF Include

Log into Smartlead dashboard
Go to Settings → Email Domains
Add your domain
Copy SPF include: include:spf.smartlead.ai

Step 2: Add to DNS

v=spf1 include:spf.smartlead.ai -all

Or with other services:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.smartlead.ai -all

DNS Record:

Type: TXT
Host: @
Value: SPF record
TTL: 3600

Step 3: Verify

Smartlead shows verification status
Use MXToolbox to verify
MailSentinel verifies automatically

DKIM Configuration

Step 1: Get DKIM Records

In Smartlead, go to Settings → Email Domains
Click on your domain
Smartlead provides DKIM keys
Copy DNS records

Step 2: Add to DNS

Host: smartlead._domainkey
Type: TXT
Value: v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=...

Step 3: Verify

Smartlead dashboard shows status
Wait for DNS propagation
Test with email headers

DMARC Configuration

Step 1: Set Up MailSentinel

Add domain to MailSentinel
Get report address
Create DMARC record

Step 2: DMARC Record

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:your-id@reports.mailsentinel.io

Step 3: Monitor

Review reports in MailSentinel
Track authentication rates
Optimize based on data

Smartlead Best Practices

✅ Verify domain ownership
✅ Monitor bounce rates
✅ Track engagement metrics
✅ Maintain list hygiene
✅ Use AI features wisely
✅ Monitor authentication status

Email Bison Authentication Setup

Overview

Email Bison provides cold email automation with focus on deliverability. Proper authentication maximizes their platform's effectiveness.

SPF Configuration

Step 1: Get SPF Include

Log into Email Bison dashboard
Go to Settings → Domains
Add your domain
Copy SPF include: include:spf.emailbison.com

Step 2: Add to DNS

v=spf1 include:spf.emailbison.com -all

DNS Record:

Type: TXT
Host: @
Value: SPF record
TTL: 3600

Step 3: Verify

Email Bison shows verification
Use MXToolbox
MailSentinel verifies

DKIM Configuration

Step 1: Get DKIM Records

In Email Bison, domain settings
DKIM keys generated automatically
Copy DNS records

Step 2: Add to DNS

Host: emailbison._domainkey
Type: TXT
Value: v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=...

Step 3: Verify

Email Bison dashboard
Wait for propagation
Test email headers

DMARC Configuration

Step 1: MailSentinel Setup

Add domain
Get report address
Create DMARC record

Step 2: DMARC Record

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:your-id@reports.mailsentinel.io

Step 3: Monitor

MailSentinel dashboard
Track authentication
Optimize setup

Email Bison Best Practices

✅ Use dedicated sending domain
✅ Monitor deliverability metrics
✅ Follow best practices
✅ Maintain good reputation
✅ Track authentication rates
✅ Optimize campaigns

include:spf.lemlist.com

Complete SPF Record:

v=spf1 include:spf.lemlist.com -all

DNS:

Type: TXT
Host: @
Value: SPF record

DKIM Configuration

Process:

Lemlist provides DKIM setup
Add DNS records
Verify configuration

DNS Records:

Provided by Lemlist
Add to your DNS
Verify in dashboard

DMARC Configuration

Setup:

Configure MailSentinel
Add DMARC record
Monitor reports

DMARC Record:

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:your-id@reports.mailsentinel.io

Lemlist Best Practices

✅ Personalize authentically
✅ Monitor authentication
✅ Track engagement
✅ Maintain list quality
✅ Follow best practices

Other Popular Tools

Outreach.io

SPF:

v=spf1 include:spf.outreach.io -all

DKIM:

Provided by Outreach
Add DNS records
Verify in dashboard

DMARC:

Configure separately
Monitor with MailSentinel

Reply.io

SPF:

v=spf1 include:spf.reply.io -all

DKIM:

Provided by Reply
Add DNS records
Verify setup

DMARC:

Configure separately
Monitor authentication

Woodpecker

SPF:

v=spf1 include:spf.woodpecker.co -all

DKIM:

Provided by Woodpecker
Add DNS records
Verify configuration

DMARC:

Configure separately
Monitor with MailSentinel

Using wrong include statement
Missing tool in SPF
Multiple SPF records

Solution:

Use exact include from tool
Add to existing SPF (don't create new)
Verify only one SPF record exists

Mistake 2: DKIM Not Verified

Problem:

DNS records not published
Wrong selector
Key mismatch

Solution:

Verify DNS records published
Check selector matches tool
Ensure keys match

Mistake 3: No DMARC Monitoring

Problem:

DMARC not configured
No visibility into failures
Can't optimize

Solution:

Set up MailSentinel
Configure DMARC record
Monitor reports weekly

Mistake 4: Using Main Domain

Problem:

Risking main domain reputation
Affecting all email
Harder to isolate issues

Solution:

Use dedicated subdomain
Isolate cold email reputation
Protect main domain

Verification & Testing

Test Your Setup

1. SPF Test:

Use MXToolbox SPF checker
Verify record detected
Check lookup count

2. DKIM Test:

Send test email
Check headers for DKIM-Signature
Verify signature valid

3. DMARC Test:

Send test email
Check Authentication-Results header
Verify DMARC passes

4. Tool Verification:

Check tool dashboard
Verify domain status
Confirm authentication working

Monitoring & Optimization

Key Metrics to Track

Authentication:

DMARC pass rate (target: 95%+)
SPF pass rate (target: 95%+)
DKIM pass rate (target: 95%+)

Deliverability:

Inbox placement (target: 80%+)
Bounce rate (target: <2%)
Spam complaints (target: <0.3%)

Engagement:

Open rate (target: 20%+)
Reply rate (target: 5%+)
Conversion rate (varies)

Tools for Monitoring

MailSentinel:

DMARC monitoring
Authentication tracking
Alert system

Google Postmaster Tools:

Gmail deliverability
Spam rate monitoring
Reputation tracking

Microsoft SNDS:

Outlook deliverability
IP reputation
Complaint rates

Tool Analytics:

Built-in metrics
Engagement tracking
Campaign performance

ROI of Proper Authentication

Without Authentication

Scenario:

1,000 emails sent
10% delivery (100 delivered)
20% open rate (20 opens)
5% reply rate (1 reply)
Cost: $500-1,000
Result: 1 reply

With Authentication

Scenario:

1,000 emails sent
90% delivery (900 delivered)
25% open rate (225 opens)
8% reply rate (18 replies)
Cost: $500-1,000 + $14/month MailSentinel
Result: 18 replies

ROI:

18x more replies
$168/year investment
ROI: 1,000%+

Getting Started

Step 1: Choose Your Tool

Instantly.ai
Smartlead.ai
Email Bison
Lemlist
Other

Step 2: Set Up Authentication

Follow Tool-Specific Guide - Detailed instructions
Configure SPF - Add tool to SPF
Configure DKIM - Enable signing
Configure DMARC - Set up monitoring

Step 3: Monitor & Optimize

Set Up MailSentinel - Free trial
Track Metrics - Authentication, deliverability, engagement
Optimize - Improve based on data

Additional Resources

Cold Email Deliverability Guide - Complete guide
Cold Email Authentication Setup - Step-by-step
SPF Setup Guide - Detailed SPF
DKIM Setup Guide - Detailed DKIM
DMARC Setup Guide - Detailed DMARC
Email Delivery Troubleshooting - Fix issues

Conclusion

Proper authentication is the foundation of cold email success. Without it:

70% to 90% of emails rejected
Campaigns fail before they start
Wasted time and money

With proper authentication:

80% to 95% inbox placement
Campaigns scale successfully
18x better results

The investment:

MailSentinel: $14-49/month
Setup time: 2-4 hours
ROI: 1,000%+

Don't let poor authentication kill your cold email campaigns. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC today.

Start Monitoring Your Cold Email Authentication →

Related Articles

Cold Email Deliverability: Why DMARC is Critical for Outbound Sales Success

Correlation vs Causation in Email Deliverability: Why Your Assumptions Are Wrong

DMARC ROI Calculator: Measure the Business Impact of Email Authentication

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