If you use Podia to send emails (broadcasts and campaigns), you'll want to consider setting up a custom email sender address.

A custom sender address can help build your sending reputation, make it easier for customers to recognize your brand, and help email inboxes correctly triage and deliver your emails.

Overview

If you don't set up a custom email domain, emails you send from Podia will show [email protected] as the sender address.

If someone replies to your email, it will still go to whichever email is linked to your Podia account, but that email address won't be displayed in the original message.

Setting a custom sender domain would replace the default [email protected] domain that shows up with the sender address you connected to your account.

Here are a couple of common custom sender addresses users like to set up:

To validate your address, you sign in to your domain provider through Entri, and Podia adds the DNS records for you. Your email domain then goes through these statuses:

Status	What it means
Validating	The DNS records have been added. It can take up to 24 hours for the change to take effect.
Timed out	Podia couldn’t confirm your DNS records within 24 hours.
Connected	Your email domain is validated, and emails are sent from your address.

You can leave the page while your domain validates.

You can only use an email address on a domain you own and can sign in to. Addresses from Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook and other shared providers can’t be used as custom sender addresses. You’ll also need an inbox at that address to receive a verification code.

Benefits of connecting a custom sender address

While there are many reasons why a custom domain is preferable over an [email protected] domain, here are the most common:

More recognizable: your customers recognize your email/domain and know they can trust it
Looks more professional: if you have a name or email you're known by, sending messages from it reinforces your branding
Increase deliverability rates: if your email is already listed in a customer's database, using an unknown email could trigger SPAM filters

Setting up a custom email sender address

Here's how to set a custom email sender address:

From your home feed, click on your site name and select Admin from the dropdown menu.
From the Admin dashboard, click Settings > Email in the sidebar menu.
Click Edit next to the Default sender option.
Click on the dropdown menu next to Default email address and select Set custom email address.
Enter the email address you would like to use as your custom sender address and hit Continue.
On the next step, we will ask you to verify that you own this email address by sending a verification code to the connected email address.

You must have a valid email inbox to receive the verification code. If you don't have one yet, check with your domain registrar how to set one up.

Enter the code you received and click on Verify code.
Once you verify your email address, click Validate domain to start your validation process with Entri.
Entri will check where your domain is hosted. Once it finds your provider, click Connect with [domain registrar].
- Select Connect a different way if you’d like to use another connection method, such as adding the records manually.
Enter your domain provider’s login details so Entri can add the records.
- Not every provider supports every sign-in method. If yours isn’t supported, add the records manually instead.
Once the connection process is complete, Entri will automatically add the required records to your domain registrar so your custom sender domain can connect to Podia.

Your custom sender domain may show as Pending while Entri and your domain registrar add these records. This process can take up to 24 hours, and you can check the validation manually at any time.
Once your custom sender address is validated, you'll see a validation message and receive an email confirming the connection 😄

Troubleshooting validation errors

Issue	Solution
My email domain shows "Timed out"	Podia couldn’t confirm your DNS records within 24 hours. Click Try again to restart validation. If it times out again, check that the records Entri added are still in your domain provider’s DNS settings. If you prefer, try adding the records manually.
I added the records manually, but my domain still isn’t validating	Check that you copied the values exactly, with no typos or extra spaces, and that you used the record type Entri showed. Make sure you added them where your domain’s DNS is hosted, which is usually where you bought the domain. Then click Check now.
I’m getting an error when I add the DNS record manually	This usually means a record with the same name already exists. Delete the existing record, then add the one Entri showed you.
I’m clicking "Validate domain" and nothing happens	Refresh the page and click Validate domain again. If the Entri window still doesn’t open, turn off any ad blockers or browser extensions, or try a private window or a different browser.
I still can’t validate my domain	Reach out to us with a screenshot of your DNS records and the email address you’re setting up.

Changing and/or disconnecting a custom sender address

You can change or disconnect a custom sender address if you no longer want to use the address you originally connected to Podia.

Click the Default email address dropdown menu, then select Change email or Remove email, depending on what you want to do.

FAQs

I’m having trouble signing in to my domain provider through Entri… HELP!

First, sign in on your domain provider’s own website to confirm your login details work, and make sure the domain is in that account.

Entri doesn’t support social sign-in for all providers, passkeys, hardware security keys, or device-based two-factor authentication. Codes sent by text message, an authenticator app, or email work.

If your account uses a sign-in method Entri doesn’t support, click Trouble signing in?, select Set up manually, and add the records Entri shows you.

Can I validate my email domain without signing in through Entri?

Yes. Here’s how:

When you’re asked to sign in to your domain provider, click Trouble signing in?.
Select Set up manually.
Add the exact records Entri shows you in your domain provider’s DNS settings.
Click I’ve added these records.

Podia will then start validating the record you manually added. The process can take up to 24 hours.

I can't find the option to remove a custom sender domain I started connecting... HELP!

If your custom sender domain isn’t Validating or Connected yet, move it to Validating first, then cancel it:

Next to Default sender, find the Validate your email domain card (Step 3 of 3) and click Validate domain.
Wait while Entri checks your domain. This usually takes a few seconds.
In the window that opens, choose Set up manually.
Click I’ve added these records. You don’t need to add the DNS record if you’re only removing the domain.
You’re taken back to Default sender, where your email address now shows the Validating status.
Click Cancel.
When asked “Are you sure you want to cancel? This will reset the verification process.”, click OK.

Is Podia a mailbox service?

Podia connects your sending domain to enable its use for marketing communications.

However, it's important to note that we don't offer an email inbox service at this time.

While you can reach your customers and subscribers through campaigns and broadcasts, you'll still need a separate service to manage your incoming emails.

In summary, Podia has got you covered for sending emails, but for receiving them, you might want to explore options with your domain registrar.

Can I port or transfer my existing email address to Podia?

Podia doesn't offer email hosting, so you can't transfer or port an email address to Podia in the way you would with an email provider.

What you can do is connect your existing email address as a custom sender address. This means emails you send through Podia (broadcasts and campaigns) will appear to come from your own address — for example, [email protected] — rather than the default [email protected].

Your email inbox itself stays hosted wherever it is now (with your domain registrar or email provider). Podia handles the sending; your existing provider handles receiving.

Note: Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and other shared email provider addresses can't be used as custom senders. You need to own the domain the address is on.

Why am I not able to set my custom email address?

If you are running into issues entering or saving your custom email address, it's likely that you have not yet added your mailing address to your Podia account.

This step is legally required to be completed before sending emails through Podia.

What happens to email replies when I use a custom sending address in Podia?

Replies to broadcasts and campaigns you send through Podia, as well as delay and community notifications will go to your connected custom sender email.

Replies to transactional emails (password resets, purchase confirmation emails, etc) will be sent to the email address associated with your Podia account.

If you're using the same email address for your Podia account and sender address, you should be fine. However, if you are using two different email addresses, keep in mind that you might get replies sent to two different inboxes.

If you want all replies sent to the same inbox, make sure your custom sender domain and Podia account email are the same.

Can I connect a Gmail/Yahoo/Outlook/etc. email address?

You may only use an email address that you have access to and own the domain for.

Using an email service provider like Gmail/Yahoo/Outlook, etc., is not supported at this time.

Can I set up more than one custom sender address?

You can only have one custom sender address per Podia account.

If you'd like to change your connected custom sender address, simply hit the delete/cancel button and follow the same steps to connect another custom sender domain.

Can I use the same sending domain across multiple Podia accounts?

No — each sending domain can only be registered to one Podia account.

This applies even if you use different email aliases from the same domain (e.g., [email protected] on one account and [email protected] on another). Podia restricts at the domain level, not the alias level, so you'll see a "sending domain already registered" error if you try.