Deliverability

A digest that lands in spam is worse than none: people stop trusting it and stop opening it, even after you fix it. Two things matter most: authenticating your sending domain, and a few LatestArr settings.

Why this matters for LatestArr

LatestArr sends on a schedule, from an address you choose, through a server you configure. That’s exactly the shape of traffic spam filters are built to check, because it’s also the shape of a spam run from a hijacked account. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are how receiving servers tell the two apart.

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

• SPF is a DNS record on your sending domain that lists which mail servers may send as it. It’s pure DNS; LatestArr doesn’t take part.
• DKIM signs each message so the receiver can check it wasn’t changed and came from a server holding your domain’s key. Your SMTP provider or server does the signing; LatestArr just sends through it.
• DMARC tells receivers what to do when SPF or DKIM fails (nothing, quarantine, or reject) and where to send reports. It’s the part that actually gets enforced.

The domain that needs all three is the one in your From email. Not the domain LatestArr is hosted on, and not your provider’s domain.

Choosing where to send from

• A transactional provider (Postmark, Mailgun, Amazon SES, SendGrid, Brevo, and similar) is the easiest path. They walk you through adding SPF and DKIM records when you verify your domain, then sign every message. Use the SMTP credentials they give you, not your account login.
• Gmail or Google Workspace works with an app password  for small setups. Free Gmail allows about 500 messages a day.
• Your own mail server gives full control and full responsibility: DNS records, signing, and your IP’s reputation are all on you. That’s hard to get right for low-volume mail like a weekly digest.

Verifying it worked

Use Send test email on your SMTP profile, open the message, and view its headers (“Show original” or similar). Look for:

spf=pass
dkim=pass
dmarc=pass

mail-tester.com  gives a more detailed score if you want a second opinion.

If DKIM shows temperror or fail

• temperror means the receiver couldn’t look up your DKIM key in DNS. Find the s= (selector) and d= (domain) values in the message’s DKIM-Signature header, then check the record exists:

  nslookup -type=TXT <selector>._domainkey.<domain>

  You should get exactly one record starting with v=DKIM1.

• fail usually means the DNS record no longer matches the key the server signs with, often after your provider rotated keys. Copy the current record from your provider again.

• No DKIM-Signature header at all means your SMTP server isn’t signing. Turn DKIM on at your provider.

What LatestArr does for you

• Sends each recipient their own message, never one message to a list.
• Includes a plain-text version with every email New in 0.11.
• Uses your profile’s (or newsletter’s) From name and email on every send. Make sure that address is on the domain you’ve authenticated.