Add Your ESP to SPF Record Examples | Email List Validation

Why adding your ESP to the SPF record matters for deliverability

You send emails from your company domain. They’re well-written, relevant, and scheduled perfectly. Yet some don’t reach inboxes — or worse, get flagged as spam. Why?

One invisible but critical reason: your ESP isn’t in your SPF record. SPF checks happen before any inbox filtering begins. If your ESP is missing, the receiving server sees your message as untrusted — and blocks it.

Think of SPF like a door lock on a secure building. If the delivery driver's access badge (your ESP) isn’t on the list, the door stays shut — no matter how legitimate the message. Adding your ESP to your SPF record is the simplest fix for hard bounces and poor inbox placement.

We’ll walk through exactly how to add your ESP to the SPF record, with real, usable examples — not templates from vague blog posts. You’ll learn how to avoid the most common mistake in email deliverability: including your own domain but not your sending service.

Key takeaways

SPF checks occur early in the email delivery process and can block messages before they’re evaluated for content or reputation.
Forgetting to include your ESP in the SPF record causes hard bounces and harms sender reputation.
Proper SPF alignment — including your ESP and ensuring no conflicting records exist — is a foundational deliverability requirement.

What is an SPF record, and how does it work?

An SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record is a DNS TXT record that lists the specific servers authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. When an email arrives, the receiving server checks your domain’s SPF record to confirm the sending server is on the approved list. If it isn’t, the email may be rejected, marked as spam, or flagged as suspicious—hurting deliverability.

How SPF works in practice

Let’s say you send transactional emails through your ESP, like SendGrid or Mailchimp. Without a properly set SPF record, the receiving mail server sees your email as unverified and possibly forged. SPF acts as a gatekeeper: it verifies the sending IP is listed in your domain’s DNS. If it’s not, the email risks ending up in spam or being blocked entirely.

SPF works by scanning the email’s header for the sending server’s IP address. It then compares that IP to the list of authorized IPs in your domain’s TXT record. If the IP matches one of the allowed sources, the email passes the check. If not, it fails—and this failure can trigger spam filters or outright rejection.

Common pitfalls and real-world impacts

One common mistake is listing too many sources without proper alignment. For example, adding every ESP you’ve ever used without a clear, updated list creates confusion. Some receivers may treat overlapping or conflicting records as a red flag, even if the email is legitimate.

Another issue: SPF does not validate the email’s content or sender address (like "From" field), only the sending IP. That’s why SPF alone isn’t enough. It’s part of a larger email authentication stack—SPF, DKIM, and DMARC must work together to ensure full inbox placement.

For more on how email authentication affects deliverability, see the IETF's official specification: RFC 7208, which defines SPF’s technical behavior. The same document also explains why multiple SPF checks can cause failures if not managed correctly.

When you add your ESP to your SPF record, make sure you’re doing it correctly. List only the approved domains or IPs. Use mechanisms like include: for trusted services. Avoid exceeding the 10 DNS lookup limit—this can break SPF validation.

Using tools like bulk list verification can help you identify invalid or suspicious sender addresses before they ever hit your email infrastructure. Clean lists improve your sender reputation, which indirectly supports SPF success.

How to add your ESP to the SPF record: A step-by-step process

You can add your ESP to your SPF record by logging into your domain host’s DNS panel, locating the existing SPF TXT record, and editing it to include your ESP using the correct syntax like include:spf.mailchimp.com. Avoid exceeding the 10 DNS lookup limit, save the change, and wait 5–10 minutes for propagation. Once done, your emails will be more likely to pass authentication checks and avoid being marked as spam.

Step-by-step: Updating your SPF record

Log into your domain host’s DNS management panel — Go to your domain registrar or DNS provider (like GoDaddy, Cloudflare, or Namecheap) and access the DNS settings for your domain. This is where you control email authentication.
Find your existing SPF TXT record — Look for a TXT record with the name example.com (or @) and a value starting with v=spf1. This is your current SPF policy.
Edit the record to include your ESP — Append the include mechanism for your ESP, like include:spf.mailchimp.com or include:spf.sendgrid.net. Ensure the full syntax follows SPF standards. For example: v=spf1 include:spf.mailchimp.com -all.
Check for DNS lookup limits — Each include counts as one DNS lookup. The SPF specification allows only 10 lookups. Too many includes can cause your record to fail. Use RFC 7208 as a reference to audit depth.
Save and wait — After saving, wait 5–10 minutes for DNS changes to propagate. Use tools like MXToolbox to verify the new record is live.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Even small errors break SPF. Double-check that your record starts with v=spf1 and ends with -all or ~all to reject unapproved senders.

Don’t merge multiple SPFs — only one SPF TXT record per domain is allowed.
Avoid duplicate includes (like include:spf1.mailchimp.com twice).
Never use redirect unless you’re confident in the target.

If you're managing multiple ESPs, keep the list lean. Consider using a dedicated email validation service to test your sending domains and catch SPF issues early. Clean your list in bulk to ensure you’re not sending to invalid or risky addresses, which can hurt sender reputation — a key factor in deliverability.

Common pitfalls when adding ESPs to SPF records

You risk breaking email deliverability if you overload your SPF record with too many includes, use incorrect ESP identifiers, forget to update after switching services, or create duplicate SPF records. These mistakes trigger SPF failures, leading to bouncebacks or spam placement. Always verify the exact syntax and keep your record lean and updated.

Overloading the SPF record

Each SPF check counts toward a 10 DNS lookup limit. Exceeding it causes the record to fail.
Using too many include directives, especially from multiple ESPs, quickly eats into this limit. Even a few poorly constructed includes can push you over.
Stick to only the necessary providers. If you must include multiple, test your record with a tool like MxToolbox to confirm lookup count.

Invalid or outdated ESP identifiers

Typing a domain incorrectly — like spf.sendgrid.net instead of sendgrid.net — breaks SPF validation.
Some ESPs update their SPF identity over time. Using an old identifier means your mail may not pass verification.
Always double-check the official documentation of your ESP. For example, SendGrid’s current SPF uses include:_spf.sendgrid.net, not a full domain.

Forgetting to update after switching ESPs

Switching from one ESP to another? Old SPF entries for the old provider will still be in place.
Unresolved inclusions lead to SPF failures, especially if the old ESP’s domain is no longer trustworthy.
Update your SPF record as soon as you discontinue an ESP. Use your domain’s DNS manager to remove outdated includes.

Duplicate SPF records

Only one SPF TXT record per domain is valid. Creating multiple records leads to rejection by receiving servers.
If you have more than one, merge them manually or through a DNS tool. Never leave multiple records active.
This is a common issue when using tools that don’t auto-merge. Always check for duplicates before publishing.

Preventing SPF errors starts with clarity and discipline. Use a tool like bulk list verification to audit your sending infrastructure and catch misconfigurations early. You don’t need perfect SPF syntax to send — but you do need it to deliver.

ESP SPF include examples for major platforms

Adding your ESP to your SPF record is straightforward: just include the appropriate include: directive. For Mailchimp, use include:spf.mailchimp.com; HubSpot, include:spf.hubspot.com; Klaviyo, include:spf.klaviyo.com; SendGrid, include:spf.sendgrid.net; and Amazon SES, include:amazonses.com. These directives let your ESP send email on your behalf while keeping your SPF policy intact.

Why include your ESP in your SPF record

Without the correct include: directive, your emails may fail authentication and land in spam folders or get rejected outright. SPF checks are part of the core email authentication stack—alongside DKIM and DMARC—and email receivers like Gmail and Outlook use them to verify the sender’s domain.

Each ESP maintains its own SPF record. If you send from Mailchimp, you must explicitly allow Mailchimp’s servers to send on your domain. Otherwise, your outbound mail fails the SPF check. This is an industry-standard practice, confirmed by the IETF’s RFC 7208, which defines SPF behavior.

How to implement these include directives

Start by opening your domain’s DNS manager. Locate the SPF TXT record, which usually begins with v=spf1. Add the relevant include: directive for your ESP, separating multiple includes with spaces. For example: v=spf1 include:spf.mailchimp.com include:spf.hubspot.com -all.

Not all ESPs use the same format. Amazon SES requires a specific syntax with include:amazonses.com and a mechanism like -all. Always check the official documentation from your provider—though in most cases, these include values are stable and widely documented.

It’s easy to go wrong by chaining too many includes or creating a record that exceeds the DNS limit of 255 characters or 10 DNS lookups. Use tools designed for SPF record validation—like MxToolbox or Spamhaus—to test your syntax before deploying it.

When you’re ready to verify your records or audit your senders, consider a real-time email verification API to check that your mail streams are aligned with proper authentication. Tools like real-time email verification can help identify issues before they impact deliverability.

Why 'include' is safer than copying full SPF strings

You should use include: in your SPF records instead of copying a full SPF string because it dynamically references your ESP’s verified policy. This means you adapt automatically when the ESP updates their infrastructure—like shifting to new mail servers—without manual intervention. If you copy a full SPF string, you risk hardcoding outdated or incorrect values, which breaks authentication and increases the chance of emails being rejected.

ESP changes happen. Your SPF shouldn’t need to

ESP providers regularly adjust their mail infrastructure—adding new data centers, retiring old systems, rotating IP addresses. If you manually copy an SPF string from your ESP’s documentation, that record becomes static. Once their IP pool changes, your copied version no longer reflects reality. This mismatch can cause your outbound emails to fail SPF checks, even if everything else is correct.

Using include: avoids this entirely. It points to the current, validated SPF policy managed by the ESP—the same one they use internally. The reference updates automatically when the ESP updates their own policy, so you stay compliant with minimal effort. This is how major providers like SendGrid and Amazon SES handle their own SPF records, as confirmed in official documentation from RFC 7208.

Lightweight and resilient by design

The include mechanism is lightweight; it’s just a pointer, not a full copy of another record. This reduces complexity and the risk of syntax errors. It also avoids SPF record length limits—SPF records are capped at 255 characters per line and 10 DNS lookups per evaluation. Copying full strings can push you over these limits, causing SPF fails even if the content is correct.

Let's say you run a campaign and notice some emails are bouncing with a "SPF fail" message. You check your record and find it contains an outdated IP range. If you’d used include:spf.sendgrid.net instead, the issue would’ve resolved itself as SendGrid updated their published policy. That’s reliability at scale. It’s not just about convenience—it’s about maintaining consistent deliverability over time.

For teams managing large volumes of outbound email, maintaining accurate SPF policies is a recurring operational cost. Tools that help validate and clean email data can reduce the root causes of delivery problems. You can verify the validity of your list and catch malformed or invalid addresses early with bulk email list cleaning.

What happens if your ESP isn’t in your SPF record?

If your ESP isn’t included in your SPF record, your emails are likely to be rejected silently—counted as hard bounces—by receiving servers. This harms sender reputation, reduces inbox placement, and can trigger spam filters even for legitimate messages. A missing ESP in SPF is a common, measurable cause of deliverability failure.

Real-world consequences of an incomplete SPF record

You’ll likely see hard bounces from major providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo if your ESP isn’t explicitly listed in your SPF record.
Receiving servers may flag your domain as untrustworthy, especially if they detect inconsistent authentication practices across email sources.
Spam filters are more likely to treat your messages as suspicious—even if content is clean—because SPF is a foundational email authentication standard.
Sender reputation degrades over time, especially if multiple sends fail due to SPF misconfiguration, making re-engagement harder.
Inbox placement drops because many email services use SPF alignment as a baseline gate before even reviewing content or engagement signals.

How SPF works—and why missing your ESP breaks it

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a DNS-based email authentication method that tells receiving servers which mail servers are allowed to send on your domain’s behalf. If your ESP (like SendGrid, Mailchimp, or Klaviyo) isn’t listed in the record, the server sees your message as unauthorized.

Even if your ESP properly authenticates using DKIM and DMARC, SPF remains a hard check. A failure here can override those signals. You can test your SPF record in real time using tools from MXToolbox or RFC 7208, which define SPF’s structure and purpose.

Let’s be clear: SPF isn’t optional. It’s a required step in modern email delivery. A single misconfigured or incomplete record can cost you visibility.

Use email verification to catch flawed sender setups early. Validate entire lists to ensure deliverability signals stay strong. Clean your list with real-time verification and avoid sending to invalid or misauthenticated addresses that can harm your reputation.

How to test if your SPF record includes your ESP correctly

You can verify your SPF record includes your ESP by using a real-time DNS lookup tool like MxToolbox, entering your domain, and checking the parsed SPF syntax for your ESP’s include directive. Then, send a test email and inspect the full header for an SPF: pass result. If it fails, your SPF record may be misconfigured or incomplete.

Step-by-step verification process

Use a DNS lookup tool like MxToolbox or a free SPF checker. These tools fetch your domain’s public DNS records and parse them in real time, showing exactly what your SPF record contains. This avoids relying on static or cached data.
Enter your domain name and inspect the parsed SPF syntax. The tool will display your SPF record's full structure, including all mechanisms like include, ip4, all, and others. Look for your ESP’s domain in the include directive (e.g., include:spf.prosend.com).
Confirm your ESP’s include directive appears in the output. If it doesn’t show up, your SPF record is either missing the directive, has a typo, or is incorrectly formatted. This is a common cause of email delivery failures.
Send a test message from your email system or ESP. Use a real sender address and send a test email to a dedicated inbox (like a personal or team address). Do not use a generic test service.
Examine the full email header for the SPF result. In the header, look for Authentication-Results: dkim=pass (signature verified) and spf=pass from your domain’s mail server. If you see spf=fail, your SPF record is likely misconfigured. You can verify the header format using RFC 7208, which defines SPF behavior.

Common pitfalls and fixes

Even a single syntax error can invalidate your whole SPF record. Common issues include duplicate include directives, exceeding the 10 DNS lookup limit, or incorrect syntax (like missing commas or extra spaces).

If your ESP is hosted by a third party, ensure you’re using the correct include tag—some providers use multiple subdomains or custom records. You can also validate your full email delivery stack using a tool like inbox placement testing to see how your messages land in real inboxes across providers.

You can’t control how ISPs validate SPF, but you can stop bad emails from ever reaching them. Our bulk verification checks for invalid, risky, or catch-all addresses that could trigger spam filters, even if your SPF record is technically correct. By filtering high-risk addresses before sending, you reduce the chance of sender reputation spikes, which ISPs penalize—even if SPF passes. Let’s break down how.

Preventing SPF spikes with smarter list hygiene

Invalid or malformed emails can still pass SPF validation, but they cause bounces and spam complaints, hurting your sender reputation. Our bulk verification finds these early, reducing the risk of delivery failures that ISPs interpret as poor list quality.
Catch-all domains (where any email is accepted) can make SPF checks look suspicious. If an address is valid in theory but doesn’t map to a real user, it often leads to hard bounces or spam complaints—both of which hurt deliverability. We detect and flag these domains.
Role accounts (like [email protected] or [email protected]) are common in lists but rarely engage. ISPs track engagement signals, and high volumes of messages to role accounts can signal spammy behavior. We identify these so you can clean them preemptively.

Testing deliverability before you send

Our inbox placement tests simulate real-world delivery conditions—including SPF and other authentication checks—so you know how your emails perform in real inboxes before you send.
Integrating our real-time API at the point of list import means you catch invalid or risky addresses before they ever hit your ESP. It’s like a pre-flight check for your email campaigns.
With 98.9% accuracy and credits that never expire, our tool keeps your list healthy and your sender reputation intact. The fewer bounces and complaints, the less likely ISPs are to flag your domain—even if SPF is properly configured.

Spam filters don’t just check SPF—they look at the behavior of the entire sending domain. A clean list reduces the risk of being marked as a spam source. This is why you don’t need to overthink SPF records if your list is clean. Tools like Spamhaus and RFC 7208 confirm that authentication is just one layer; list quality is equally critical.

Check out our bulk email list cleaning to audit your entire contact list. Or use our real-time verification API to validate addresses instantly during sign-up or import. No expiration on credits. No guesswork.

Best practices for maintaining SPF records over time

You should review your SPF record every quarter, especially after switching email service providers. Use a single SPF TXT record, combine all include directives under one entry, avoid unnecessary a and mx mechanisms, monitor deliverability with tools like Return Path or Mail-Tester, and use the in-app AI assistant in Email List Validation to catch syntax issues and conflicts. These steps keep your domain’s reputation strong and reduce delivery failures.

Keep SPF records clean and efficient

Review your SPF record quarterly—particularly after onboarding a new ESP or changing your email infrastructure.
Use only one SPF TXT record per domain. Multiple records trigger SPF failures, even if the total length stays under 255 characters.
Merge all include: directives into a single record. Avoid duplicating includes from different providers.
Avoid a and mx mechanisms unless strictly necessary—each adds DNS lookups, increasing the risk of exceeding the 10-lookup limit defined in RFC 7208.
Use modern, targeted mechanisms like include: for trusted ESPs instead of broad defaults.

Monitor and validate your SPF setup

Check deliverability performance regularly using tools like Return Path or Mail-Tester—these services show how recipients see your emails.
Run inbox placement tests to verify your messages appear in inboxes, not spam folders, across major providers.
Use the in-app AI assistant in Email List Validation to parse complex SPF syntax, detect duplicate includes, and identify known conflict patterns in your record.
Keep a change log for your SPF record—track every update, who made it, and why. This helps diagnose issues later.
Test SPF changes in a staging environment before deploying to production, especially if you rely on multiple ESPs.

Even small SPF mistakes can trigger widespread delivery failures—maintaining a single, clean, and up-to-date record is essential for inbox placement.

When you're ready to validate your list and ensure your sending domain remains trusted, use our bulk verification tool to clean your email database and check for delivery risks.

Final takeaway: SPF setup is a foundation of deliverability

SPF is not optional. A correctly configured record ensures your emails aren’t blocked or marked as spam simply because the sender authentication is missing or wrong.

Always use the official include: syntax for your ESP. Never assume it’s already included. Misconfigured includes are a common cause of hard bounces and deliverability drop-offs.

Before sending, double-check your SPF record for every new service you add. One missing include: can invalidate the entire record and harm your sender reputation.

Tools like Email List Validation help catch these errors early—before they damage your email program. Real-time verification reveals invalid addresses and weak authentication setups, so you can act before your campaign fails.

Keep reading

Ready to put this into practice? Email List Validation verifies emails with 98.9% accuracy — start with 100 free verifications.

Frequently asked questions

Can I include multiple ESPs in one SPF record?

Yes, you can include multiple ESPs using 'include:' directives separated by spaces. Just stay under the 10 DNS lookup limit.

Does adding an ESP to SPF fix inbox placement issues?

Not directly. It removes one failure point, but inbox placement depends on reputation, engagement, content, and infrastructure.

What is the maximum number of DNS lookups allowed in an SPF record?

RFC 7208 limits SPF DNS lookups to 10. Exceeding this results in a 'softfail' or 'permerror'.

Can I have both SPF and DKIM without DMARC?

Yes, but DMARC is strongly recommended. Without it, you have no policy for handling failed authentication.

How often should I test my SPF record?

Test after any DNS change, and review quarterly to ensure still valid and not over the lookup limit.

Why is Mailchimp’s SPF include different from SendGrid’s?

Each ESP maintains its own infrastructure and authorized sending domains. Their SPF records differ by design.

Does using 'include:' reduce my chances of being flagged as spam?

It doesn’t guarantee inbox delivery, but it prevents one common reason for rejection — unauthorized sending.

Can I use Email List Validation to check my SPF record?

Not directly, but our inbox placement tests evaluate whether your emails are passing SPF checks under real-world conditions.

What is a 'softfail' in SPF?

It means the sender failed SPF validation but doesn’t automatically reject the email. It may still land in spam.

Can I have a TXT record for SPF and SPF for DKIM?

No. One TXT record must contain your SPF policy. DKIM uses a separate TXT record, not a second SPF.

Do I need to update my SPF record if I add more sending services?

Yes — if you use more than one ESP or send from additional domains, you must include each in your SPF record via 'include:'.

Why does my email still fail SPF even after adding include:spf.mailchimp.com?

Check for syntax errors, duplicated SPF records, incorrect DNS propagation, or if Mailchimp has changed their include identifier.