Nurturing Configuration

Nurturing configuration covers the infrastructure that powers your email workflows — domains, senders, and default settings. Before you can create flows and send emails, this foundation needs to be in place. Once configured, it mostly runs quietly in the background.

This article provides an overview of nurturing configuration and how the pieces fit together. For detailed setup instructions, see the Setting Up Domains and Senders article.

Accessing Nurturing Settings

1. Go to Settings in the main navigation
2. Click Nurturing

The nurturing settings area has two main tabs:

• Domains — Manage sending domains and DNS verification
• Senders — Configure email addresses used in nurturing campaigns

[Screenshot: Nurturing settings navigation showing Domains and Senders tabs]

Flows themselves are managed separately under Nurturing > Flows in the main navigation, not in Settings.

How the Pieces Fit Together

Understanding the relationship between domains, senders, and flows helps you configure everything correctly.

Domains Are the Foundation

A domain is the base address for sending emails — the part after the @ sign. Before you can send any nurturing emails, you need at least one verified domain.

You own the domain (like yourcompany.com) and create a subdomain for Rizer to send from (like mail.yourcompany.com). Verification proves you control the domain and authorizes Rizer to send on your behalf.

Senders Live on Domains

A sender is a specific email identity — the name and address that appears in recipients’ inboxes. Senders are created on verified domains.

One domain can have multiple senders:

• sarah@mail.yourcompany.com
• sales@mail.yourcompany.com
• updates@mail.yourcompany.com

Each sender has a name (what recipients see) and an email address (where it comes from).

Flows Use Senders

When you create a nurturing flow, you assign a default sender. That sender’s name and email appear on every email in the flow unless you override at the step level.

The hierarchy:

1. Domain must be verified
2. Sender must be created on that domain
3. Flow uses that sender to send emails

Domain Configuration

Domains are configured in Settings > Nurturing > Domains.

What You’ll See

The domains list shows:

• Domain name — The subdomain you’ve added (mail.yourcompany.com)
• Authentication status — Active, Pending Verification, or Deactivated
• Date added — When you added the domain

[Screenshot: Domains list showing domain with Active status]

Domain Statuses

Pending Verification — You’ve added the domain but DNS records aren’t verified yet. Emails can’t be sent until verification completes.

Active — DNS records are verified. You can create senders and send emails from this domain.

Deactivated — You’ve manually deactivated the domain. All senders on it stop working. Reactivate to resume.

Adding a Domain

1. Click + Domain
2. Enter your sending subdomain (mail.yourcompany.com)
3. Click Save

The domain appears with Pending Verification status. You’ll need to add DNS records to verify.

Viewing DNS Records

Click a domain row to expand and see the required DNS records:

• SPF record — Authorizes Rizer’s servers to send for your domain
• DKIM record — Adds cryptographic signatures to prove email authenticity
• CNAME record — Points your subdomain to Rizer’s infrastructure

Copy these records and add them to your DNS provider (Cloudflare, GoDaddy, AWS Route 53, etc.).

Verifying a Domain

After adding DNS records:

1. Return to Settings > Nurturing > Domains
2. Click the menu icon next to your domain
3. Click Verify

Rizer checks for the DNS records. If found and correct, status changes to Active.

If verification fails:

• Wait longer for DNS propagation (can take up to 48 hours, though usually much faster)
• Double-check records are correct and on the right subdomain
• Use a DNS checker tool to confirm records are live

Deactivating a Domain

If you need to stop using a domain:

1. Click the menu icon next to the domain
2. Click Deactivate

What happens:

• All senders on this domain are deactivated
• All flows using those senders stop sending
• The domain stays in your list for reference
• You can reactivate later

When to deactivate:

• You no longer control the domain
• You’re migrating to a new domain
• You need to temporarily stop all sending from this domain

Reactivating a Domain

1. Find the deactivated domain in your list
2. Click the menu icon
3. Click Reactivate
4. You may need to re-verify if DNS records changed

Sender Configuration

Senders are configured in Settings > Nurturing > Senders.

What You’ll See

The senders list shows:

• Sender name — The display name recipients see
• Email address — The from address
• Domain — Which verified domain this sender uses
• Status — Active or Deactivated

[Screenshot: Senders list showing multiple senders with statuses]

Adding a Sender

1. Click + Sender
2. Select the Domain from verified domains
3. Enter the Name (what recipients see, like “Sarah from Acme”)
4. Enter the Email address local part (the part before @)
5. Optionally set a Reply-to address if replies should go elsewhere
6. Click Save

[Screenshot: Add sender modal with fields filled in]

Sender Fields Explained

Name

The friendly name shown in email clients. Recipients see this before they open the email.

Good names:

• “Sarah Chen” — Personal and direct
• “Sarah from Acme” — Personal with company context
• “Acme Sales Team” — Professional team identity

Avoid:

• Generic names that don’t connect to your brand
• Names that look spammy or impersonal

Email Address

The sending address. Combined with the domain, this is the full from address (sarah@mail.yourcompany.com).

Common patterns:

• firstname@ (sarah@)
• firstname.lastname@ (sarah.chen@)
• role@ (sales@, hello@)

Reply-to Address

Where replies go. Leave blank to use the sender email, or specify a different address.

Use a different reply-to when:

• The sending address isn’t monitored
• You want replies centralized in a team inbox
• The sending subdomain can’t receive email

Important: Make sure someone monitors the reply-to address. Replies to nurturing emails are buying signals.

Testing a Sender

After creating a sender, verify it works:

1. Click the menu icon next to the sender
2. Click Send test email
3. A test email goes to your Rizer account email
4. Check your inbox (and spam folder)

If the test arrives correctly, the sender is ready to use.

Deactivating a Sender

When someone leaves the company or you want to stop using a sender:

1. Click the menu icon next to the sender
2. Click Deactivate

What happens:

• The sender can’t be selected for new flows
• Existing active flows using this sender continue sending (to avoid breaking live campaigns)
• The sender stays in your list for reference

Reactivating a Sender

1. Filter the senders list to show Deactivated
2. Click the menu icon next to the sender
3. Click Reactivate

The sender becomes available again.

Default Settings That Affect Nurturing

Some organization-wide settings affect how nurturing works.

Default Email Template Language

Set in Settings > Organization, this determines:

• The default language when creating new email templates
• System text like unsubscribe footers
• Template suggestions and pre-built designs

If you nurture in multiple languages, create separate flows for each. This setting just establishes the default starting point.

Organization Timezone

Also in Settings > Organization, the timezone affects when scheduled emails send. Nurturing emails are queued and sent based on your organization’s timezone.

Physical Address

Required for email compliance, your physical address may appear in email footers. Keep it current in Settings > Organization.

Managing Multiple Domains

You might want multiple sending domains for different purposes.

When to Use Multiple Domains

Different brands: If you operate multiple brands, each might have its own sending domain.

Reputation isolation: Separate transactional email from marketing email. Problems with one don’t affect the other.

Regional domains: Different domains for different markets (yourcompany.com vs yourcompany.de).

Testing: A separate domain for testing without affecting your main domain’s reputation.

Setting Up Additional Domains

Just repeat the domain setup process. Each domain needs:

• DNS records added and verified
• Its own senders created

Flows can use senders from any verified domain.

Domain Reputation Considerations

Each domain builds its own sending reputation with email providers. A new domain starts with no reputation and needs to build trust over time.

Best practices for new domains:

• Start with low volume
• Send to engaged contacts first
• Increase gradually over weeks
• Monitor bounce and complaint rates

Managing Multiple Senders

Multiple senders serve different purposes within your nurturing strategy.

Common Sender Patterns

Individual reps: Each salesperson has their own sender. Emails feel personal because they come from someone the prospect knows.

Team identities: sales@, support@, marketing@ for broader campaigns that don’t need personal attribution.

Executives: Occasional emails from leadership for high-value prospects or important announcements.

Content/thought leadership: A sender for educational content that positions your company as experts.

Choosing Senders for Flows

When creating a flow, consider who should appear to be reaching out:

• Personal relationship exists? Use the rep who worked with them
• No personal relationship? Use a friendly team identity
• High-value prospects? Consider a senior person
• Educational content? Consider marketing or thought leadership

Consistency Within Flows

Generally, keep the sender consistent within a flow. Starting with Sarah and switching to John mid-sequence feels disjointed.

Exception: A final step from a senior person (“I noticed Sarah has been in touch…”) can work well for escalation.

Maintenance and Monitoring

Nurturing configuration needs occasional attention.

Regular Checks

Monthly:

• Verify all active domains still show Active status
• Test send from each active sender
• Review if any senders should be deactivated (people who left, etc.)

Quarterly:

• Check DNS records are still correct (they can accidentally change)
• Review domain and sender organization
• Consider if new domains or senders are needed

When Things Change

Someone leaves the company:

• Decide whether to keep their sender active
• Update flows if needed to use a different sender
• Consider deactivating if no longer needed

Company rebrands:

• Set up new domain with new name
• Create new senders
• Migrate flows to new senders
• Deactivate old domain once migration is complete

Deliverability problems:

• Re-verify DNS records
• Check sender reputation
• Review content for spam triggers
• Consider warming up a new domain if reputation is damaged

Monitoring Deliverability

Watch for signs of deliverability issues:

• Declining open rates
• Increasing bounce rates
• Emails landing in spam
• Complaints or blocks from email providers

These might indicate domain reputation problems, DNS issues, or content problems. Address promptly before they worsen.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Domain Won’t Verify

DNS not propagated: Wait longer. Most propagate in minutes to hours, but some providers take up to 48 hours.

Records incorrect: Double-check each record matches exactly what Rizer provides. Watch for typos, extra spaces, or wrong record types.

Wrong location: Records must be on your subdomain (mail.yourcompany.com), not your root domain.

Provider limitations: Some DNS providers have restrictions. Check their documentation or contact their support.

Sender Test Email Doesn’t Arrive

Check spam folder: Test emails sometimes trigger spam filters, especially for new domains.

Verify domain is Active: The sender’s domain must be verified.

Wait and retry: Sometimes there’s a brief delay.

Check email address: Verify your Rizer account email is correct.

Emails Going to Spam

New domain reputation: New domains need time to build trust. Start with low volume to good contacts.

DNS issues: Re-verify all records are correct.

Content problems: Avoid spam trigger words, excessive links, or suspicious patterns.

List quality: High bounces or complaints hurt reputation.

Replies Not Arriving

Reply-to not monitored: Make sure someone checks that inbox.

Reply-to misconfigured: Verify the address is correct and can receive email.

Subdomain can’t receive: If your sending subdomain isn’t set up to receive email, use a reply-to address on your main domain.

Best Practices

Domain Setup

Use a dedicated subdomain. Keep nurturing separate from your main business email. mail.yourcompany.com or nurture.yourcompany.com works well.

Document your DNS changes. Keep a record of what records you added. Helpful for troubleshooting or if you need to recreate them.

Set up before you need it. Domain verification can take time. Don’t wait until you’re ready to launch a flow to start the process.

Sender Management

Use real people when possible. Emails from actual humans get better engagement than generic team addresses.

Monitor reply-to addresses. Replies are buying signals. Don’t let them go unanswered.

Keep sender names consistent. Build recognition over time with consistent naming.

Ongoing Maintenance

Review periodically. Check domains and senders quarterly to ensure everything is current.

Deactivate rather than delete. If you might need a sender again, deactivate instead of deleting. You preserve the option to reactivate.

Coordinate changes. If you’re changing senders in active flows, plan the transition to avoid disruption.

Common Questions

Can I send from my main domain instead of a subdomain?

Technically possible, but not recommended. Using your main domain risks affecting deliverability for your regular business email if something goes wrong with nurturing. A subdomain isolates the reputation.

How many domains can I have?

No specific limit. Add as many as you need for your business purposes.

How many senders can I have per domain?

No specific limit. Create as many as makes sense for your team and use cases.

Can I change a sender’s email address after creation?

You’ll need to create a new sender with the new address and update flows to use it. Then deactivate the old sender.

What happens to emails in progress if I deactivate a sender?

Emails already queued for sending should complete. New emails won’t send until you reactivate or assign a different sender to the flow.

Do I need a separate domain for each product line?

Usually not necessary. One domain with multiple senders works for most organizations. Separate domains are more useful for separate brands or complete isolation needs.

Can I use my personal email as a sender?

Only if your personal email is on a domain you control and have verified. You can’t send from gmail.com or other public email providers.