What does it mean when people talk about a "self-asserted" BIMI logo, and should you set one up? That's the topic of my latest Valimail "Ask Al" video.
A standard BIMI record does two things. It publishes a link to an SVG file, which is the logo you want displayed in the inbox. And it publishes a link to a PEM file, which contains a mark certificate (a VMC or CMC) proving that a certificate authority has vetted and verified your company and domain.
A self-asserted BIMI record only does the first part. You publish the SVG link, but you leave out the mark certificate entirely. Instead of a certificate authority vouching for you, you're the one asserting that the logo, domain, and company are legitimate.
Going self-asserted has real upsides: it's free to test, there's no trademark hurdle to clear, and you'll have an opportunity for a logo to show in Yahoo Mail and Fastmail inboxes. It's a good way to work out the DNS and any logo-formatting kinks before investing further.
The catch: Gmail and iCloud won't display a self-asserted logo. Both require a verified mark certificate, so you'll miss out on BIMI's impact with what is likely a huge chunk of your subscriber base.
I'll spoil it here myself and tell you that my take is this: go ahead and implement self-asserted BIMI, but treat it as a first step rather than the destination. Get the logo showing at Yahoo and Fastmail now, then work with a certificate authority, DMARC or BIMI vendor, to get a full VMC or CMC in place so Gmail and iCloud pick it up too.
Want the full walkthrough, including the DNS record breakdown and where to get help along the way? Watch the video above (or over on Youtube).
What does it mean when people talk about a "self-asserted" BIMI logo, and should you set one up? That's the topic of my latest Valimail "Ask Al" video.
A standard BIMI record does two things. It publishes a link to an SVG file, which is the logo you want displayed in the inbox. And it publishes a link to a PEM file, which contains a mark certificate (a VMC or CMC) proving that a certificate authority has vetted and verified your company and domain.
A self-asserted BIMI record only does the first part. You publish the SVG link, but you leave out the mark certificate entirely. Instead of a certificate authority vouching for you, you're the one asserting that the logo, domain, and company are legitimate.
Going self-asserted has real upsides: it's free to test, there's no trademark hurdle to clear, and you'll have an opportunity for a logo to show in Yahoo Mail and Fastmail inboxes. It's a good way to work out the DNS and any logo-formatting kinks before investing further.
The catch: Gmail and iCloud won't display a self-asserted logo. Both require a verified mark certificate, so you'll miss out on BIMI's impact with what is likely a huge chunk of your subscriber base.
I'll spoil it here myself and tell you that my take is this: go ahead and implement self-asserted BIMI, but treat it as a first step rather than the destination. Get the logo showing at Yahoo and Fastmail now, then work with a certificate authority, DMARC or BIMI vendor, to get a full VMC or CMC in place so Gmail and iCloud pick it up too.
Want the full walkthrough, including the DNS record breakdown and where to get help along the way? Watch the video above (or over on Youtube).
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