Your Logo. In Their Inbox.

You worked hard for your followers. You built a brand people recognise. On Instagram, a blue checkmark tells everyone your account is the real deal — not a copycat, not a scammer. Your subscribers deserve that same confidence when your email lands in their inbox.

Email has its own version of the verified badge. It is called BIMI — Brand Indicators for Message Identification. When it is set up, your actual logo appears right next to your name in the inbox, before anyone even opens your email. No more generic gray circle with a single letter. Just your brand, front and centre, every single time.

What your subscribers see right now

Open any email app and look at the sender column. Most emails show a coloured circle with an initial — a placeholder because the email client has no idea what your brand looks like. Your subscribers see that same placeholder when your newsletter arrives. It looks unfinished. It looks like everyone else.

BIMI fixes that. It is a small DNS record you add to your domain that tells email clients: here is my logo, here is proof it is really mine, show it to everyone. The result is your logo sitting right next to your name in the inbox — on Yahoo Mail, Apple Mail, Gmail, and more.

The three things you need

Getting your logo into inboxes requires three components. None of them are as complicated as they sound.

1. DMARC enforcement

DMARC is your domain's email security policy. Think of it as the bouncer at the door — it tells email providers that only authorised senders can send email from your domain, and what to do with anything suspicious. For BIMI to work, your DMARC policy needs to be set to quarantine or reject. This is the step most creators get stuck on, because it involves a DNS record and a few technical settings. It is also the most important step, because it protects your subscribers from phishing emails that pretend to be you.

2. A compliant SVG logo file

Your logo needs to be in a very specific SVG format — one that follows W3C standards and passes strict validation rules set by email clients. A regular SVG exported from Canva or Illustrator will not work. It needs to be a square, use a solid background, and meet a checklist of technical requirements that most designers have never heard of. This is the second place most people get stuck.

3. A certificate (optional but powerful)

This is where the two tiers of BIMI come in.

• Free self-asserted BIMI — Set up DMARC and upload your compliant SVG, and your logo will appear in Yahoo Mail and AOL immediately. No cost. No certificate needed. A great starting point.
• Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) or Common Mark Certificate (CMC) — This is the paid tier. A VMC or CMC is a digital certificate issued by a trusted authority that verifies your logo is genuinely yours. With one of these, your logo appears in Gmail and Apple Mail — and in Gmail, you get the blue verified checkmark next to your name. That is the email equivalent of the Instagram badge.

Why it matters for creators and brands

Your open rates depends on trust. When subscribers see your logo in the inbox — a logo they recognise from your Instagram, your website, your packaging — they know the email is real. They open it. They click. They buy.

Phishing is also a real problem for anyone with an audience. Scammers impersonate creators and brands to steal from their followers. DMARC enforcement stops that. BIMI makes your legitimate emails instantly recognisable. It is brand protection and brand presence in one.

The fastest way to get started

The two hardest steps — generating a compliant SVG and auditing your DMARC record — can be done in seconds at makeBIMI.com.

• Upload your logo and makeBIMI generates a W3C-compliant SVG file for free.
• Run the DMARC audit and see exactly what needs to be fixed before you go live.
• No technical knowledge required. No guessing.

Once your SVG is ready and your DMARC is clean, you are live on Yahoo Mail and AOL immediately.

When you are ready to unlock Gmail and Apple Mail — and earn that blue checkmark — veriBIMI.com handles the VMC and CMC certificate process from start to finish. They broker the certificate on your behalf, so you do not have to navigate the application process alone.

Your brand deserves to show up

Every email you send is a chance to reinforce who you are. Your followers know your face, your logo, your aesthetic. Make sure your subscribers see it the moment your email hits their inbox.

Start with a free SVG and DMARC audit at makeBIMI.com. Get the full verified checkmark experience at veriBIMI.com.

Your logo belongs in their inbox. Now you know how to put it there.