Publish galleries on your own domain
Point a subdomain of your website at Hailo so gallery links carry your brand.
With a custom domain, a gallery link looks like https://client.yourstudio.com/d/avery-and-steven instead of a hailo.studio address. You add one DNS record at your domain provider; Hailo walks you through it and checks it for you.
Nothing goes down while you set this up. Galleries keep using the Hailo link until your domain is confirmed live, and links you have already sent keep working afterwards.
Open the page
Settings > Your domain. The subtitle reads "Publish galleries on a web address that's yours, like client.yourstudio.com, instead of hailo.studio."
Before you have set one up the card reads: "Publish your delivery galleries on a subdomain of your own website, like client.yourstudio.com, so the links you send couples carry your brand. We walk you through it one step at a time; it takes about two minutes, and your galleries keep working the whole time." Click Connect your own domain.
The four-step wizard
The overlay is titled Connect your domain with a step rail: 1 Your domain, 2 Open your DNS, 3 Add the record, 4 Go live.
Step 1: What address do you want galleries on?
"Use a subdomain of a website you already own. Most filmmakers put client. in front, like client.yourstudio.com."
- Type the subdomain in the field (placeholder client.yourstudio.com). No
https://, no path. - Click Continue. Cancel closes the wizard.
Under the field: "Nothing goes down while you set this up. Galleries keep using your current Hailo link until the new one is confirmed live."
Step 2: Open your DNS settings
"This is the one place you'll make a change, wherever your domain's web records are managed."
Hailo looks up who manages your domain and, where it can, names them ("Your domain is managed by
Click I'm here, next when you have the DNS page open. Back returns to step 1.
Step 3: Add this record
"Create one new record with these exact values, then save it at your provider. Copy each field so nothing gets mistyped."
| Field | Value shown |
|---|---|
| Record type | CNAME |
| Host / Name | The first part of your subdomain, for example client |
| Points to | delivery.hailo.studio |
Each value has a Copy button. Under the table: "Leave any field not listed here at its default. Saved it? Continue and we'll check it for you."
Hailo may also list a second record so your certificate renews on its own: "Add one more record so your certificate stays valid automatically (type CNAME):" with its own Record type, Host / Name and Points to values. If instead it lists ownership records ("Your provider also needs this ownership record (type TXT):"), add the TXT name and TXT value shown.
Click I've added it.
Step 4: Go live
Checking your domain… "Looking for your record and getting your secure certificate ready." The note: "This can take a few minutes after you save the record. You can leave this open. It keeps checking on its own." Hailo re-checks every 18 seconds for a few minutes.
- Success: You're live. "Galleries now publish on
. Any link you've already sent keeps working too." Click Done. - Not yet: Not showing up yet with the reason Hailo found, and "DNS changes take a little while to travel the internet. Give it a few minutes, then check again. Your galleries keep working in the meantime." Use Back to the record to re-check the values or Check again to try now.
After setup
The Your domain page shows a status chip:
| Chip | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Live · |
Galleries publish on your domain. The card shows an example: "Galleries publish on your domain: https:// |
| Pending · |
Saved, not yet confirmed. "Until it's live, galleries keep using your Hailo link." |
| Problem · |
The check failed. A line under the chip says why. |
- Manage domain (when live) or Continue setup reopens the wizard.
- Remove clears the domain. It asks "Remove this custom domain? Galleries go back to your Hailo link." Old links on your domain will stop resolving once the DNS record is gone; the Hailo links keep working.
The Share panel in the editor shows Your domain ·
Messages you may see
| Message | Meaning |
|---|---|
| "Domain saved. Add the DNS record below, then click Verify. Galleries keep using your Hailo URL until it's live." | Step 1 done. |
| "Your domain is live. New galleries publish on it now." | Verified. |
| "That domain isn't pointing at Hailo yet." | The record is missing, wrong, or has not travelled yet. |
| "Not live yet. Try Verify again once DNS propagates." | Same; wait and check again. |
| "Add your domain first." | You clicked check before saving a domain. |
| "Custom domain removed. Galleries now publish at the default Hailo URL." | You removed it. |
| "That doesn't look like a valid hostname. Try something like client.yourstudio.com." | Type a bare subdomain, no https:// or slashes. |
| "Another Hailo account is already using that domain. Contact support if you think this is wrong." | The domain is taken. |
| "Enter a web address like client.yourstudio.com." | The field was empty. |
| "Could not check just now. Try again in a moment." | The check itself failed. Try again. |
If it didn't work
- Still "Not showing up yet" after an hour. Open your provider's DNS page and compare every value with step 3. The most common mistake is typing the whole subdomain into Host / Name when the provider wants only
client. Some providers add the domain for you; some want the full name. Follow their guide from step 2. - Your provider will not let you add the record. Some website builders restrict subdomain records. Use a different subdomain, or move DNS to a registrar that allows CNAME records.
- The gallery opens but the padlock is missing. The certificate is still being issued. Give it a few minutes and check again.