You don't need an expensive Google Workspace account to look legit. If you own a custom domain, you can set up professional email forwarding for free using a modern registrar like Spaceship:
Set Up Free Forwarding: In your domain dashboard, add an email forwarder that routes contact@yourbrand.com straight to your personal or band Gmail. Send As Your Domain: In Gmail settings, configure 'Send Mail As' so you can reply directly from your custom address.
⚡ Mandatory Action Step: Route a custom domain email alias to your dedicated Gmail inbox using free domain forwarding.