Menu labels and available features can vary by plan, language and version.
Step 1: Prepare your account and sender
Complete your account details and add your sender address in the email service. Confirm ownership through the verification message before using that address for a campaign. Check your plan’s current limits.
Use a monitored reply mailbox. Send yourself a normal reply test so subscriber questions will reach the right person.
Step 2: Authenticate the sending domain
Open Email → Service settings → Domain settings. Activate a sending domain and request the SPF and DKIM records. Enter a domain such as example.com, without a URL path.
Copy the supplied values into DNS. If an SPF record already exists, merge the required authorization into that record instead of adding a second SPF policy. Return to SendPulse and use Check DNS records.
Step 3: Create a list and map contact fields
Create a mailing list and import your subscriber file. Match the email column and any variables you need, such as first name. Review rejected rows and retain unsubscribed contacts in your suppression process.
Start with a separate list of your own test mailboxes. For extracted addresses, retain the original source and subscription evidence outside the plain address export.
Step 4: Design a small campaign
Create an email campaign and select the correct list and sender. Write a clear subject and use a simple template. Check the unsubscribe link and sender details before leaving the editor.
Make the first message easy to evaluate: one main action and a short explanation of why the recipient is hearing from you.
Step 5: Test the complete message
Preview the design and send a test to your own addresses. Check mobile layout, links, fallback greetings and the reply path. Resolve any warnings before finalizing the recipient list.
An imported address that looks syntactically valid may still bounce. Test only with mailboxes you control; do not use a newsletter as a mailbox verification experiment.
Step 6: Send and inspect campaign statistics
Review recipients and settings, then send or schedule where available. Check delivery failures, complaints and clicks in campaign statistics. Pause expansion if the first results show unexpected failures.
Keep a note of the audience, send date and changes made. That makes the next test more useful than simply comparing open rates.
Avoid common mistakes
- DNS verification fails: check hostname duplication and wait for the DNS update.
- Wrong recipients: compare the selected list and segment with your test plan.
- Contact import fails: simplify the CSV and verify email-field mapping.
FAQ
Is SendPulse SMTP the same as email campaigns?
No. This guide uses the email campaign service. Applications that send through SMTP need the SMTP service’s own setup.
Should I create a second SPF record?
No. A domain should have one SPF policy at a given hostname. Merge the required senders into it and keep existing authorized services.
Does importing a contact subscribe that person legitimately?
An import only transfers data. Keep subscription evidence and honor unsubscribes before selecting campaign recipients.
Official sources
The setup steps were checked against the following vendor documentation.
Next step: prepare your data
Review existing addresses before transferring them. Clean address formatting replaces neither mailbox validation nor subscription evidence.
Open email extractor