Quick-start checklist from domain to first campaign

This checklist takes you from a new account to your first campaign. Your Dashboard tracks most of it in the Finish setting up your account card, which shows how many steps you've completed.

Before you start

• Confirm your email address. Verification and sending stay locked until you do.
• Make sure you have credits. Open Billing & credits to check your balance or buy a package. See buying credits.

1. Add your business postal address

Anti-spam laws require a physical address in marketing emails. InboxRoads adds it to every campaign footer, and you can't launch a campaign without one.

Go to Settings → Business postal address, fill in the fields and click Save address.

2. Add and verify a sending domain

1. Open Sending domains in the sidebar.
2. Enter your domain (for example, yourcompany.com) under Add a domain and click Add domain.
3. Add the DNS records shown to your DNS provider, then click Verify DNS.

Full steps: Add and verify a sending domain. Background: SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained.

3. Create a sender

Once the domain shows as verified, open Senders. Enter a From name and a From email on that domain, then click Create sender. See add a sender.

4. Import your contacts

Go to Contacts → Import, upload a CSV, map your columns and click Start import. See import contacts from CSV.

5. Verify the list

Verifying before you send removes addresses that would bounce. On the list's page, click Verify list. You can also go to Email verification → New verification and choose Existing list. You'll see the exact credit cost before anything is charged.

After the job finishes, invalid and disposable addresses are left out of your campaigns automatically. See verify an email list and our guide on how to verify an email list.

6. Send your first campaign

1. Go to Campaigns → Create campaign.
2. Choose your sender, write a subject, pick your list and add content.
3. Click Review & send, send yourself a test, then choose Now or Schedule.

See create and send a campaign.

Tip: Optional but useful: set up a custom tracking domain so your tracked links use your own brand.

Key takeaways

• Do the steps in order: address → domain → sender → contacts → verify → campaign.
• A verified domain and a business address are required before you can launch.
• Verify lists before sending to protect your sender reputation.