SMTP2GO is the safe middle ground. Setup is quick, the free tier is enough to get going, support answers, and there is nothing unusual to trip over. If Amazon SES feels like too much work, start here.
Step by step:
- Create an account at smtp2go.com and confirm your email address.
- Open the sending domains area and add the domain you send from.
- Add the CNAME records it gives you to your DNS. These cover DKIM and the return path.
- Wait for the domain to show as verified. It is usually minutes, occasionally an hour.
- Create an API key with permission to send email.
- In ResultsAiX Mailer, open Delivery, then Sending, and add a connection.
- Choose SMTP2GO, paste the API key, and set From name and From email to an address on the verified domain.
- Save and send yourself a test.
Set your limit so a big send paces itself:
Every plan has an allowance. Put that number into Daily limit on the connection. The Mailer then spreads the send across the day rather than running into the ceiling halfway through a broadcast, which is what leaves half a list emailed and half not.
If you outgrow the plan, you have two clean options: move up a plan, or add a second connection and turn on rotation so sends are shared between them.
Worth doing while you are there:
- Keep the domain verified. If you move DNS provider and forget the records, delivery quietly gets worse.
- Send from a real address on your domain, not a free mailbox address.
- Use Warmup on the connection for the first large send from a brand new account.
Common problems:
- The API key works but mail is refused: the From address is not on a verified domain.
- Sending stops partway: the plan allowance was reached. Set Daily limit to match it.