Set Up Email Marketing With Brevo (Free Plan)

Email is a channel you own. It’s cheap, but only if your emails reach the inbox.

60–90 minutes

Verified by Hassan Rawther ·

Hassan Rawther is the Founder, Unlearn Academy. Written by the Unlearn Academy team.

0 of 5 doneContinue →

The short answer

To set up email marketing with Brevo, create an account, add and authenticate your sending domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC records, import only contacts who agreed to receive emails, create a signup form for your website, build an automated welcome email, and then send a monthly newsletter. Use your own domain email, not Gmail, as the sender.

Before you start

By the end of this SOP

An authenticated Brevo account with a signup form, a welcome email and a first campaign.

Time
60–90 minutes
You’ll need
An email address on your domain, access to your domain’s DNS settings, and a list of consented contacts.
Who does this
The marketing or CRM specialist.
About this SOP: why it matters, where and when

Why it matters: Email nurtures leads and brings back customers at very low cost, but unauthenticated mail lands in spam.

Where: Brevo (brevo.com) and your domain provider (GoDaddy, Hostinger, Cloudflare).

When: When you want to nurture leads or run retention campaigns.

Stage 1

Create the account and authenticate

  1. 1

    Sign up at brevo.com with your business email. The free plan has a daily sending limit; check current limits on Brevo’s pricing page.

  2. 2

    Senders, domains and dedicated IPs → Domains → add your domain. Brevo shows DNS records to add.

  3. 3

    In your domain DNS, add the Brevo code, DKIM record and update SPF; add a DMARC record such as v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:you@yourdomain.in to start.

  4. 4

    Click Authenticate in Brevo once DNS updates (minutes to hours).

Stage 2

Import contacts the right way

  1. 1

    Import only people who opted in (customers who agreed, form signups). Never buy lists.

  2. 2

    Create lists such as Leads, Customers and Students, and attributes like city and interest.

  3. 3

    Keep a record of when and how each person agreed, to meet India’s DPDP Act.

Stage 3

Capture new subscribers

  1. 1

    Contacts → Forms → create a form with name and email and a clear promise (“Monthly tips, no spam”).

  2. 2

    Use double opt-in for cleaner lists, then embed the form on your website or link it from Instagram.

  3. 3

    Automations → welcome message: send immediately with your best resource and what to expect.

Stage 4

Send your first campaign

  1. 1

    Campaigns → Email → choose a simple template, one main message and one button.

  2. 2

    Send a test to Gmail and Outlook; check mobile view and links (add UTM tags).

  3. 3

    After sending, check delivered, opens (approximate due to privacy features), clicks, unsubscribes and spam complaints.

Practice & check

Now do it for real

Reading is not doing. Open your own account and complete this task before you move on.

Practice task (5 min)

Write the DNS records list you would need for a domain and a 100-word welcome email for a coaching centre.

Prove it

1. Why authenticate your domain?
2. Which contacts can you email?

Two questions. Get both right and this SOP is done.

Common questions

Is Brevo free?

Brevo has a free plan with a daily sending limit; paid plans remove it and add features.

Can I send from a Gmail address?

Avoid it. Use your own domain so you can authenticate and look professional.

Brevo or Mailchimp?

Both work. Brevo’s free plan suits small Indian businesses; choose what fits your volume and budget.

Done. That’s a real skill, not a certificate.

Next: SOP 356 — Send WhatsApp Broadcasts Without Getting Blocked →

Want to do this on real client budgets, with a mentor checking your work? That’s Level 2 at Unlearn. See the Digital Marketing track