Email marketing has outlasted social media trends, algorithm changes, and rising ad costs for one simple reason: it’s the only channel you truly control. When done well, email helps you build relationships, stay top-of-mind, and generate consistent revenue without spending a fortune on ads. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is one of the best platforms to begin with because it’s easy to use, affordable, and powerful enough to grow with your business. This guide walks you through every step of setting up your first email campaign in Brevo.
Why Brevo Is a Great Choice for Your First Campaign
Brevo stands out in the crowded email marketing world because it’s user-friendly, has a generous free plan, and comes with advanced features for future growth. It also provides strong deliverability and an all-in-one platform for emails, CRM, SMS, and automation, making it ideal for beginners and growing businesses alike.
Simple and Beginner-Friendly
Brevo’s dashboard and navigation are clean and intuitive. You don’t need design or technical skills to create professional emails. Every step follows a logical flow, making it perfect for first-time marketers.
Generous Free Plan for New Users
Brevo’s free plan includes 300 emails per day, unlimited contacts, a drag-and-drop editor, and basic automation. This lets you run real campaigns without spending money.
Advanced Features When You’re Ready
Brevo includes automation workflows, transactional emails, segmentation, A/B testing, SMS, and WhatsApp campaigns. As your marketing grows, the platform grows with you.
Strong Focus on Deliverability
Brevo invests heavily in infrastructure and sender authentication to help your emails land in the inbox instead of the spam folder.
Everything in One Place
Brevo combines campaigns, CRM, automation, SMS, WhatsApp, and landing pages in one tool. This simplifies your marketing workflow and saves time.
Create and Verify Your Brevo Account
Visit Brevo’s website, sign up with a professional email, and complete verification. Add accurate business details and set up a domain-based sender email like hello@yourdomain.com for better branding and deliverability.
Prepare Your Contact List
You can manually add contacts or import them using CSV or Excel. Only upload subscribers who have given permission. Add details like name, tags, or custom fields. Start simple segmentation for groups like new subscribers, customers, or engaged users.
Go to the Email Campaigns Area
Log in, click “Campaigns,” and select “Email.” This opens the campaign creation interface where you’ll set up your first campaign.
Set Up Basic Campaign Details
Give your campaign an internal name, write a clear subject line, and add preview text. Confirm your sender name and email so subscribers immediately recognize your brand.
Choose Your Email Editor
Brevo offers a drag-and-drop editor, a rich-text editor, and an HTML editor. The drag-and-drop option is best for beginners and allows easy customization without coding.
Pick a Template or Build From Scratch
Choose from Brevo’s templates or build your layout manually. Use a clean design, readable fonts, proper spacing, brand colors, a clear CTA, and alt text for images.
Write Your Email Content
Start with a warm greeting and context for why the subscriber is receiving the email. Provide value immediately, deliver your main content, add a strong CTA like “Read more” or “Shop now,” and finish with a friendly sign-off and footer.
Adjust Campaign Settings
Select your recipients, apply segmentation, set up optional A/B tests, and choose whether to send the email immediately or schedule it for later.
Test Before You Send
Send a test email to yourself, preview it on mobile and desktop, and check all links, images, and CTAs. Correct errors before final launch.
Send or Schedule Your Campaign
Once everything looks perfect, click “Send Now” or schedule your campaign for your ideal send time. Brevo handles the delivery process.
Review Your Results and Improve
After sending, track open rate, click-through rate, bounce rate, and unsubscribes. These insights help you improve future campaigns with better subject lines, content, and targeting.
Pro Tips to Make Your First Campaign Perform Better
Use personalization like first names, keep the design simple, focus on one main CTA, clean your list regularly, and use segmentation for more relevant messaging. After your first campaign, set up simple automation like welcome emails or lead magnet delivery.