How to Use Brevo: Complete Setup and First Campaign Guide

If you’re new to email marketing or switching from another platform, Brevo is one of the easiest ways to get started. With a clean interface, built-in automation, and a generous free plan, it’s ideal for small businesses, solopreneurs, and ecommerce brands.

This step-by-step guide will walk you through how to:

• Set up your Brevo account
• Verify your email domain
• Create your first contact list
• Build an email with the drag-and-drop editor
• Launch your first campaign

No tech skills required—just follow along, and you’ll be up and running in less than 30 minutes.

Why Choose Brevo for Email Marketing?

Before diving in, here’s why Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is a smart choice for beginners:

• Free plan with 300 emails/day and unlimited contacts
• Automation tools available even on free accounts
• All-in-one dashboard for email, SMS, and CRM
• No credit card required to get started

It’s built for simplicity but powerful enough to scale as your business grows.

Brevo also removes many of the obstacles that slow down beginners. There’s no steep learning curve, and you won’t run into frustrating paywalls for basic features like automation, list segmentation, or form creation.

Step 1: Create Your Brevo Account

Go to brevo.com and click “Sign Up Free.”

You’ll be asked for:

• Email address
• Password
• Your name and business info

After submitting, check your inbox to verify your email address. This is required before you can start sending emails.

Once confirmed, you’ll land in the Brevo dashboard—a clean, beginner-friendly interface where everything is clearly labeled.

Pro Tip: Choose a work/business email address rather than a personal one. It boosts deliverability and trust.

Step 2: Choose Your Plan

Brevo offers several pricing tiers, but you can start completely free. The Free Plan includes:

• 300 emails/day
• Unlimited contact storage
• Access to automation and templates
• Basic reporting

If you outgrow the free plan, paid options are affordable and scale with your needs. You can upgrade to send more emails per day or unlock premium features like A/B testing and advanced reporting.

Step 3: Set Up Email Sending Settings

Before launching a campaign, you need to verify your sender identity. This step helps with deliverability and ensures your emails land in inboxes.

Add and Verify Sender Email

• Go to Senders & IP → Senders
• Click “Add a Sender”
• Enter the name and email address you want to send from (e.g., info@yourdomain.com)
• Brevo will send a verification email—click the link inside to confirm

Authenticate Your Domain (Optional but Recommended)

• Go to Senders & IP → Domains
• Add your domain (e.g., yourbusiness.com)
• Follow instructions to add SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records via your DNS provider

These steps help avoid spam filters and increase trust.

Add Your Physical Address

Brevo requires this for anti-spam compliance.

• Navigate to My Profile → Company Details
• Enter your business address (can be a P.O. box)

A verified domain and sender email greatly improve your delivery rates and prevent your messages from being marked as spam.

Step 4: Create Your First Contact List

Go to Contacts → Lists → Create a List

• Name it something clear (e.g., “Newsletter Subscribers”)

You have two main options to add contacts:

1. Manual Entry

• Click Add a Contact
• Enter email and details one by one (great for testing or very small lists)

2. Import via CSV

• Prepare a CSV file with headers like Email, First Name, Last Name
• Upload to Brevo and map the fields accordingly

Optional: Use Signup Forms

You can create embeddable or pop-up forms via:

• Contacts → Forms → Create Form
• Customize fields and design
• Embed on your site or use Brevo-hosted URL

Forms are essential if you’re building your email list from scratch. Brevo also integrates with landing page builders like Systeme.io, Unbounce, or WordPress plugins.

Step 5: Design Your First Email Campaign

Brevo’s drag-and-drop editor is easy to use. To get started:

Go to Campaigns → Email → Create an Email Campaign

Set Basic Info:

• Campaign Name (internal use only)
• Subject Line: Clear, relevant, and engaging (e.g., “Welcome to Our Community!”)
• From Email: Choose your verified sender
• Preview Text (optional but boosts open rate)

Choose a Template or Start From Scratch

You can:

• Use a pre-built template (best for beginners)
• Start with a blank layout if you want full control

Build Your Email:

• Drag in blocks: Image, text, button, divider, etc.
• Add your logo at the top
• Include a strong headline (what this email is about)
• Add 1–2 paragraphs of valuable content
• Use a call-to-action button (Shop Now, Read More, Book a Call)

A good email includes a clear purpose, a friendly tone, and one main action you want the reader to take.

Use Personalization

Click “Insert Personalization” in a text block to add:

• First name
• Company name
• Custom field data

Example: “Hey {{ contact.FIRSTNAME }}, thanks for joining us!”

Mobile Optimization

Use the preview toggle to check how your email looks on mobile. Over 60% of emails are opened on phones—so make sure buttons are large and fonts are legible.

Step 6: Choose Recipients and Send

Select a Contact List

• Choose the list you created earlier
• Optionally, apply filters to target specific segments (e.g., subscribers from last 30 days)

Final Review

• Confirm subject line, preview text, sender info
• Check for typos or layout issues
• Use “Send Test Email” to preview before sending

Enable Tracking

• Enable open tracking and click tracking
• Add Google Analytics UTM parameters if needed

Send or Schedule

• Click “Send Now” to launch immediately
• Or choose “Schedule” to send at a later date/time

Scheduling is great if you want to hit inboxes at high-engagement times (typically Tues–Thurs mornings).

Step 7: Monitor Campaign Results

Brevo gives real-time analytics for every campaign.

Go to Campaigns → Reports to view:

• Open rate: % of recipients who opened your email
• Click rate: % who clicked a link or button
• Unsubscribes: Monitor churn
• Bounces: Emails that didn’t get delivered
• Heat maps: See where users clicked inside your email

Use these metrics to improve future campaigns:

• Low open rate? Test new subject lines
• Low click rate? Improve your CTA or content flow
• High bounce rate? Clean your list or verify emails

Pro Tips to Get Better Results

1. Use Double Opt-In for Clean Lists

Enable double opt-in on forms to ensure only interested users join your list.

2. Send at the Right Time

Start with weekday mornings (Tuesday–Thursday, 9–11 AM) and test what works best for your audience.

3. Keep Emails Short and Focused

Don’t overload your first email. Stick to 1 topic, 1 CTA, and 1 goal per message.

4. Segment Your Audience Early

Even basic tags like “Customer” or “Lead” help tailor future emails.

5. Start Using Automation Soon

After your first manual campaign, set up a welcome series or cart recovery flow using Brevo’s automation tools.

6. Add SMS or WhatsApp Channels

If your audience prefers mobile messaging, Brevo lets you send SMS and WhatsApp messages from the same dashboard.

7. Use A/B Testing

Once you’ve sent a few campaigns, test variations of subject lines or content to optimize engagement.

Real-World Example: First Campaign from a Handmade Jewelry Brand

A small handmade jewelry business used this exact process to:

• Set up Brevo in under 1 hour
• Import 97 past customers
• Send a product launch email using a template

Results:

• 48% open rate
• 11% click rate
• 5 direct orders within 2 days

They spent $0 (still on free plan) and generated over $300 in revenue.

The takeaway? You don’t need a massive list or a complicated design—just a clear message and a working system.

Final Thoughts

Brevo makes it incredibly simple to go from signup to sending your first email campaign—even if you’ve never used email marketing before. With its drag-and-drop editor, list management tools, and real-time reporting, you can confidently build and launch campaigns that drive real results.

Once your first campaign is live, you can start exploring more advanced features like:

• Welcome automation workflows
• SMS and WhatsApp campaigns
• A/B testing subject lines
• Advanced segmentation
• Transactional email setup

The sooner you start, the sooner you learn what works for your business.

Get started with Brevo here — it’s free and takes less than 5 minutes