# Getting started with MailMachine

> Your roadmap from a new MailMachine account to your first campaign - brand, senders, contacts, design, test and send.

Source: https://www.kualo.com/knowledgebase/mailmachine-getting-started/getting-started-with-mailmachine
Updated: 2026-06-10

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Welcome to MailMachine! This guide is your roadmap from a brand-new account to your first successful campaign. Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach your audience - a direct line to people who've asked to hear from you - and the steps below set you up with good habits from day one. Work through them in order; you can always come back and refine later.

## 1. Add your brand details

Spend a few minutes adding your brand so every email looks unmistakably like you.

- **Logo:** a transparent PNG works best, around 400 x 200 pixels.
- **Colours:** add your brand's hex codes if you have them, or pick from the palette.

Once your brand is set, you can immediately start building newsletters with **Smart Templates** - your logo and colours are applied automatically.

⏱ About 30 minutes.

## 2. Invite your team

Depending on your plan, you have between one and five user accounts available. Invite your colleagues so they can help manage the account - they'll receive an invitation email to accept, then set their own secure password.

⏱ About 15 minutes.

## 3. Set up and authenticate your senders

This is the most involved step, but also the most important. First, add the email addresses you'll send from. Then **authenticate your domain** with SPF, DKIM and DMARC so inbox providers trust your mail.

:::warning
Gmail and Yahoo now require authentication to accept bulk mail, and sending from an unauthenticated domain causes serious delivery problems with every major provider. Don't skip this. See **[Authenticate your sending domain](/knowledgebase/senders-deliverability/authenticating-my-domain-with-spf-dkim-and-dmarc-protocols)**.
:::

⏱ About 1 hour, plus up to 24 hours for DNS to propagate.

## 4. Import your contacts and create segments

Bring your audience in by uploading a CSV file or copy-pasting. While you're at it, you can import tags and build segments so you can target the right people later.

:::info
You must have consent from everyone on your list before adding them - MailMachine has a strict anti-spam policy, and good consent is also what keeps your deliverability healthy.
:::

See **[Import your contacts](/knowledgebase/contacts-audiences/importing-contacts)**.

⏱ About 30 minutes, depending on how complex your list is.

## 5. Design your first newsletter

Start from a **Smart Template** and the drag-and-drop designer applies your logo and colours for you, so you get a neat, on-brand email without starting from a blank page.

See **[Create and send a campaign](/knowledgebase/mailmachine-campaigns/creating-campaigns)**.

⏱ Anywhere from 1 to 3 hours, depending on complexity and how familiar you are with the editor.

## 6. Test, then send

Before sending to your whole list, always send yourself a test and check it on both desktop and mobile - small rendering differences are common between email apps. When you're happy, add your subject line, choose a date and time, and send.

## Common first-campaign problems

**Can't import contacts?** Make sure your CSV has proper headers and valid email addresses, remove any special characters, check the file size, and try a smaller test batch first.

**Domain authentication failing?** Allow 24-48 hours for DNS to propagate, check the records match exactly with no extra spaces, and authenticate one protocol at a time.

**Campaign stuck in draft?** Confirm every required field is filled in, your sender is authenticated, and your recipient list has active contacts.

**Not receiving test emails?** Check your spam folder, confirm the test address is correct and your domain is authenticated, and try a different provider - delivery can take a few minutes.

If you get stuck on anything, [open a support ticket](/knowledgebase/getting-started/how-to-create-a-support-ticket-in-mykualo) and we'll help you get moving.

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_Source: Kualo Knowledgebase — https://www.kualo.com/knowledgebase/mailmachine-getting-started/getting-started-with-mailmachine · © Kualo Ltd._