I spent time building campaigns, templates and automation in Brevo while testing deliverability, segmentation and transactional flows for real projects. This guide walks you through every step I took — from account basics to sending, plus pro tips, templates, and a checklist so you can launch your first high-performing campaign today.
Quick overview — what you’ll learn
Preparing your Brevo account for sending (senders, domain auth, lists)
Creating a campaign: step-by-step UI flow
Designing with templates: drag & drop and HTML options
Segmentation: target the right people (high ROI)
Testing, scheduling, A/B testing and deliverability checks
Automation hooks and re-use (how campaigns fit in journeys)
Pro tips, screenshots prompts, and a final launch checklist
If you prefer video, follow the same steps while screen-recording your account — screenshots and short screen clips are a big trust signal for readers and affiliate reviewers.
1) Prep: account basics before you create a campaign
Before you click Create Campaign, do these four things so your campaign sends smoothly and lands in the inbox.
A. Verify sender email and set a clear From name
Add and verify the email address you’ll send from (example: hello@yourdomain.com). Pick a recognizable From name (your company or product) — this increases opens. Brevo requires you to choose a sender when configuring campaigns.
B. Authenticate your sending domain (DKIM & SPF)
Authenticate your domain in DNS (DKIM & SPF). This is crucial for deliverability and often the difference between inbox and spam. Brevo’s help center has step-by-step domain authentication guides.
C. Clean & import contacts (lists vs. tags)
Import CSV contacts under Contacts → Lists. Use import mapping and validate emails. If you’re migrating from another platform, create a short re-engagement flow first.
D. Decide your campaign objective & KPIs
Set measurable goals: opens, clicks, revenue per send. Use UTM tags on links for accurate attribution.
2) Create your first email campaign — step by step
Brevo organizes campaign creation into a simple 3-step flow: Configure → Design → Schedule & Send. I’ll walk through each.
Step A — Open the campaign creator
Go to Marketing > Campaigns > Create campaign and select Email (Regular email campaign). Name the campaign for internal tracking (e.g., June Promo — VIP list).
Step B — Configure sending details
Sender: pick your verified sender.
Recipients: choose a List or Segment (we’ll cover segments next).
Subject line & preview text: use subject length of ~40–60 characters for best mobile rendering. Add a preview sentence that complements the subject.
Pro tip: Write 3 subject line variations in a doc and test using A/B later.
Step C — Design the email
Choose between:
Drag & Drop Editor — WYSIWYG blocks, responsive by default. Great for marketers who want speed.
Rich Text (Simple) Editor — lightweight, personal-email style. Use for one-to-one style sends.
HTML Editor — paste custom HTML when you need pixel perfect design.
Start from a template (Brevo has prebuilt templates), or from scratch. Insert dynamic contact variables like {{contact.FIRSTNAME}} for personalization.
Step D — Add CTA & tracking
Use a single primary CTA above the fold and another near the end.
Enable UTM tracking (manually or via Brevo settings) for campaign links to track revenue in analytics.
Step E — Final checks
Check image alt text, plain text fallback, and links.
Use Brevo’s preview and send a test email to multiple providers (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail).
Validate subject, From, and unsubscribe link presence.
3) Designing with templates — practical choices & examples
Brevo supports email templates you can save and reuse for campaigns, automation or transactional emails. Templates live under Marketing → Templates.
Template types & when to use them
Promotional template: hero image, benefits, CTA button (use for sales).
Newsletter template: modular blocks for multiple stories.
Transactional template: minimal branding, order details (use via SMTP/API).
Simple/personal template: text-first, for outreach or founder emails.
Example: Promotional template structure
Preheader (short)
Header with logo
Hero image + headline
3 benefit blocks (icons + 1–2 lines text)
Primary CTA button (same messaging as subject)
Secondary social links + footer (unsubscribe, contact)
Brevo lets you save a template and use it across Campaigns, Automations and Transactional emails. Save time by building a template kit (header, footer, CTA block) and reusing it.
4) Segmentation — target the highest value contacts
Segmentation is where campaigns become powerful. Brevo supports simple and complex segments using many conditions: list membership, contact properties, campaign behavior (opens/clicks), purchase history, and custom attributes.
Practical segment examples I use
New subscribers (0–7 days): welcome sequence only.
Active Engagers (opened ≥1 in last 30 days): standard promos.
High-Value Customers (LTV > $500): VIP offers & early access.
Cart Abandoners (triggered via e-commerce integration): specific recovery flows.
How to create a segment
Go to Contacts → Segments → Create a segment.
Add your first condition (e.g., “Has opened campaign X at least once in the last 30 days”).
Combine with AND/OR for complexity. Save and use this segment in Campaigns or Automations.
Pro tip: Keep segments action-oriented (“Last purchase > 90 days → winback”) — these convert better than demographic-only segments.
5) Testing, scheduling & A/B testing
A/B testing (subject, content, sender)
Brevo supports A/B testing campaigns. Test subject lines, sender names, or content. Set the size of the test group and a winner criteria (open rate or click rate). Once a winner is determined, Brevo sends the winning variant to the remainder.
Scheduling & send time optimization
You can schedule at a specific date/time, or use send-time optimization if available on your plan. If you have an international list, consider local time sending or segment by timezone.
Deliverability checks before send
Confirm DKIM & SPF are active.
Run a spam test (subject + content) using a third-party tool.
Keep images/light HTML ratio sensible — too many images can trigger spam filters.
6) Campaigns inside Automation workflows
Campaigns don’t live in isolation. Use them as nodes inside Automation workflows (welcome series, drip, re-engagement). Create an automation under Automations → Workflows, pick a template (like Welcome sequence) and add Campaign sends as steps. This lets you reuse the same campaign content while controlling timing and triggers.
Example workflow: New subscriber → wait 1 day → send “Welcome – Getting Started” campaign → wait 3 days → send “First Offer” campaign IF not purchased.
7) Pro tips from my testing
Separate transactional vs marketing sending: Use Brevo’s SMTP/API for transactional emails to protect marketing reputation.
Personalize but don’t overdo: Dynamic content fields boost CTRs, but always fall back to default text.
Use re-engagement segments: Remove or re-engage cold contacts (no open in 12 months) to preserve sender reputation.
Store templates for reuse: Keep a small library: Promo, Newsletter, Transactional, Founder Email.
Include plain text view: some clients prefer plain emails; Brevo supports simple editor outputs.
Final Thoughts
Brevo is one of the most beginner-friendly yet powerful email marketing platforms today. Once you understand how to set up campaigns, create templates, apply segmentation, and optimize testing — you can drive significantly better engagement and sales from your email list.
If you follow the steps in this tutorial, you’ll be able to launch campaigns confidently and set up a repeatable process for future sends.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How do I create my first email campaign in Brevo?
To create your first campaign, go to the Campaigns dashboard, click “Create Campaign,” choose your sender details, add your subject line, design your email using the drag-and-drop editor, select your recipients, and then schedule or send. Brevo guides you through each step, making it ideal for beginners.
2. Do I need to authenticate my domain before sending emails in Brevo?
Yes. Domain authentication (DKIM and SPF) improves deliverability and helps emails land in the inbox instead of spam. Brevo provides DNS records you can add to your hosting provider. Authenticating your domain is strongly recommended before running campaigns.
3. How do I segment my audience in Brevo for better email performance?
You can create segments by filtering contacts based on behavior (opens, clicks), demographics, purchase activity, tags, and more. Segmentation helps send highly targeted campaigns, which increases open rates, CTR, and conversions.
4. Can I A/B test my email campaigns in Brevo?
Yes. Brevo allows A/B testing of subject lines, sender names, and email content. You can set a test audience percentage and choose the winning metric (opens or clicks). The winning version is automatically sent to the rest of your list.
5. Does Brevo offer pre-designed email templates for beginners?
Brevo includes a large library of professionally designed, mobile-optimized templates. You can customize these with the drag-and-drop editor or build your own from scratch. Templates make it fast to create newsletters, announcements, promos, and welcome emails.
