Cakemail
Getting Started

First Steps

Description

Welcome to your new email marketing account!

This comprehensive getting started guide provides new users with a step-by-step roadmap to launch their first successful email marketing campaign. From initial account setup to sending your first campaign, these foundational steps ensure you establish good email marketing practices from day one. The guide covers essential elements including contact list management, domain authentication, form creation, and campaign optimization techniques.

Why it matters

Businesses of all sizes benefit from our email marketing services to send, track, and create email marketing campaigns while delivering the most essential business emails effectively. For optimal results, we recommend starting with:

  1. Complete your brand information

    Take a few minutes to complete your brand details, such as your logo and brand colours.

    Logo: Transparent PNG, 400 pixels wide by 200 pixels high

    Colours: We recommend using your hex codes if you have them. Otherwise, you can select from a palette.

    Once completed, you can immediately start using Smart Templates to create your first newsletter with the drag-and-drop editor: Working with Smart Templates

    ⏱ Duration: ~30 minutes

    Feel free to contact us for a template evaluation to ensure the best possible rendering, including mobile and dark mode versions. Our professional services team can assist you.

  2. Create your users

    Depending on your plan, you will have between 1 and 5 user accounts available. Simply invite your team members to manage the account. They will need to accept the invitation email, then set up a secure password: Adding and editing account users

    ⏱ Duration: ~15 minutes

  3. Manage your senders

    This is the most complex step, but also one of the most important. You need to define your sender email addresses: Manage senders

    It is also essential to validate your domain name to ensure optimal deliverability: Authenticate my domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

    ⏱ Duration: ~1 hour + 24 hours for DNS propagation

  4. Migrate your contacts and create your segments

    You can easily import contacts into your list, either by uploading a CSV file or by copy-pasting. At this stage, you can also import your tags and create segments.

    See the basics here: Importing contacts

    ⏱ Duration: ~30 minutes (depending on list complexity)

  5. Create your newsletter

    Use an existing Smart Template to easily design your first newsletter. Your logo and colours will automatically be applied to highlight your brand.

    Watch our video tutorials for additional guidance.

    ⏱ Duration: ~1–3 hours, depending on complexity and your familiarity with the editor. Using the Email Designer

    Again, feel free to contact us for a free evaluation of your templates by our professional services to ensure the best possible display, including mobile and dark mode.

  6. Train your team

    Here are some training videos to help you get the most out of Cakemail.

    👉 Cakemail YouTube Channel

    We also offer 20 minutes live training sessions (Fall, Winter, Spring), where you can ask your questions in real time.

    ⏱ Duration: ~45 minutes per video

Troubleshooting

Unable to import contacts

  • Ensure your CSV file is properly formatted with headers
  • Check that email addresses are valid and properly formatted
  • Verify file size is under the allowed limit
  • Remove any special characters from the CSV file
  • Try importing a smaller test batch first

Domain authentication failure

  • Allow 24-48 hours for DNS changes to propagate
  • Verify DNS records are entered exactly as provided
  • Check with your domain hosting provider for restrictions
  • Ensure there are no extra spaces in DNS record entries
  • Try authenticating one protocol at a time

Subscription form not working

  • Verify form code is properly embedded on your website
  • Check that JavaScript is enabled in the browser
  • Ensure the form is linked to an active contact list
  • Test the form in different browsers
  • Clear cache and cookies before testing

First campaign stuck in draft

  • Ensure all required fields are completed
  • Verify sender email is authenticated
  • Check that recipient list has active contacts
  • Confirm account has sufficient sending credits
  • Review campaign for spam trigger words

Not receiving test emails

  • Check spam/junk mail folders
  • Verify test email address is correct
  • Ensure sender domain is authenticated
  • Try sending to a different email provider
  • Wait a few minutes as delivery may be delayed

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