Before your next send

Email pre-send checklist

Review your audience, message, delivery route and costs. Keep your progress in this browser and return when you are ready.

Review server setup Estimate your cost

01. Audience and permission

Choose the intended audienceCheck the current segment and recipient count. Keep unsubscribed, bounced, complained and otherwise excluded addresses out of the send.Review how the contacts joinedKeep the original source and consent records. Import only contacts you are entitled to email; a CSV upload does not establish permission.Check the plan against the audienceCompare active subscribers, connected servers and other required features with the current plan limits.

02. Domain and message

Verify the sending domainUse the exact DNS records displayed for your domain. Review SPF, DKIM and DMARC, including changes made since your last send.Check the sender and reply addressUse a verified From identity and a Reply-To address you monitor. If using Inbox reply capture, test the receiving setup first.Preview the actual emailCheck the subject, preview text, links, mobile layout, plain-text alternative and any personalization fallback values.Exercise the unsubscribe pathUse a controlled test contact to check the unsubscribe link and verify the contact stays excluded from later sends.

03. Delivery route and cost

Choose the route deliberatelyServer only holds messages for the connected server and does not fall back to hosted delivery. Hybrid may use hosted delivery when the server is unavailable.Review the hosted allowance separatelyHybrid can reserve hosted credits before sending; messages actually delivered through your server return that reservation. Hosted sends consume the hosted allowance.Include the full VPS estimateInclude any IP, storage, backups, taxes and other server charges. The calculator is an estimate, not a live provider quote or a delivery-capacity promise.

04. Own-server readiness

Confirm outbound port 25 with the providerCheck your exact account, product and region. A working relay on port 587 does not establish direct delivery to recipient mail servers on port 25.Review the agent connectionConfirm the connected server, observed IP and recent heartbeat. An old passing result is not a current network test.Review IP identity and domain checksReview PTR/reverse DNS, hostname alignment and domain authentication observations. Investigate warnings and blocking checks; do not treat an unknown result as a pass.Respect the current warm-up and safety limitsReview the current daily capacity and any hold or pause. Monthly email volume in the calculator does not establish how quickly a VPS can safely send.

05. Controlled test and launch

Send a controlled test before the campaignUse a mailbox you control. Confirm the intended content, destination, route and reply behavior; check the actual delivery result.Review time, timezone and recipient countCheck the final saved campaign, sending window and audience immediately before the authorized send.Check the result before retryingInspect campaign and message status before resubmitting. A timeout or missing browser confirmation does not establish that nothing was sent.

06. Review what happened

Separate acceptance from inbox placementA recipient server accepting a message does not prove inbox placement or a human read. Investigate bounces and complaints using their recorded status.Compare reports for the same audience and windowUse the same campaign, cohort and time window. Tracked opens and clicks can include automated activity and can miss untracked activity.

Checklist questions

Does completing this checklist verify my setup?

No. These are your own review notes. The checklist does not connect to your account, query DNS, test your VPS, send email or certify deliverability. Confirm each result in the relevant dashboard, provider or controlled test.

Where are my checklist answers stored?

When browser storage is available, checked items are saved only in this browser on this device. The checklist does not submit your answers to SendMailOS. Use Reset checklist to remove its saved answers.

Is every item relevant to hosted delivery?

No. The Own-server readiness section applies when using a connected VPS. Audience, domain, content, allowance, launch and reporting checks still matter for hosted delivery. Mark only the items you have actually reviewed.

Can unlimited own-server email skip these checks?

No. Own-server delivery has no monthly platform email quota, but the subscription, VPS cost, subscriber and other plan limits, warm-up, safety checks, fair use and server capacity still apply.

Get the setup details

Choose a setup guide, review the current plan limits, and use a controlled test before a live campaign.

Open setup help Read the quickstart