How to Use Brevo: Complete Step-by-Step Tutorial for Beginners (2025)

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is one of the most practical all-in-one email + SMS + CRM platforms for small businesses in 2025. If you want to set up Brevo the right way — authenticate your domain, import contacts, build signup forms, create campaigns, and launch automations that actually convert — this guide walks you through every step with pro tips, checklists, and real-world best practices.

I wrote this after comparing product docs, tutorials, and updated features so you get a modern, accurate walkthrough that beats the usual “click this” guides. Where it matters I reference official Brevo docs and courses so you can follow along.

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Quick overview — what you can do with Brevo (so you know the map)

Brevo bundles:

• Drag-and-drop email campaigns and templates.
• Marketing automation (workflows like welcome, abandoned cart, re-engagement).
• Built-in CRM and sales pipelines.
• SMS & WhatsApp messaging.
• Transactional email and API.
• Forms, landing pages, and chat.

Brevo’s free plan is generous for beginners (daily send limits apply), and paid tiers unlock automations, higher send volumes, and advanced features.

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Before we start — the 3 things you must have ready

1. Business email & domain (example: hello@yourdomain.com). Don’t use a Gmail “from” address for sending.
2. A small contact list or lead magnet (CSV of early subscribers or a downloadable).
3. Goal for first 30 days — e.g., “Send a welcome series + one promo” or “Recover abandoned carts.”

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Step 1 — Sign up & basic account setup

1. Go to Brevo.com and click Sign up. The free plan works for testing.
2. Verify your email and complete basic company settings (name, address — needed for CAN-SPAM compliance).
3. Add your users (team members) and set roles if you have collaborators.

Pro tip: Use your business domain email as the default Sender (From) address. This makes authentication easier later.

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Step 2 — Authenticate your domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

Why it matters: authentication improves deliverability and avoids spam folders.

How to do it:

1. In Brevo: go to Settings → Senders & domains → Add domain.
2. Brevo will give you DNS records (SPF & DKIM). Add them in your domain registrar (Cloudflare, GoDaddy, etc.).
3. Optionally add a DMARC record for stricter protection.

Pro tip: After adding DNS, wait up to 24–48 hours and then verify in Brevo. Don’t skip this step — it’s the single biggest deliverability booster.

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Step 3 — Import contacts, lists & GDPR compliance

1. Format your CSV: email, first_name, last_name, source, tags.
2. Import: Contacts → Import contacts. Map fields and add a source tag (e.g., “lead-magnet-2025”).
3. Create lists for segmentation (e.g., “Newsletter”, “Customers”, “Trial-users”).

Compliance notes:

• Save proof of consent (double opt-in or source tag).
• Add an unsubscribe link on every campaign (Brevo adds it by default).
• Use Brevo’s preference center or create one to reduce unsubscribes.

Pro tip: During import, immediately tag contacts by how they joined — this enables targeted welcome flows.

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Step 4 — Create signup forms & landing pages

1. Go to Contacts → Forms to build embedded forms, popups, or standalone landing pages.
2. Choose a template, edit the text, and connect the form to a list.
3. Add a double opt-in (recommended in many regions) to verify subscribers.

Pro tip: Use a content upgrade (article checklist or mini-course) as the lead magnet on your landing page. Brevo’s landing pages are basic but fast to set up for lead capture.

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Step 5 — Build your first email campaign (step-by-step)

1. Go to Marketing → Campaigns → Create a campaign. Choose Email.
2. Name the campaign (internal name) and choose recipients (list/segment).
3. Pick a template or start with a blank drag-and-drop editor. Brevo includes AI subject-line suggestions and templates.
4. Edit content: hero image, headline, short body, one primary CTA. Keep mobile users in mind (single column).
5. Preview + send test to multiple devices. Set A/B testing if desired (subject lines, from name).
6. Schedule or send immediately.

Pro tip: Keep one clear CTA. Brevo’s editor supports reusable sections — build a branded footer template to save time.

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Step 6 — Set up essential automations (welcome, abandoned cart, post-purchase)

Automations are where Brevo shines for small budgets. The Academy and prebuilt templates make setup fast.

Must-have workflows to create first:

• Welcome series (3 emails) — deliver lead magnet, set expectations, show top resources.
• Abandoned cart (for ecommerce) — Brevo has a prebuilt abandoned cart automation (follow the wizard).
• Post-purchase flow — thank you → delivery tracking → upsell/review request.
• Re-engagement — identify inactive users and attempt to win them back before pruning.

How to create an automation:

1. Automations → Workflows → Create automation.
2. Choose a template (Welcome, Abandoned cart, etc.) or start from scratch with the drag-and-drop visual builder.
3. Set triggers (e.g., when contact joins list, when cart abandoned).
4. Add actions (send email, wait, add tag, send SMS). You can mix channels (email + SMS + WhatsApp).
5. Activate and monitor performance.

Pro tip: Start with the prebuilt abandoned cart flow — Brevo’s wizard walks you through product variables and timing. Monitor revenue recovered in the first 30 days.

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Step 7 — Use Brevo CRM to manage leads & deals

1. Go to CRM → Contacts and view contact activity (emails opened, pages visited).
2. Create pipelines for your sales funnel (Lead → Qualified → Proposal → Closed).
3. Add deals, tasks, notes, and schedule follow-ups.

Pro tip: Connect CRM stages to automation triggers (e.g., when a deal moves to Proposal → send product demo packet automatically).

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Step 8 — Set up transactional emails & API (if needed)

If you run a store or app, transactional emails (order confirmations, password resets) are crucial.

1. In Brevo, go to Transactional → SMTP & API and copy your API key.
2. Integrate with your platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, or custom via API). Brevo offers plugins and docs to help.

Pro tip: Use a dedicated sending domain or IP for high-volume transactional emails to protect your marketing deliverability.

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Step 9 — Add SMS & WhatsApp campaigns (optional but powerful)

Brevo supports SMS and WhatsApp campaigns and multi-channel automations.

1. Marketing → SMS / WhatsApp (availability and pricing vary by country).
2. Upload numbers, respect opt-ins, and create templates (WhatsApp often requires template approval).
3. Combine SMS with automation (abandoned cart + final reminder via SMS).

Pro tip: Use SMS for short, transactional messages or last-minute offers — keep it concise and always include an opt-out.

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Step 10 — Reporting, tracking & optimizing

1. For campaigns: Reports → Campaign Reports to check opens, clicks, bounces, and unsubscribes.
2. For automations: check revenue attributed to flows (if ecommerce tracked) and per-email performance.
3. Use UTM tags to attribute web conversions to email campaigns in Google Analytics.

Key metrics to track:

• Deliverability & bounce rate
• Open rate (note: privacy updates can skew this)
• Click rate & Click-to-open rate (CTOR)
• Conversion rate / Revenue per recipient (RPR)
• Unsubscribe & complaint rates

Pro tip: Prioritize click and conversion metrics over open rates due to modern privacy masking.

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Deliverability & hygiene checklist (must do)

• Authenticate domain (SPF/DKIM).
• Warm new sending domains gradually.
• Remove hard bounces immediately.
• Suppress unengaged subscribers (re-engage then prune after attempts).
• Avoid purchased lists.
• Monitor spam complaint rates; keep them below 0.1–0.3%.

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Quick checklist — launch in one afternoon

• Create Brevo account & verify company details.
• Authenticate domain.
• Import contacts & create lists.
• Build a simple signup form / landing page.
• Send your first campaign (newsletter or welcome).
• Create a 3-email welcome series.
• Activate abandoned cart automation (if ecommerce).
• Set up basic CRM pipeline.

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Short examples — sample first 3 emails in a Welcome Series

1. Email 1 (Immediate): Deliver lead magnet + short intro + 1 CTA to top resource.
2. Email 2 (Day 2): Brand story + social proof + light product mention.
3. Email 3 (Day 7): Best content roundup + small, time-limited offer or CTA.

Pro tip: Use Brevo’s A/B testing for subject lines in the welcome email to maximize open & conversion.

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Resources to learn faster

• Brevo Help Center & Docs (campaigns, automation, SMTP).
• Brevo Academy — free short courses and walkthroughs on automation and abandoned cart setup.
• Community tutorials and updated reviews (EmailToolTester, Omnisend reviews) for real-user signals.

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Final pro tips from a 10-year practitioner

• Start with automations, not one-off promotions. A good welcome + cart flow will pay for your subscription.
• Tag everything on import — it’s the key to meaningful segmentation later.
• Run small A/B tests but judge by conversions (not opens).
• Use multi-channel sparingly (email + SMS + WhatsApp) — only where the message needs immediacy.

By a 10-year veteran blogger, digital marketer & content strategist