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Connecting your mailbox
1. Click Connect your email.
Once your campaign is created, open it (click Campaigns in the black bar at the top, then click your campaign), and click Connect your email, right below the campaign's name.
Alternatively: you can go to Settings (expand the menu in the upper right and click ‘Settings’), then click the green button Add Email Account.
2. Choose Other email provider.
3. Add your IMAP and SMTP server data.
Enter your data as shown below and click Continue.
What data should I type in?
Email and login — your email address.
Password — your password for this email account.
IMAP/SMTP servers — imap.ionos.com / smtp.ionos.com or imap.ionos.co.uk / smtp.ionos.co.uk
IMAP port — you can leave it empty or use 993 or 143.
SMTP port — 465 or 587.
You can also check those on the IONOS help page about Settings For Your Email Programs »
After filling out the form, just click Continue and wait for Woodpecker to connect your email address.
Troubleshooting
Woodpecker may connect your email address conditionally. Check what that means and how to fix it here.
In case of any other issues, have a look at our article I can't connect my mailbox »
5. Set your ‘From name’ and ‘Signature’.
This screen allows you to set the sender's name that will be visible to your recipients, and a signature that will be attached to emails in your campaigns.
You can skip this step, and set both later by clicking “set it later in Settings”. Here is our guide on how to edit and update your signature »
6. Click 'Save'.
… and give Woodpecker a few moments to complete the setup. Afterward, you will be able to select this email as a sender in your campaign.
7. Your account has been connected
Now you are able to select your email address as a sender in your campaign.
Finalize the setup by clicking the OK button to continue creating your campaign.
8. Check your inbox for "Testing your email connection" message.
Once you connect your email account to Woodpecker, the App will send you the message confirming the successful connection. You will see it in your primary inbox. Its subject is "Testing your email connection with Woodpecker.co" and should look like the one on the image above.
Don't worry, this is an automatic message sent from our internal email address [email protected].
In case you're connecting a mailbox to a company under the Agency panel, we will send the message from the email account connected to your Agency account. The content of that message can be crafted by you in the Agency panel settings. Have a look at the Agency Quickstart Guide »
You can't find the test message in your inbox?
You might have been connected conditionally.
Check your SPAM or junk folder.
If the message is there, move it to the primary inbox.
Try connecting your mailbox again. Remember to remove any labels or forwarding options. Learn why »
Your email address should be connected successfully!
Testing your connection – campaign email
Woodpecker will be testing your email connection and deliverability every day by sending the test email to another of our internal email addresses, [email protected]. Don't worry! While you have active campaigns, we will be sending the email once a day to check if your deliverability settings, such as SPF records or DKIM, have been set up correctly. Although a copy of those emails can be different from the original copy of your campaign, we do it to make sure that you're up-to-date with your domain settings. Here you can read more about our deliverability checks and report »
Deliverability
Deliverability is the number of emails that have reached the recipients' inboxes compared to the number of sent messages overall. The goal is to have as many of your emails land in your prospects' inboxes rather than going to spam folders. To ensure high deliverability rates, make sure you set up SPF and DKIMcorrectly. Click here to learn more about the importance of deliverability.
Warm-up
Also, don't forget about the domain and email address warm-up.
FAQ
Q: Why do I need to set up SPF and DKIM?
To avoid spam issues. How? SPF records tell mailboxes which hosts are allowed to send mail from a given domain. You can add SPF records in your DNS settings to easily prove your authenticity and help your email deliverability.
Q: How can I set up SPF and DKIM?
The way you set up your SPF record depends on your domain host. Make sure you include all the applications which send emails to you in your SPF record. Learn more about setting up the records on the IONOS page here.
Q: You mentioned that my mailbox and domain should be warmed up before connecting it to Woodpecker. What does it mean?
During the warm-up, you're working on gaining a good sender's reputation for your mailbox and domain. Why is it important? Without a warm-up, anti-spam filters don't see you as a trustworthy sender. Security mechanisms can suspect that you send spammy content and will block your mailbox, putting it on a blacklist.
Q: Is there anything else I should know before starting my campaign?
To make sure you didn't miss anything please have a look at our 14 Deliverability Checks to Carry Out Before Sending Your Cold Email Campaign.