How do I setup and manage transactional emails through my own SMTP server?
Summary
What email marketers say14Marketer opinions
Email Marketer from AuthSMTP advises to monitor the IP address and domain reputation to ensure high deliverability rates for transactional emails. Also mentions the use of various tools and services to track reputation and identify potential issues.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum recommends thoroughly testing the transactional email setup before going live. Suggests sending test emails to different email providers and checking for deliverability issues.
Email marketer from SparkPost Blog emphasizes the importance of implementing email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to improve deliverability and protect against spoofing in transactional emails.
Marketer from Email Geeks says that you would be fine to just let PMTA do it's thing with regard to the queues and let it deliver multiples in the same connection. Never had a problem doing it that way.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests considering factors like scalability, reliability, and pricing when choosing an SMTP server for transactional email. Recommends evaluating options like Amazon SES, SendGrid, and Mailgun.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that Transactional mail doesn't need a special setup but it really just needs to be kept completely separate from marketing and other types of messages.
Marketer from Email Geeks says that transactional mail flow is different so you may never get close to providers limits because it's going to be constantly sending low volumes of messages, not "bursts".
Email marketer from Reddit recommends using a dedicated IP address for sending transactional emails to have more control over sender reputation. Suggests warming up the IP address gradually to establish a good sending history.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains transactional mail is typically generated by software applications in response to an event and it's normally one-to-one. To implement it, all you need to do is provide an SMTP server with a clean/good reputation IP address.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that there is really no difference in terms of setup between transactional and marketing emails and you should still monitor complaints in case someone tries to send marketing/spam over it.
Email marketer from StackOverflow advises setting up a system for handling bounces and complaints to maintain a good sender reputation. Suggests using tools provided by the SMTP server or ESP to track and process these events.
Email marketer from Mailjet Blog emphasizes the importance of clear and concise content in transactional emails. They suggest focusing on delivering essential information and avoiding promotional messaging.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests to pass the messages through rspamd or similar to see if they have problematic links etc. Also, limit/watch the volume, transactional messages don't have the same patterns as marketing messages so a huge bulk send may be an issue. Use a different authenticated sub-domain so there is no overlap with marketing content and send transactional from a different set of dedicated for transactional IPs.
Email marketer from SendGrid Blog explains the importance of separating transactional and marketing emails to protect sender reputation. They suggest using separate IP addresses or subdomains for each type of email.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Spamresource.com explains that authentication of your emails is key to ensure you are not seen as spam. They state that SPF, DKIM and DMARC records should be setup and kept up to date and also explain how this can be achieved.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that monitoring feedback loops (FBLs) is crucial for transactional emails. Properly setting up and monitoring FBLs helps identify and address deliverability issues promptly, ensuring critical messages reach recipients.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Postfix Documentation provides detailed instructions on configuring Postfix as an SMTP server for sending transactional emails, including setting up virtual domains and user authentication.
Documentation from AWS explains how to set up Amazon SES for sending transactional emails, including verifying sender identities, configuring DKIM and SPF, and managing sending limits.
Documentation from PowerMTA details the configuration options available for optimizing PowerMTA for sending transactional emails, including setting up virtual MTAs, configuring delivery rules, and monitoring performance.
Documentation from Exim details how you can configure rate limiting to prevent sending to many emails at any one time and the methods for achieving that.
Documentation from RFC Editor details the standards on how simple mail transfer protocol works and what the requirements of an SMTP server is.