How to Create Your First Email Campaign in Brevo (Step by Step)

Sending your first email campaign feels like a big deal. You’ve got subscribers waiting. You’ve got something to say. But the actual process? That’s where most people freeze.

Which button do I click? What should my subject line be? Will this end up in spam? The questions pile up fast.

Here’s the good news. Creating your first Brevo email campaign is genuinely simple. The platform walks you through every step with a clean wizard interface. No coding. No confusing menus. Just straightforward campaign creation that even complete beginners can follow.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the entire process together. From logging in to hitting send. From writing subject lines to tracking results. By the end, you’ll have your first email campaign live — and you’ll know exactly how to create more.

Most people finish their first campaign in 20-30 minutes. Let’s get started.

What You Need Before Creating Your First Campaign

Before jumping into campaign creation, let’s make sure you have everything ready. A little preparation now prevents frustration later.

A Brevo account

If you don’t have one yet, signing up takes about two minutes. The free plan works perfectly for your first campaign. No credit card required. You get 300 emails per day and access to the drag-and-drop editor, templates, and even AI features.

A verified sender email

This is the email address your campaigns will come from. Brevo requires verification to prevent spam. You’ll receive a confirmation email — click the link, and you’re verified.

For best results, use a business email address like hello@yourcompany.com rather than a personal Gmail. It looks more professional and helps with deliverability.

Domain authentication (recommended)

This step isn’t required for your first campaign, but it significantly improves inbox placement. Domain authentication involves adding SPF and DKIM records to your DNS settings. Brevo provides the exact records to add.

Authenticated domains see much better deliverability. If you skip this now, come back to it soon.

At least one contact list

You need people to email. If you haven’t imported contacts yet, you can upload a CSV file or add subscribers manually. Even a small test list works for your first campaign.

For learning purposes, start with a tiny list — maybe just yourself and a few colleagues. You can always send to larger audiences once you’re confident.

A clear goal for your campaign

What do you want this email to accomplish? Announce a new product? Share a blog post? Welcome new subscribers? Having a single clear goal focuses your message and makes creating the email easier.

Don’t try to do everything in one email. One goal, one call-to-action.

With these pieces in place, you’re ready to create your first Brevo email campaign.

Step 1: Start a New Email Campaign in Brevo

The campaign creation process begins in your Brevo dashboard. The interface guides you through each stage with a clear wizard: Setup → Design → Recipients → Schedule. No guesswork about what comes next.

Let’s walk through accessing the campaign creator and configuring your initial settings.

Accessing the Campaign Creator

Log into your Brevo account. If this is your first time, take a moment to look around. The dashboard shows your recent activity, quick stats, and navigation menu on the left side.

To start a new email campaign:

1. Click Campaigns in the left sidebar
2. Click the Create campaign button (usually top right)
3. Select Email as your campaign type

Brevo offers different campaign types — email, SMS, WhatsApp, and more. For now, we’re focusing on email.

Once you select email, the campaign wizard opens. You’ll see a progress bar showing the steps ahead. The interface is clean and uncluttered. Each step focuses on one thing at a time.

The wizard breaks campaign creation into logical stages:

• Setup: Name your campaign, set sender details, write your subject line
• Design: Build your email using templates or the drag-and-drop editor
• Recipients: Choose who receives this campaign
• Schedule: Decide when to send — now or later

You can move forward and backward through these steps. Nothing is final until you hit the send button. Feel free to experiment.

For first-time users, Brevo sometimes offers a guided tour. Take it if offered — it highlights key features without being annoying.

Setting Up Campaign Name and Sender Details

The first screen asks for basic campaign information. These settings matter more than they might seem.

Campaign name

This is internal — your subscribers won’t see it. But you’ll need to find this campaign later in your reports. Use something descriptive.

Good examples:

• “January Newsletter 2026”
• “Welcome Series – New Subscribers”
• “Flash Sale Announcement – Winter”

Bad examples:

• “Test”
• “Email 1”
• “Untitled”

A clear naming convention helps when you have dozens of campaigns to track.

Sender name

This is what appears in the “From” field when someone receives your email. It’s often the first thing people see — even before the subject line.

Use a name recipients will recognize. Options include:

• Your business name: “Coffee Corner Shop”
• A person’s name: “Sarah from Coffee Corner”
• A combination: “Coffee Corner Newsletter”

Consistency matters. Use the same sender name across campaigns so subscribers recognize you instantly.

Sender email address

This is the actual email address your campaign sends from. Brevo pre-fills your account email, but you can change it to any verified address.

Use a professional business email. Avoid generic addresses like noreply@domain.com — they feel cold and discourage replies. Something like hello@yourcompany.com or newsletter@yourcompany.com works better.

Reply-to address (optional)

Where should replies go? By default, replies go to your sender email. You can specify a different address if needed — useful if multiple team members handle responses.

Take your time with these settings. They affect how recipients perceive your emails before even opening them.

Step 2: Write Your Subject Line and Preview Text

After sender details, you’ll write your subject line and preview text. This is arguably the most important step. A great email with a bad subject line never gets opened.

The subject line and preview text work together in the inbox. The subject catches attention. The preview text adds context and encourages the click.

Crafting a Subject Line That Gets Opens

Your subject line has one job: get people to open the email. Everything else happens after.

Keep it short

Under 60 characters is the sweet spot. Many email clients cut off longer subjects, especially on mobile. Front-load the important words so they’re visible even when truncated.

Be specific, not vague

“Check this out!” tells recipients nothing. “Your 30% discount expires tonight” gives them a reason to open.

Use personalization

Adding the subscriber’s first name can boost open rates. In Brevo, you insert personalization with tags like {FIRSTNAME}. The subject “Sarah, your order is ready” feels more personal than “Your order is ready.”

Avoid spam triggers

ALL CAPS, excessive punctuation (!!!), and certain words like “FREE” or “BUY NOW” can trigger spam filters. Write naturally like you’re emailing a friend.

Create curiosity or urgency

Give people a reason to open now rather than later. Limited-time offers, exclusive content, or intriguing questions work well. Just don’t manufacture fake urgency — it erodes trust.

Examples that work:

• “Quick tip to double your open rates”
• “Your exclusive early access starts now”
• “{FIRSTNAME}, we saved this for you”
• “3 mistakes killing your email campaigns”
• “This week only: free shipping on everything”

Write 3-5 subject line options. You can test them later with A/B testing. For your first campaign, pick the one that feels most natural and specific.

Using Aura AI to Generate Subject Lines

Stuck on subject lines? Brevo’s Aura AI can help. This feature launched in 2025 and has become surprisingly useful for generating ideas quickly.

Here’s how to use it:

1. In the subject line field, look for the Generate subject line button or AI icon
2. Click it — Aura’s interface opens
3. Enter a few keywords describing your email (e.g., “winter sale yoga classes 30% off”)
4. Aura generates 5-10 subject line suggestions

The AI considers what typically performs well and creates variations based on your input. You can adjust the tone — casual, professional, urgent — to match your brand voice.

Don’t just copy and paste. Use Aura’s suggestions as starting points. Tweak them to fit your specific message and audience. The AI is smart, but you know your subscribers better.

Some generated subjects will be great. Others will feel generic. Pick the ones with specific details rather than vague promises.

Preview text matters too

Below your subject line, you’ll see a field for preview text. This is the snippet that appears next to (or below) the subject line in most email clients.

Think of preview text as your subject line’s sidekick. It adds context and reinforces the reason to open.

If your subject is “Your exclusive discount inside,” your preview might be “Save 25% on all orders this weekend — code included.”

Keep preview text under 100 characters. Make it complement the subject, not repeat it.

Step 3: Design Your Email with the Drag-and-Drop Editor

With your subject line ready, it’s time to actually build the email. This is where Brevo’s drag-and-drop editor shines. No HTML knowledge needed. Just point, click, and arrange.

Choosing Templates vs Starting from Scratch

When you enter the design phase, Brevo offers three paths:

Start from a template

Brevo includes 40+ ready-made templates covering common use cases — newsletters, promotions, announcements, welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders. Each template is professionally designed and mobile-responsive.

For your first campaign, templates are the fastest path. Pick one that matches your goal, then customize with your content. You’re not locked into the original design. Add sections, remove blocks, change colors — make it yours.

Start from scratch

Prefer a blank canvas? Choose the blank template and build everything yourself. Add blocks one by one — text, images, buttons, dividers, spacers. This gives maximum control but takes longer.

Blank templates work well when you have a specific design in mind or want something minimal that templates don’t offer.

Import HTML

If you have custom HTML code from a designer, you can import it directly. This is advanced — most beginners won’t need it. The drag-and-drop editor handles nearly everything.

Our recommendation for beginners

Start with a template. Even if you plan to change everything, templates provide helpful structure. They show what a good email layout looks like. You learn by modifying rather than creating from nothing.

Once you’re comfortable, experiment with blank templates for specific needs.

Adding Content Blocks and Personalization

Inside the editor, you’ll see your email taking shape. A sidebar lists available content blocks you can drag onto your email.

Common content blocks:

• Text: Headlines, paragraphs, any written content
• Image: Photos, graphics, logos
• Button: Call-to-action buttons that link somewhere
• Divider: Horizontal lines to separate sections
• Spacer: Empty space for visual breathing room
• Social icons: Links to your social media profiles
• Video: Embedded video thumbnails (links to actual video)

Building an email is intuitive. Drag a block from the sidebar and drop it where you want it in your email. Click any block to edit its content. Rearrange by dragging blocks up or down.

Adding personalization

Personalization makes emails feel individual rather than mass-produced. Brevo uses tags that get replaced with actual subscriber data when sending.

Common personalization tags:

• {FIRSTNAME} — subscriber’s first name
• {LASTNAME} — subscriber’s last name
• {EMAIL} — subscriber’s email address
• Custom attributes you’ve created

To insert personalization in text, click where you want it, then select the personalization option (often an icon or menu item). Choose the attribute to insert.

Example: “Hey {FIRSTNAME},” becomes “Hey Sarah,” for subscriber Sarah.

Using Aura AI for content

Writer’s block hitting hard? In any text block, look for the AI icon. Click it, describe what you need (“Write a friendly welcome paragraph offering 15% discount”), and Aura generates content.

You can ask Aura to:

• Make text shorter or longer
• Change the tone
• Translate to other languages
• Suggest improvements

AI-generated content needs your review. Edit to match your voice. But it’s a powerful starting point when you’re staring at a blank block.

Design tips for beginners:

• One column layouts work best on mobile
• Keep paragraphs short — 2-3 sentences maximum
• Use buttons for main calls-to-action, not text links
• Include only one primary CTA per email
• Leave white space — cramped emails feel overwhelming
• Preview on mobile before finalizing

Step 4: Select Your Recipients

Your email is designed. Now you choose who receives it. This step is straightforward but important.

Click to the Recipients section. You’ll see your contact lists and segments.

Selecting a list

If you have one main list, select it. Everyone on that list receives your campaign. Simple.

If you have multiple lists, choose the one that matches your campaign’s purpose. A product announcement goes to customers. A lead magnet follow-up goes to new subscribers.

Using segments for targeting

Segments are subsets of your lists based on specific criteria. Instead of emailing everyone, you email only people who match certain conditions.

Example segments:

• Subscribers who opened your last email
• Customers who purchased in the last 30 days
• Contacts in a specific country
• People who haven’t engaged in 90 days

Segments make campaigns more relevant. Relevant campaigns get better results.

For your first campaign, keeping it simple is fine. Select your main list. As you grow more comfortable, experiment with segments.

Exclusion lists

Sometimes you want to exclude certain contacts. Maybe you’re running a re-engagement campaign and want to exclude recent purchasers. Brevo lets you add exclusion lists to prevent specific people from receiving this campaign.

Test list recommendation

For your very first campaign, consider sending only to yourself or a small test list. This lets you see exactly what subscribers receive before going to your full audience.

Create a test list with your email and maybe a colleague. Select only that list. Send, review, and when everything looks good, duplicate the campaign for your real audience.

Step 5: Preview, Test, and Send Your Campaign

You’re almost there. Before hitting send, take time to preview and test. Catching mistakes now saves embarrassment later.

Testing Your Email Before Sending

Never send a campaign without testing first. What looks perfect in the editor might break in actual inboxes.

Preview your email

Brevo shows desktop and mobile previews side by side. Check both. Most people read email on phones — mobile appearance matters.

Look for:

• Text that’s too small to read on mobile
• Buttons that are too narrow to tap easily
• Images that don’t display correctly
• Layout breaking at smaller widths

Send a test email

Click the Send test option. Enter your email address (and colleagues if you want feedback). A real email lands in your inbox.

Open it on different devices if possible. Check it in different email clients — Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail. Rendering varies between clients.

Check critical elements:

• Does the subject line appear correctly?
• Is the preview text showing as expected?
• Do all links work? Click every one.
• Do images load properly?
• Is the unsubscribe link present and functional? (Brevo adds this automatically)
• Does personalization display correctly? (Shows your name, not {FIRSTNAME})

Spam check

Some email tools let you run a spam check before sending. If Brevo offers this, use it. The check flags potential deliverability issues.

Common spam triggers to fix:

• Too many images, not enough text
• Suspicious links or link shorteners
• Missing sender authentication
• Spam trigger words in content

Proofread everything

Read your email out loud. Typos hide until you read slowly. Check names, dates, prices, and offers. Wrong information is worse than typos.

Sending Now vs Scheduling for Later

Your email looks perfect. Time to decide when it goes out.

Brevo offers three options:

Send immediately

Click send, and your campaign goes out right away. Good for time-sensitive announcements or when you’ve already planned the timing.

Schedule for later

Pick a specific date and time. Your campaign waits and sends automatically at that moment.

Scheduling works well when you’re:

• Working outside business hours
• Targeting a different timezone
• Planning campaigns in advance

Send at best time (AI optimization)

This is where Aura AI really shines. Instead of picking a time yourself, you let Brevo analyze when each subscriber typically engages. The campaign goes out at different times for different people — optimized for each individual.

Users report 15-25% higher open rates with AI send-time optimization compared to manual scheduling. If you’re unsure when to send, this feature takes the guesswork away.

Note: AI send time may require a paid plan depending on your account. Check your available features.

For your first campaign

If it’s a test to yourself, send immediately. If you’re going to your full list, consider scheduling for a weekday morning when engagement is typically higher. Tuesday through Thursday around 10 AM often works well.

Once you’ve selected your timing, review everything one final time. Click Confirm or Send.

Your first Brevo email campaign is live.

Step 6: Track Your Campaign Results

Sending is just the beginning. Understanding how your campaign performed helps you improve the next one.

After your campaign sends, navigate to Campaigns in your dashboard. Find your campaign and click to view its report.

Key metrics to watch:

Open rate — percentage of recipients who opened your email. Average is around 20-25%. Higher means your subject line worked. Lower means experiment with different approaches.

Click-through rate (CTR) — percentage who clicked any link. Average is 2-4%. This measures how compelling your content and calls-to-action are.

Bounce rate — percentage of emails that couldn’t be delivered. Hard bounces are permanent failures (invalid addresses). Soft bounces are temporary issues. High bounce rates hurt sender reputation.

Unsubscribe rate — percentage who opted out after receiving this email. Some unsubscribes are normal. Spikes indicate content or frequency problems.

Spam complaints — recipients who marked your email as spam. Keep this near zero. High complaints damage deliverability severely.

Brevo’s analytics dashboard displays these metrics clearly. You can see trends over time, compare campaigns, and identify what’s working.

What to look for in your first campaign:

• Did emails actually deliver? Check the delivery rate.
• Did people open? Compare your open rate to benchmarks.
• Did anyone click? Look at which links got the most clicks.
• Were there problems? High bounces or complaints signal issues to fix.

Learning from results:

Low open rates? Test different subject lines next time.
Low click rates? Make your CTA more prominent or compelling.
High bounces? Clean your contact list of invalid addresses.

Every campaign teaches you something. Track, learn, and improve. That’s how email marketing success builds over time.

FAQs About Creating Brevo Email Campaigns