Before you begin
You will need an EmailFunnelAI account and access to either an email provider account (Postmark, SES, Brevo, and others) or SMTP credentials. If you plan to send from your own domain, have your DNS provider login handy.
Step 1 — Connect an email provider
Open Settings → Email and add a provider. You can use the platform default to get started, or bring your own keys for full control. See Connect an email provider for the details of each option.
Step 2 — Verify a sending domain
To send from your own brand, add your domain under Sending Domains and publish the DNS records the provider gives you. This step is what makes mail arrive from you@yourdomain.com instead of a shared address.
Note: Sending domains require a provider that supports domain verification. Plain SMTP does not — with SMTP you configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC directly with your mail host.
Step 3 — Add contacts
Import a CSV or connect a source under Contacts. Clean lists send better — the importer flags invalid and risky addresses so you do not burn your reputation on bad data.
Step 4 — Build your first funnel
Head to Funnels → New. Describe what you want in a sentence — for example, “a 4-email trial activation sequence for a project management SaaS” — and let AI draft it, or build the steps by hand. Read Build a funnel for the full walkthrough.
Step 5 — Activate and monitor
Choose the segment that should enter the funnel, then activate. Opens, clicks, and conversions appear on the funnel dashboard as contacts move through the steps.
You are live
That is the whole loop: provider, domain, contacts, funnel, send. From here, explore segments to target more precisely and deliverability to keep your inbox placement strong.
