Guide · 20 min read · Updated October 2026

Set up a free Brevo relay with your own key

Short answer: To send through Brevo for free, create a Brevo free account, verify your sender address, authenticate your domain by adding the Brevo TXT code, the two DKIM CNAME records (brevo1 and brevo2) and a DMARC record, then generate an SMTP key and enter smtp-relay.brevo.com, port 587 (STARTTLS) or 2525, your Brevo SMTP login and the key in Pink Post.

Steps

Create a Brevo free account. Sign up at brevo.com. The free plan included 300 emails per day at the time of writing; check Brevo's pricing page for current limits.
Verify your sender. In Brevo, add the From address you will use (for example you@yourdomain.com) and confirm it from the email Brevo sends.
Authenticate your domain. Add the domain in Brevo's Senders, Domains and dedicated IPs area, then add the DNS records Brevo shows you: a TXT record containing your brevo-code, two DKIM CNAME records (brevo1._domainkey and brevo2._domainkey) and a DMARC TXT record at _dmarc.
Generate an SMTP key. In Brevo open SMTP & API, choose the SMTP tab and generate a new SMTP key. Copy it now; it is shown once.
Connect it in Pink Post. Add an account with SMTP host smtp-relay.brevo.com, port 587 with STARTTLS (or 2525), the SMTP login shown on Brevo's SMTP page as the username and the SMTP key as the password. Use your own mailbox IMAP details for replies.

Never copy example values. Every value in angle brackets below is a placeholder. Copy the exact records shown in your own Brevo dashboard.

DNS records to add

Add these at the DNS host of your domain (for example Cloudflare, Namecheap or your hosting panel). Brevo shows the exact values.

Type	Name / host	Value
TXT	`@` (root)	`brevo-code:<your-code-from-brevo>`
CNAME	`brevo1._domainkey`	`<target shown in Brevo>`
CNAME	`brevo2._domainkey`	`<target shown in Brevo>`
TXT	`_dmarc`	`v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:<your-report-address>` (or the value Brevo suggests)

If you use Cloudflare, set CNAME records to DNS only (grey cloud), not proxied. DNS changes can take from a few minutes to a few hours.

SPF

If your domain already has an SPF record for your mailbox provider, keep exactly one v=spf1 record and add what Brevo asks for to it, if Brevo asks for an SPF include. Two separate SPF records break SPF. See DNS setup: SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

Pink Post account settings

SMTP host:      smtp-relay.brevo.com
SMTP port:      587  (STARTTLS)   or  2525
SMTP username:  <SMTP login shown in Brevo, SMTP & API page>
SMTP password:  <your Brevo SMTP key>
From address:   <the sender you verified in Brevo>
IMAP host/port: <your mailbox IMAP, e.g. imap.yourprovider.com 993>
Daily limit:    at or below your Brevo daily allowance

The SMTP login is not always your Brevo account email; use the login exactly as displayed on the SMTP page.

Check it worked

Run the connection test, then send a test email to yourself and view the original message: SPF, DKIM and DMARC should all show pass. You can also check your domain with our Deliverability X-ray.

Next guide

DNS setup: SPF, DKIM and DMARC for cold email

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