How to configure a Sendgrid SMTP account for GMass

By in Gmail Limits Sendgrid SMTP

If you’re using the GMass unlimited sending option by connecting an SMTP service to GMass, you may have chosen Sendgrid as your SMTP service provider. If so, here is how you we recommend that you configure your Sendgrid account.

  1. GMass will connect without TLS/SSL to the SMTP server on the port of your choice. Sendgrid allows you to connect on ports 25 or 587. You can authenticate into the Sendgrid SMTP relay with either your Sendgrid username/password, or the username “apikey” and a Password that is provided when you create an API key. See below for an example. Note that if you create an API key, the SMTP username is not the name of the API key. The SMTP username is always “apikey”. The SMTP server is smtp.sendgrid.net.

    This is how you will set the Sendgrid server to be used in GMass.

    GMass SMTP Configuration
    Configure your GMass account to send with Sendgrid. In this case, I’m authenticating with my Sendgrid username and password, but I could also create an API key and authenticate that way.
  2. Ensure that open and click tracking are turned OFF. This is because GMass will add the tracking for you if you check the box for open and click tracking under Settings, and we don’t want the emails to be double tracked. Here is how the “Tracking” section of Sendgrid should look:
    Sendgrid Tracking
  3. Ensure that Bounce Notifications are on. Set them to go to the From Address. This will allow GMass to process your bounces, just like normal. Not all SMTP services have this capability. Sendgrid and JangoSMTP do. Mailgun and Mailjet do not. Therefore this is what your Mail Settings screen in Sendgrid should look like:
  4. We generally recommend users do NOT get a dedicated IP address with Sendgrid. We’ve spoken to high level staff at Sendgrid who have explained that dedicated IPs start off as cold IP addresses with no sending reputation. That means that initially, with a dedicated IP you’re likely to see more deliverability issues than if you use an IP address from Sendgrid’s shared pool. Here’s an article explaining the pitfalls of dedicated IPs. The only exception to this rule is if you plan to warm up your IPs over time by sending low-volume emails in the beginning and then ramping up.

    Sendgrid Dedicated IP Addresses
    We recommend that you do not get a dedicated IP with Sendgrid.
  5. Similarly, we recommend that you do NOT whitelabel your domain either. Sendgrid highlights the deliverability advantages of a whitelisted domain, but because they force you to create a sub-domain of your domain, and don’t let you use your actual domain for the sending and signing of emails, your sub-domain will start off with no reputation and will likely cause delivery issues. Note: Some Sendgrid accounts require you to whitelabel your domain. Here’s how to get around that.

    Since our beta launch a few weeks ago, several users who set up a domain whitelabel have had spam and deliverability issues, specifically where Gmail highlights the whitelabeled sub-domain as the source of the spam problem.

    Sendgrid Domain Whitelabel
    We recommend that you do NOT set up a domain whitelabel in your Sendgrid account.
  6. Lastly, do not set up an whitelabel email link either. This is equivalent to the branded tracking domain feature of GMass. Since we previously turned OFF Sendgrid’s open and click tracking in to avoid double-tracking, there’s no need to customize email links with Sendgrid.

    Sendgrid Link Whitelabel
    Setting up link whitelabels is irrelevant because you should have turned OFF open and click tracking in Sendgrid, since this will be handled by GMass.

50 Replies to “How to configure a Sendgrid SMTP account for GMass”

  1. Valuehandlers
    Reply

    When setting up my Gmass using the demonstrated illustrations,i.e

    smtp@gmass.co
    set
    SMTP Server: smtp.sengrid.net
    Port: 25
    Username: valuehandlers
    Password: ………………..

    I couldn’t succeed in achieving that. And this message pop up
    “Your GMass request failed. Error details: No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it 103.224.212.222:25”

  3. Gopal Kulkarni
    Reply

    I am getting an error when I am setting the SMTP with GMass

    Your GMass request failed. Error details: The remote certificate is invalid according to the validation procedure.

    in red fonts…

  4. Stefan Smiljkovic
    Reply

    If I understood correctly, I need to send you my Sendgrid password in plain text format ?

    That doesn’t look to secure.

    • Maya Quijada
      Reply

      You aren’t sending it to us, you’re setting it to your GMass account. When you press the GMass button to “set” the SMTP server, you are saving that access info into the GMass system so that GMass is configured with your SendGrid account and can route through that server. It is safe to do.

  5. Manikandan
    Reply

    You are asking us not to enable a domain and email whitelabel, but sendgrid ha put a restriction of 100 mails/ per day if we don’t add it. What should be done now? I have been using sendgrid to send mails from GMass for mails less than 100 so far.

  6. Michael
    Reply

    It looks like I have successfully connected my sendgrid account to my gmass account. What is the max emails I can send out in 24hrs and a month?

  9. Michael
    Reply

    Require a little help. This is the error I get after inputting my info to set up the SMTP for GMASS.

    Your GMass request failed. Error details:
    No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it 103.224.212.222:25 Try the SMTP Test Tool to troubleshoot the issue.

    SMTP Server: smtp.sendgrid.net
    Ports: 25
    Username: apikey
    Password:………….

  10. Neelesh Sadh
    Reply

    I have linked sendgrid account with gmass.
    BUT Still Gmass is not allowing me to send not more than 50 emails per day . WHY?

    Please help

  11. DANILO LIDER
    Reply

    olá
    eu to problemas
    deu ERRO: Uma tentativa de conexão falhou porque a parte conectada não respondeu corretamente após um período de tempo ou a conexão estabelecida falhou porque o host conectado falhou em responder 185.53.178.6:25

    como faço?

    EU FIZ PASSO A PASSO

  14. Max D
    Reply

    Same issue–gmass emails sent through sendgrid SMTP go instantly to spam folder on gmail, and junk folder on outlook. Tested the emails on myself. Is there a fix for this?

  16. Jason D Jones
    Reply

    I’ve set up Gmass with Sendgrid and I tested the email and emails are going to my spam folder instead of my regular email. I did the Email test with gmass.co/inbox and all of the emails went into the spam folder. I’m not using a shared IP either so Please advice on how to change this.

    • Marvin Quinsaat
      Reply

      Hi Eric,

      SendGrid and G Suite currently do not have integrations directly with each other. Since GMass integrates with both, it becomes the link between the two services (SendGrid/G Suite).

      If you have your SendGrid account connected to your GMass subscription and is active on your G Suite/Gmail subscription, you’ll be able to compose your emails through Gmail and send them through SendGrid via GMass.

    • Marvin Quinsaat
      Reply

      Hi,

      I’m sorry as I’m unsure what you were referring to when you mentioned “if you blocked the SendGrid”. Did you mean you wanted to stop your SendGrid from sending?

  20. Eric Carrell
    Reply

    Hello –

    I have setup Sendgrid with Gmass. I’d like to leave the open tracking up to Sendgrid since they have more in-depth metrics. Should I still turn it off in Sendgrid? Or should I turn open tracking off in Gmass?

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