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The GMass Startup Guide for Transactional Emails

Everything you need to know to send transactional emails without using a separate service 

 


There are plenty of transactional email services out there. And largely, they’re built for companies who are sending hundreds of thousands of transactional emails a day. They include things like dedicated IPs and warmup schedules — and have the pricing to match.

But if you’re sending lower volumes of transactional emails, you don’t need all that: You can actually send your transactional emails through Gmail with GMass. And it’s already part of your regular GMass plan.

This means you get Google’s sending reputation to help with deliverability, a searchable record of every email in your Sent folder, and no separate transactional service to set up or pay for.

Here’s your guide to getting started with transactional email in GMass.

GMass Startup Guide for Transactional Emails: Table of Contents

Is GMass Right for Your Transactional Email?

If you have a website, app, tool, or device that sends a reasonable volume of transactional emails, GMass can most likely handle it. (We’ll walk through each of those setups later in this guide.)

But let’s cover all the details first to make sure.

What counts as a transactional email

Transactional emails are, broadly, automated messages that go out after someone takes an action or needs crucial information.

Actions can include things like signing up, placing an order, booking an appointment, requesting a password reset.

Other transactional emails can include changes to a privacy policy, schedule changes, or anything else that’s not marketing and serves an essential purpose. (For the full rundown, here’s our guide to what transactional email is.)

GMass’s transactional relay is only for transactional emails. Your newsletters, promotions, and outreach go through GMass the normal way (via the Chrome extension or API).

Gmail is only equipped for low-volume transactional sending

Because your transactional emails go out through your Google account, they count toward Gmail’s daily sending limits: up to 500 emails/day for free gmail.com accounts and up to 2,000 emails/day for paid Google Workspace accounts. Once you hit that point, your emails stop going out.

Your transactional emails share the limit with everything else you send from that account.

GMass is the best fit if your transactional needs plus other emails add up to come in below those thresholds.

It’s ok if your transactional volume swings day to day. (A handful of emails one day and a few hundred the next is a problem for dedicated sending infrastructure, not for Gmail.)

But if you’re consistently sending close to your account’s limit, it’s time to move transactional sending to a dedicated provider and keep GMass for everything else.

The transactional SMTP relay is not a way to break Gmail’s limits

GMass has several SMTP sending options. Most of them are for breaking Gmail’s limits (our opt-in sending server for opt-in campaigns, ColdSMTP cold email sending server, and third-party SMTP integration all let you blow right past Gmail’s limits).

The transactional SMTP relay doesn’t work that way. It sends through your Google account, so it abides by Gmail’s daily sending limits. If you’re looking for a way to send more email than Gmail allows, the relay isn’t it. (Here’s a full breakdown of every SMTP option in GMass and how they fit together.)

So… if you have higher-volume needs, you’ll need a higher-volume transactional platform. But if you’re sending a more modest volume, GMass is a good fit.

The Basics of GMass

Before we get into the details of transactional email sending, let’s make sure you have the GMass basics down.

Do you need the GMass Chrome extension to send transactional emails?

No. Your website, app, or device does the sending, and GMass routes it through your Google account.

But since you’re subscribed to GMass, you should install the GMass Chrome extension anyway. It’s what lets you turn your transactional emails into marketing lists (more on that below) and send all your other campaigns right from Gmail.

Quickstart Guide

If you’re new to GMass, the quickstart guide walks you through setting up the Chrome extension and connecting your Gmail or Google Workspace account. It also covers sending your first campaign.

It does not cover transactional emails, though, so if you’re truly only here for these, the Quickstart Guide isn’t your first stop.

The GMass dashboard

The GMass dashboard is where you’ll manage the settings for your transactional emails: creating API keys, choosing your tracking and verification settings, and checking stats on the emails you’ve sent.

The Two Ways to Send Transactional Email with GMass

There are two ways to send transactional email through GMass. Both send through your Google account and both log every email to your Sent folder. The difference is how your system connects.

Method 1: The SMTP relay (no coding required)

If your website, plugin, app, or device (like a printer or scanner) has SMTP settings, this is the method for you.

You can follow the instructions in the Getting Started section here. Basically…

  1. Get an API key in the GMass dashboard
  2. Enter the server and a handful of other details into your website/app’s SMTP settings area

Your transactional emails will immediately start going through your Gmail account.

Method 2: The GMass API (for developers)

If you’re sending from your own code or building a more complex app that uses transactional emails, you can call the GMass API directly.

You can get all the setup details here, but it’s pretty much just one endpoint.

Why Send Transactional Emails Through Gmail with GMass?

Here are the reasons why so many others use GMass to send their lower-volume transactional emails through Gmail.

Deliverability (Google’s sending reputation and beyond)

Your transactional emails go out through Google’s servers and benefit from Google’s sending reputation. While that alone can’t guarantee perfect deliverability, it sure helps.

That also means you don’t need a dedicated IP, a warmup schedule, or a separate sending subdomain.

In fact, with smaller, inconsistent daily volume, expensive options like dedicated IPs can actually hurt your deliverability. Here’s more on transactional email deliverability at every volume.

Consolidate your email tools

Your email tools can add up quick. Marketing platform. Outreach platform. Verification service. Spam tester. Comms platform. And, yes, transactional platform.

GMass is the only tool that enables you can do all of those in the same place. (And for a price that’s a fraction of all of those tools combined.)

And you’re sending them through Gmail — which is where you’re already doing your emailing anyway.

Every email in your Sent folder

Since every transactional email is sent through Gmail, they all live in your Gmail Sent folder.

That makes it incredibly easy to search and find them (say, for a customer dispute).

And there’s another great benefit from that as well…

Create marketing lists from your transactional emails

With the GMass extension, you can turn any Gmail search into a new email list.

That works for transactional emails as well.

Search your Sent folder for, say, every receipt you’ve sent this year. Then it’s one click to have GMass build a list from the results for a new campaign.

Open and click tracking

Every transactional platform can track opens and clicks; GMass is no exception.

GMass does, however, have more advanced and accurate open tracking than you’ll find elsewhere.

Get Help with GMass

Need help in your GMass journey? Here’s where to look.

Support FAQ

Our support FAQ covers the most common questions we hear from GMass users.

Search the GMass blog

Every GMass feature is explained in the blog. (Including plenty on transactional emails.) Type your question into the search box and it should point you to the right post.

AI assistant

GMass’s AI assistant is trained on all things GMass and can give you customized advice on your setup.

Contact support

Our support team will help with your specific issue and get your transactional emails working properly.

Request a feature

Have an idea that would make GMass work better for you? Let us know on the support form (choose “Feature suggestion”). We can’t guarantee we’ll build it, but we’re always looking to add features our users request.

What Else Can GMass Do For You?

Transactional email it just a slice of what GMass can do for you.

Cold outreach

GMass is one of the most popular cold email platforms, especially for professionals. Here’s the startup guide for cold emailers.

Email marketing

Send newsletters, announcements, and automations without paying more as your list grows. (Here’s the startup guide for email marketers.

Mail merge

Send personalized emails at scale, from mass emails to small groups communications. Here’s the startup guide for mail merge.

Email tracking and more

Some power users send every email through GMass for tracking, scheduling, and follow-ups. Here’s the startup guide for sending every email through GMass.