·4 min read
MVP Email Setup: Transactional and Marketing
Email is critical infrastructure. Set it up wrong and your users never see your messages.
Two Types of Email
| Type | Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Transactional | Triggered by user actions | Welcome, password reset, receipts |
| Marketing | Sent to lists | Newsletters, promotions, updates |
Recommended Services
Transactional Email
- •Resend: Modern, great DX, 100/day free
- •Postmark: Excellent deliverability, 100/month free
- •SendGrid: Established, 100/day free tier
Marketing Email
- •Loops: Built for SaaS, clean interface
- •ConvertKit: Great for creators
- •Mailchimp: Free up to 500 contacts
Essential MVP Emails
- •Welcome email: Sent immediately after signup
- •Password reset: Required for security
- •Payment receipt: Required for paid products
- •Trial ending: If you have a trial period
Deliverability Basics
- •Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records
- •Use a subdomain for transactional (mail.yourapp.com)
- •Never send marketing from transactional domain
- •Include unsubscribe links in every email
- •Keep your bounce rate under 2%
Common Mistakes
- •Using Gmail SMTP for production
- •No email verification for signups
- •Missing unsubscribe links
- •HTML-only emails with no plain text
Start with Resend for transactional email. It takes 10 minutes to set up and the free tier covers most MVPs.