Getting started
The goal of the first session: configure one SMTP connection, send a test email, then send a real campaign to a small list.
1. Configure SMTP
OMailer ships with 5 presets via OM_SMTP: Gmail, Microsoft 365, Amazon SES, Zoho, Custom.
- OMailer -> SMTP -> Add Connection.
- Pick a provider preset, enter username/password.
- Save. The first saved connection becomes the primary automatically.
- Click Send Test Email. This calls
OM_SMTP::send_test()and reports success or the SMTP error returned by PHPMailer.
Gmail and Microsoft 365 require an App Password, not the account password. See Troubleshooting.
2. Set sender identity
Under OMailer -> Settings -> General, set:
- From Name (defaults to site name)
- From Email (defaults to admin email)
These are used for every send unless a campaign or transactional template overrides them.
3. Import your first subscribers
Three options:
- OMailer -> Subscribers -> Add for one-off entries.
- Subscribers -> Import CSV. Required column:
email. Optional:first_name,last_name,status,source. - WP-CLI:
wp omailer subscriber import contacts.csv --list=1.
Every subscriber is auto-added to the General list unless you pass list_id.
4. Send your first campaign
- Campaigns -> New Campaign.
- Set subject, preview text, list (or leave NULL for all subscribers).
- Compose HTML in the block editor, or paste raw HTML.
- Preview, then Send Now (immediate), Schedule (datetime), or Send Smart (per-subscriber optimal hour, needs open history).
Campaign sends in batches of om_settings['batch_size'] (default 50) with batch_delay seconds between batches. Sends are processed by the om_send_scheduled cron.
5. Verify
- Email Log shows every send with status (queued, sent, bounced, failed).
- Campaigns -> {Campaign} shows real-time open/click/bounce counts.
After this, explore Subscribers, Tags, Automations, Templates, and the Deliverability tab for SPF/DKIM/DMARC checks.