How to Connect with SMTP – Different WordPress Plugins and Tools Examples

If your goal involves sending emails directly from your hosting or domain, you might initially need to arrange an SMTP connection. While this task doesn't require coding proficiency and isn't excessively time-consuming, newcomers might encounter some difficulties during their initial setup. Therefore, we'll demonstrate various plugins and tool examples to ensure proper setup.

SMTP connection feature is available in both products: marketing and API.

TL;DR

Most WordPress SMTP plugins now have a built-in Elastic Email option - pick it from a dropdown and paste an API key, and you never touch a host or port. WP Mail SMTP, FluentSMTP, Post SMTP and Easy WP SMTP all work this way. Generic SMTP settings are the fallback for everything else.

• Native mailer route: select Elastic Email in the plugin, paste an API key created in Settings with the Send email via HTTP permission enabled.
• Generic SMTP route (MailPoet, AcyMailing, Sendy, anything else): host smtp.elasticemail.com, port 2525 or 587 with StartTLS, or 465 for implicit TLS.
• Credentials are not your login. SMTP credentials are created separately in the Elastic Email app and the password is shown once.
• Elastic Email also publishes its own plugin, Elastic Email Sender, which routes wp_mail() through the API with no SMTP configuration at all.
• Verify your sending domain first. Every route below fails the same way if the domain is not verified.

Why do you need an SMTP connection?

What is SMTP? It's an abbreviation for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, which defines the processes and principles for sending, receiving, and transferring emails. Although it lacks the complexity of an API, SMTP can be an excellent option for users seeking an uncomplicated setup, particularly when integrating with existing applications or CRM platforms. If you are uncertain about deciding between an email API or SMTP, read this article. 

First, you'll need to access the "Settings" section and generate SMTP credentials. Additionally, ensure that you've previously verified your domain. Input a valid, unique email address as a username and consider setting additional IP restrictions or an expiration date. Once you've clicked "create," your credentials will be generated - be sure to save your password, as it will no longer be accessible once the window is closed.

A video guide is available for those who prefer visual instructions. It offers a step-by-step walkthrough on creating SMTP credentials and using them with SMTP Mailer.

Next, let's take a closer look at different connection possibilities. There are many different WordPress plugins that can help you set up a connection, but we will focus on the most popular ones and tools integrated with Elastic Email.

Post SMTP

Post SMTP is one the most popular plugins related to SMTP with over 400 000 active installations. If you install and activate it, you will start a built-in configurator. 

1. Install and activate Post SMTP, then launch the Setup Wizard from the plugin's settings screen.
2. Import configuration - if you previously used another SMTP plugin, the wizard offers to carry its settings over. Skip this on a fresh install.
3. Sender details - enter the outgoing email address and the display name. Use an address on your verified Elastic Email domain.
4. Outgoing Mail Server Hostname - enter the mail server details. For the native integration, select Elastic Email and supply your API key; for the SMTP route, use smtp.elasticemail.com with a port from the settings table.
5. Connectivity Test - the wizard tests which ports and sockets your host actually allows and recommends one. If 587 is blocked, this is where you will see it, and 2525 is the alternative.
6. Authentication - enter the credentials for the connection type you chose.
7. Notification - pick where delivery failure alerts should go: email, Pushover or Slack.
8. Finish - the wizard validates the configuration. Send a test email to confirm, and check the plugin's email log to see the result.

There is a built-in integration with Elastic Email, but it requires an API key, not SMTP credentials. Here is how it would look:

If you want to know more about API key creation and setup, watch this video.

But you can also pick the option “other SMTP” if you want to set up a connection with SMTP credentials.

Then, input all the essential information one by one. Choose the 'From email' in line with the credentials you have created, and decide on the 'From name' that will be visible to your recipients.

 The hostname and port should be assigned in accordance with the standard Elastic Email setup, which means smtp.elasticemail.com and port 2525. You can learn more about other available ports here. The username and password should be the same as your credentials.

If you are uncertain whether any other plugins or settings might overwrite your configurations, select those two options to prevent changes. 

Send a test email to confirm if everything works fine.

Voila, you have just set up your SMTP connection with the Post SMTP plugin.

WP Mail SMTP

WP Mail SMTP is the most popular plugin in the market. Fortunately, the setup is similar to the previous example. 

1. In WordPress, go to WP Mail SMTP › Settings and open the General tab.
2. Under From Email, enter an address on the domain you verified in Elastic Email. Tick Force From Email if you want it applied across the whole site.
3. Under From Name, enter the sender name. It defaults to your site name. Tick Force From Name to apply it everywhere.
4. In the Mailer field, select Elastic Email.
5. In a separate tab, open your Elastic Email Settings and choose Create additional API key. Name the key, and under Permissions select Plugin, making sure Send email via HTTP is enabled.
6. Click Create, copy the key, and paste it into the API Key field in WP Mail SMTP. Save your settings.
7. Go to WP Mail SMTP › Tools, open the Email Test tab, enter an address in Send To and click Send Email.

After installing and activating the plugin, we input the 'From email' and 'From name' in accordance with our verified domain. Here, we can also choose to force both options not to be overwritten by different plugins and tools.

Deciding on SMTP, we choose “Other SMTP”.

Now we need to provide information about the SMTP host, encryption, and port. Let's go with smtp.elasticemail.com, TLS (although SSL is also accepted), and the standard port 2525.

Finally, we input our username and password in line with our credentials.

Let’s save the settings and send a test email to confirm the configuration.

It works fine! 

Fluent SMTP

Fluent CRM is a marketing automation tool dedicated to WordPress. It allows you to easily manage your leads and automated campaigns within one dashboard. 

In this case, we will use the FluentSMTP plugin to set up the connection.

1. Go to Plugins › Add New, search for FluentSMTP, then click Install Now and Activate.
2. Open Settings › FluentSMTP.
3. From the list of email service providers, choose Elastic Email.
4. Enter the From Email - the address you signed up with, or another verified address on your domain - and a From Name.
5. Paste your Elastic Email API Key into the field, and set the Email type.
6. Click Save Connection Settings.
7. From the FluentSMTP Dashboard, click Email Test, fill in the From and Send To fields, then click Send Test Email.

While there is our built-in integration, similar to Post SMTP, it requires an API key, not SMTP credentials.

If you have generated your API key, you might want to use this option and simply provide all required details here.

We can also choose 'Other SMTP' as the connection provider to utilize SMTP credentials here. Just like before, we will configure the settings according to our credentials.

When everything is done, we can click 'Save Connection Settings' to verify everything has been configured correctly. It will create a new default SMTP server:

We can also send a test email to confirm if everything works smoothly.

If yes, then the configuration has been finished. 

Sendy

Sendy is a self-hosted email newsletter app that allows users to send bulk emails. You need to purchase the software before using it, but we will show you how to configure an SMTP connection in the demo version. Even if you can't send emails using this method, you will see how easy it is to configure Sendy with our SMTP.

In the Demo version, we create a new brand and fill in all crucial information.

Afterward, we can select Elastic Email in the SMTP settings, and most of the data will be automatically filled in. Just make sure that you have entered a valid username and password, and that's all.

Even though it's the free version, you can easily check how simple it is to set up the connection between our integrated tools.

AcyMailing

Now let’s focus on another tool that Elastic Email is integrated with - AcyMailing.

Install the AcyMailing plugin, activate it, and navigate to the configuration area. There is a built-in integration that requires an API key (which is free to create in our app), but you can also set up an SMTP connection.

Just select the external service and input all the necessary information one by one.

Remember to enable “Authentication” to use your credentials. 

It’s good practice to send a test email to ensure the connection has been set up correctly. If you received a test message, then the configuration has been completed!

MailPoet

Mailpoet is a newsletter plugin for WordPress. You need to create your free (or paid) account to take advantage of this tool.

Then install the plugin and activate it - note that PHP and WordPress versions should be up to date. 

1. In WordPress, go to MailPoet › Settings and open the Send With… tab.
2. Choose the Other sending method to reveal the custom SMTP fields.
3. Enter the settings:
   • Server: smtp.elasticemail.com
   • Port: 2525 (or 25 if your host blocks it)
   • Username: your Elastic Email SMTP username
   • Password: your Elastic Email SMTP password
   • Authentication: Yes
   • Secure connection: TLS
4. Save the settings and let MailPoet verify the connection.
5. Set your sending frequency conservatively to begin with - around 100 emails every 5 minutes on a new setup - and raise it once delivery is confirmed.

In the configurator, input all the important information and your preferences step by step.

One of the steps is connecting with your MailPoet account.

As mentioned, you can create that for free to generate an activation code.

Just copy and paste it here to finish the activation process.

When it’s done, your account will be connected with the WordPress plugin.

Now, let's focus on SMTP. Choose 'Other' and click on 'Configure'.

Select SMTP as the method and determine the sending frequency. All other settings should align with your credentials, beginning with the SMTP hostname and ending with the authentication method.

Now all we need to do is send a test email to make sure everything works.

That says, our job is done!

Powerful SMTP connection with WordPress

The plugins and tools mentioned serve as mere illustrations of SMTP connections accessible using our credentials. While there may be minor differences in the setup process, the overall procedure is mainly consistent. Every time, you'll need to enter the hostname, port number, and your credentials and then proceed to test its functionality.

You can find all the available integrations here. If you need an API key to make the most of them, you can learn more about creating one here.