Install email

Email can be installed from the Channels Marketplace. Once installed, you'll be able to send and receive emails.

What you'll need

• Your own email domain, which you control

• Your own email hosting provider and access to your DNS provider setting

Step one: Install your channel

1. Click on your name in the bottom left-hand side of your screen, then click Settings.
2. Click the Channels tab at the top of your screen to view the channels library.

   
3. Click Email.

4. In the top right-hand corner of your screen, click Install Email.

5. Enter your domain name, such as example.com or subdomain.example.com in the 'Custom sending domain name' field.

6. In the 'Channel name' field, enter a recognizable name for your email channel, such as 'Email - US Marketing'.

7. Click Continue installation.

Step two: Verify your domain for outbound email configuration

The exact steps you'll need to take to verify your domain will vary depending on your DNS provider.

Find DNS verification instructions for popular domain providers here:

• GoDaddy

• Shopify

• Google Domains

• Bluehost

Before you can start sending and receiving emails, you'll need to verify your domain. This lets us know that you own the domain you're trying to set up.

1. From the Settings tab of your installed email channel, scroll down to the 'Outbound email configuration.

2. Copy the Hostname and the Values.

3. Go to the settings of your DNS provider.

4. Locate the option to add a new record, and select TXT as the record type.

5. In the hostname or name field, enter the hostname.

6. In the value or data field, enter the value provided by Bird. This is a long string of characters that contains the verification information for your email domain.

7. Save the record.

8. Return to Bird and click Verify domain.

Step three: Set up email forwarding

After verifying your domain with Bird, the next step is to set up automatic forwarding rules in your Email Service Provider (ESP) so that Bird can receive emails on your behalf. To do this, you will need to copy the destination address provided by MessageBird and add it to your ESP's forwarding rules.

The exact steps you'll need to take to set up email forwarding will depend on your email provider

Find instructions for popular email providers here:

• Forwarding emails from Gmail

Verify your new MessageBird email address

1. Click the copy button to copy the destination address. This will serve as the destination address for email forwarding.

2. In your Email Service Provider, create a new email forwarding rule for the email address you want to use with Bird. Follow your Email Service Provider's specific instructions for creating a forwarding rule, as each provider may have a different process.

3. When prompted, paste the unique email address generated by MessageBird as the forwarding destination.

4. Verify the email forwarding rule through your Email Service Provider's verification process, which typically involves clicking a verification link sent to your new Bird email address. This will appear in Inbox if you have toggled "Conversations" on during setup.

Once verified, Bird will receive emails sent to your designated email address and you can start using Email by Bird to send and receive emails with your customers.