> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mailerpath.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting started checklist

> Step-by-step path from a new account to your first successful event, campaign, and workflow send.

Follow this checklist to get MailerPath fully operational. Each step depends on the previous one, so work through them in order.

## Step 1: Sign up and verify your account

Create your MailerPath account and confirm your email address before accessing any protected routes.

* [ ] [Sign up at app.mailerpath.com](https://app.mailerpath.com).
* [ ] Complete email verification from the confirmation email.
* [ ] Sign in and confirm you can access the dashboard.

## Step 2: Complete your brand profile

Set up your company name and brand colours before anything else. This ensures every email looks on-brand from the first send.

* [ ] Go to Settings → Brand and sender.
* [ ] Set your company name and brand colours.
* [ ] Add your logo URL if available.

See [Brand and sender settings](/documentation/settings/brand-and-sender).

## Step 3: Verify your sending domain

Every email send requires a verified domain. Set this up before creating templates or campaigns.

* [ ] Go to Settings and add your sending domain.
* [ ] Copy the generated SPF and DKIM records into your DNS provider.
* [ ] Trigger verification and confirm the domain shows as verified.

For a full walkthrough, see [Sender domain verification](/documentation/settings/sender-domain-verification).

## Step 3: Configure sender identity

Set the from name and email address that recipients will see.

* [ ] Set `from_name` and `from_address` in Brand and sender settings.
* [ ] Set `reply_to` if you want replies to go to a different address.
* [ ] Set `support_email` for template footer references.

See [Brand and sender settings](/documentation/settings/brand-and-sender).

## Step 4: Import your first contacts

Import at least a small sample of contacts before sending any campaign or testing workflows.

* [ ] Prepare a CSV with at minimum an `email` column.
* [ ] Import via the Contacts section or `POST /client/contacts/bulk/csv`.
* [ ] Verify contacts appear with correct subscription state.

See [Contacts](/documentation/core-functionalities/contacts).

## Step 5: Create a template

You need at least one template to send any email.

* [ ] Create a transactional template for verification or welcome sends.
* [ ] Add at minimum `{{firstName}}` and `{{unsubscribeUrl}}` variables.
* [ ] Preview the template with a real contact to confirm variable rendering.

See [Templates and personalization](/documentation/core-functionalities/templates).

## Step 6: Send your first transactional email

Confirm the full send path works before launching campaigns or workflows.

* [ ] Call `POST /client/send` with your API key, a template ID, and a real recipient email.
* [ ] Check the sent email record for `delivered` status.
* [ ] Open the email in your inbox to confirm it looks correct.

See [Transactional send](/documentation/send/transactional-send).

## Step 7: Create an API key

You need an enabled API key to send events and trigger workflow automation.

* [ ] Go to Settings → API keys.
* [ ] Create a new key and copy it immediately (it is only shown once).
* [ ] Confirm the key status is enabled.

See [API keys](/documentation/settings/api-keys).

## Step 8: Send your first event

Events power tags, contact journeys, and workflow triggers.

* [ ] Send a `signup` event for a test contact using your API key.
* [ ] Verify the event appears in the contact journey timeline.
* [ ] Confirm the expected tags were assigned (`Lead`, `New Signup`, `Onboarding`).

See [How to send events](/documentation/events/how-to-send-events).

## Step 9: Enable and test a workflow

With a verified domain, contacts, templates, and events in place, you are ready to run a workflow.

* [ ] Go to Workflows and find the Welcome Emails workflow.
* [ ] Confirm the workflow template is ready and linked.
* [ ] Send a signup event for a new contact and confirm a workflow execution is triggered.
* [ ] Check the contact journey for the `workflow_execution` entry.

See [Workflows overview](/documentation/core-functionalities/workflows/overview).

## Step 10: Launch your first campaign

* [ ] Create a campaign using a campaign template.
* [ ] Choose audience mode: start with `tags` or `contacts` for a predictable recipient set.
* [ ] Run send-preview and confirm the recipient count.
* [ ] Launch and monitor delivery in campaign analytics.

See [Campaigns](/documentation/core-functionalities/campaigns) and [Campaign analytics](/documentation/analytics/campaign-analytics).

***

Once all 10 steps are complete, your account is fully operational for transactional sends, event-driven workflows, and broadcast campaigns.