As the founder of SendInbox.org, I’ve personally helped thousands of small businesses get approval from Amazon SES. One of the best things about SES is that once you get approval for one domain, you can add as many domains as you want without needing further approvals. This makes SES incredibly valuable for businesses that want to take control of their email marketing and avoid paying the hefty fees charged by big email service providers.
I’m using SES for almost all my businesses
In this blog, I’m going to walk you through a real-world example where I helped a small business get SES approval. I’ll break down every step and explain why each detail mattered. By the end, you’ll have a clear strategy to get your own SES approval, along with templates you can use to streamline the process.
Before you apply for SES production access, it’s crucial to get a few things in place:
A Clear Use Case: SES needs to understand exactly why you’re using their service. For example, are you sending newsletters, transactional emails, or something else? Be specific and clear in your intentions.
A Verified Domain: Amazon requires your domain to be verified before they grant production access. This step is essential, as SES won’t even consider your request without it.
An Opt-In Form: Having a visible and easy-to-access opt-in form on your website is essential. This shows SES that you’re serious about only emailing people who have explicitly given permission.
Now, let’s dive into the step-by-step process.
Here’s the exact message we used to apply for SES production access for a volleyball blog:
Subject: Production Access Request – SES Sending Limits
Service: SES Sending Limits
Region: us-west-2
Please enable production access.
Use Case Description:
I run a blog dedicated to Volleyball sports. I am in the process of using Amazon SES to send out the top post of the week to those who subscribe for updates via the email opt-in form on my website.
Mail Type: Transactional
Website URL: https://www.volleyballtours.com/
Why We Chose This Approach:
Clear Use Case: We mentioned that the blog is about volleyball and that the emails would be sent to those who opted in through the website. This is crucial because SES needs to see that you’re targeting a specific audience who has given consent to receive your emails.
Transactional Emails: We classified the emails as “Transactional” because they were sent to users based on their subscription (an action they took). Transactional emails generally have a higher chance of approval because they’re seen as necessary communications, unlike promotional emails, which can be perceived as more risky.
Concise and Focused: The message is short and to the point. SES reviewers don’t have time to wade through unnecessary information, so it’s important to stick to the essentials.
Here’s a template you can use for your initial request:
Subject: Production Access Request – SES Sending Limits
Service: SES Sending Limits
Region: [Your AWS Region]
Please enable production access.
Use Case Description:
I run a [briefly describe your website/business]. I am in the process of using Amazon SES to send [type of content, e.g., newsletters, updates] to [target audience, e.g., subscribers, customers] who have opted in via the email form on my website.
Mail Type: Transactional
Website URL: [Your Website URL]
In many cases, SES might request more information after your initial application. This happened in the case of the volleyball blog I was helping. Here’s what SES asked for:
SES wanted details about:
Email Frequency: How often emails would be sent.
List Management: How the business manages its recipient list, including how they handle bounces, complaints, and unsubscribes.
Examples of Emails: What kind of content would be sent to subscribers.
Here’s the detailed response we provided to SES:
As I have already mentioned the use case, I’m sharing all the details once again.
I have a Volleyball blogging site. I’m planning to use Amazon SES to send the top posts of the week to those who subscribe to our newsletters through the email opt-in form on my website.
In the end of my website page, I have an email opt-in form for readers to subscribe to my newsletter. Plus, I use a double opt-in method, meaning that once visitors sign up, they have to confirm their subscription to ensure only valid users are added.
At the moment, we have a list of 195 subscribers. I will be sending emails once every week, so on the weekend the total is 6 times a month.
I’ve placed Amazon SNS to manage bounces and complaints. I also use a CRM, SendInbox.org, which uses Amazon SNS to track invalid emails and automatically mark them as bounced. SendInbox.org will then instantly exclude these email addresses from future campaigns.
In every email I send, I include an unsubscribe button. Subscribers can click this button at any time to unsubscribe. It’s a one-click process, after which the SendInbox.org plugin takes over, removing the subscriber’s email from our list forever.
Key Insights from Our Response:
Reiterate and Expand: Even if you’ve already mentioned something, don’t hesitate to repeat and elaborate when SES asks for more details. This shows thoroughness and commitment.
Double Opt-In: Highlighting the double opt-in process is crucial. SES likes to see that you’re taking steps to ensure only interested and valid subscribers are added to your list.
Unsubscribe Process: Make it clear that you respect your subscribers’ choices by offering an easy unsubscribe process. This is a significant point in SES’s approval process.
Bounces and Complaints Management: Mentioning tools like Amazon SNS and SendInbox. that automatically manage bounces and complaints adds credibility to your application. SES needs to know that you have robust systems in place to maintain list hygiene.
Here’s a thorough template you can use for your follow-up response:
Subject: Additional Information Regarding SES Production Access Request
Dear Amazon SES Team,
Thank you for your prompt response to our request. As requested, I am providing further details about our use case, email sending practices, and list management procedures.
1. Use Case Description:
As mentioned earlier, we operate a [describe your business, e.g., “Volleyball blog”] and plan to use Amazon SES to send regular updates to our subscribers. Specifically, we send out weekly newsletters that highlight the top posts of the week to those who have subscribed via the email opt-in form on our website.
2. Opt-In Process:
To ensure that only interested and engaged users receive our emails, we have implemented a double opt-in process. This process works as follows:
• When a visitor subscribes to our newsletter via the opt-in form on our website, they receive a confirmation email.
• The subscriber must click a confirmation link in this email to be added to our mailing list. This ensures that only those who genuinely wish to receive our emails are subscribed.
This double opt-in method is crucial for maintaining a clean and compliant email list, as it prevents accidental or fraudulent sign-ups.
3. Email Sending Frequency:
Currently, we have a subscriber list of approximately [X number of subscribers, e.g., “195 subscribers”]. Our plan is to send one email per week, specifically on [mention the day, e.g., “Sundays”]. This means that over the course of a month, a total of six emails will be sent.
• Total Emails per Week: 1
• Total Emails per Month: 6
4. Email Content and Examples:
Our emails are primarily transactional in nature, as they are sent in response to a user’s action (subscribing to our newsletter). The content includes:
• A summary of the top posts from our blog for the week.
• Links to full articles for further reading.
• Occasionally, we include important announcements related to our blog or community.
[Consider attaching an example email screenshot here to visually demonstrate the type of content being sent.]
5. List Management and Hygiene:
We take list management seriously to ensure that our emails are only sent to engaged and valid recipients. Here’s how we manage our list:
• Bounces and Complaints: We use Amazon SNS integrated with our CRM, SendInbox.org, to track and manage bounces and complaints. When an email is marked as invalid or generates a complaint, it is automatically flagged and removed from our active mailing list. This ensures that we do not repeatedly send emails to addresses that are no longer valid or that have opted out.
• Unsubscribe Process: Every email we send includes an unsubscribe button at the bottom of the email. This button leads the user to a one-click unsubscribe process, after which their email is immediately removed from our mailing list. Our system ensures that unsubscribed users do not receive any further emails from us.
• Regular List Cleaning: In addition to managing bounces and unsubscribes, we also conduct regular list cleaning. We periodically review our email engagement metrics to identify inactive subscribers and remove them from our list. This helps maintain a high engagement rate and reduces the likelihood of our emails being marked as spam.
6. Domain Verification and Compliance:
Our domain, [Your Domain, e.g., “volleyballtours.com”], is fully verified within the Amazon SES system. We ensure compliance with all SES guidelines, including maintaining a low complaint rate, adhering to best practices in email sending, and respecting all unsubscribe requests.
We are committed to following all SES guidelines and maintaining the highest standards of email marketing practices. Our goal is to build a strong relationship with our subscribers and provide them with valuable content, without compromising the integrity of our mailing list or the SES platform.
Thank you for considering our request. If there is any additional information you require, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Getting SES approval is all about transparency and demonstrating that you’re committed to ethical email practices. By following these steps, you can significantly increase your chances of getting approved. Remember, once you have approval for one domain, you can manage multiple domains without any additional approvals, giving you incredible flexibility and control over your email marketing.
If you’re serious about managing your own email marketing and cutting out the middleman, SES is a powerful tool. Use the insights and templates provided here to streamline your approval process and start saving money on your email campaigns.
