Whether you have an existing account with SendGrid or need to start a new account, the instructions below will walk you through the process to enable sending email messages from your Loxo account through this Email Service Provider (ESP).
Before proceeding, do you even need SendGrid?
Use of an Email Service Provider like SendGrid does not guarantee improved deliverability. Sender reputation, appropriate sending volume, domain authentication, targeted outreach, and maintaining a clean contact list remain the most important factors.
Create a SendGrid Account
This should be as easy as enrolling here for free! If you already have a Twilio account for your Phone or SMS services, you should be able to use the same credentials for SendGrid.
Authenticate Your Sending Domain
In SendGrid, configure your email domain using their How-to Guide. You'll then need to configure the DNS records for your domain to authenticate SendGrid to send email messages on your behalf. Your email administrator should be able to assist with this, or your team's IT provider, if you have one! Additionally, verify that all required DNS records, such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, show the status "Verified" in SendGrid. You can check these by logging into Mailgun, navigating to Send > Domains, and following their instructions under the DNS Records tab.
Below is required to be within your domain's SPF record for Mailgun to verify your domain:
include:sendgrid.net
Connect Your SendGrid Account to Loxo
You can connect your SendGrid account to your Loxo account quickly and easily, with a couple of pieces of information from your SendGrid account.
Create a SendGrid API key
Sign in to SendGrid.
Open Settings > API Keys.
Create a restricted-access API key.
Give the key these permissions:
Mail Send
Domain Authentication: Read Access
Copy and securely store the API key. SendGrid will not display the complete key again.
Configure the Event Webhook
The event webhook allows Loxo to record delivery results, handle failed campaign messages, and suppress recipients after qualifying hard bounces. Loxo Support will provide the unique Event Webhook URL for your account. Once you have that, in SendGrid:
Open the Event Webhook settings.
Enter the URL provided by Loxo Support.
Enable these events:
Delivered
Bounced
Dropped
Spam Report
Enable Signed Event Webhook.
Copy the Signed Event Webhook public verification key.
Contact Loxo Support
Contact Loxo Support and provide:
SendGrid API key
Signed Event Webhook public key
Loxo Support will validate that:
The API key is active.
The API key has the required permissions.
At least one authenticated SendGrid domain has valid DNS records.
The webhook public key is valid.
Final Checklist for Successful Integration
All user sending domains are authenticated in SendGrid
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are configured
The API key has Mail Send and Domain Authentication read access
Delivered, Bounced, Dropped, and Spam Report events are enabled
Signed Event Webhook is enabled
Loxo has the API key and webhook public key
Related Topics
Feel free to reach out if you still have any questions about how best to ensure your email messages are reaching their intended destination.