Before you can send messages, you need three things in place: a publication, a verified domain, and a sender. This page walks you through each step.

Step 1: Create a Publication

A Publication represents your brand or product. It's the foundation for everything in OptiPub — messages, subscribers, campaigns, and more are all tied to a publication.

To create one:

Navigate to Administration > Publications.
Click Create in the top right corner.
Enter a Name for your publication. This is the only required field to get started.

You can configure additional publication settings (default template, binding, logo, etc.) later as needed. See Create a Publication for the full details.

Step 2: Verify Your Domain

A configured and verified domain is required to send email. During onboarding, your first domain is typically added automatically since your DNS is delegated to OptiPub.

To confirm your domain is ready:

Navigate to Administration > Domains.
You should see your domain listed. Check for two statuses:
- Configured — OptiPub has detected the required TXT record in your DNS.
- Verified — An administrator has confirmed domain ownership.

Both Configured and Verified must be active before the domain can be used as a "from" address. Reply-only senders only require the domain to be configured.

If you need to add additional domains, click Create, enter the domain name, and add the TXT record shown in the domain details to your DNS. OptiPub will periodically check the record and mark the domain as configured once it's found.

For more details, see Set up a Domain to Send Email.

Step 3: Create a Sender

A Sender defines the "from" name and email address your subscribers see when they receive a message. You need at least one sender before you can send anything.

To create a sender:

Navigate to Messaging > Senders.
Click Create.
Fill in the required fields:

Field	Description
Publication	The publication this sender belongs to. Cannot be changed after creation.
Name	The display name subscribers see (e.g., "OptiPub Team").
Local Part	The part before the `@` in the email address (e.g., `hello`).
Domain	Select a configured and verified domain. Combined with the local part to form the full "from" address.

Optionally, configure these toggles:
- Default — Make this the default sender for the publication. Only one sender can be default per publication.
- Reply Only — Use this sender only as a reply-to address. Reply-only senders do not require a verified domain.

For more details, see Create a Sender.

What's Next

Your account is set up and ready to go. Next, send your first message to make sure everything is working.