Table of Contents
What Is SparkPost?
SparkPost is a cloud-based email delivery service that helps businesses send transactional and marketing emails with high deliverability. It provides SMTP relay and email APIs, along with features like sending domains, tracking, analytics, templates, and recipient suppression management. For WordPress users, SparkPost can be connected to Master SMTP so your website can send emails more reliably through SparkPost’s authenticated infrastructure.
Create a SparkPost Account
Go to https://app.sparkpost.com/join.
If you are creating a new account, first choose your server region: SparkPost for the US region, or SparkPost EU for the Europe region. If you are located in Europe, select SparkPost EU. Otherwise, select SparkPost.
After that, fill out the signup form, complete the verification step, and click Create Account.
Check your inbox for a verification email from SparkPost and click Verify Email Address.
Verify Sending Domain
After you click Verify Email Address in the email, you will be redirected to your SparkPost dashboard.
To start setting up your sending domain, click Add Sending Domain.
Select Sending Domain as the domain type, then enter your domain name.
Using a subdomain is recommended, for example: sub.domain.com.
After entering the domain, click Save and Continue.
You may also see a Domain Alignment popup. Leave the default option selected, then click Save and Continue.
Adding a Bounce Domain
After your sending domain is verified, go to Configuration > Domains, open the Bounce Domains tab, then click Add a Domain.
Select Bounce Domain as the domain type, then enter your bounce domain.
Using a subdomain is recommended, for example: bounce.domain.com.
After entering the domain, click Save and Continue.
Add the required CNAME record to your DNS provider exactly as shown in SparkPost.
After adding the record, check the confirmation box, then click Verify Bounce.
Note: DNS changes may take some time to propagate. If verification does not complete immediately, wait a few minutes and try again.
Set as Default Bounce Domain
To set your bounce domain as the default one, first go to the Domains page and click your verified bounce domain name.
On the domain settings page, enable Set as Default Bounce Domain to use this bounce domain as the default for your SparkPost account.
Creating a SparkPost API Key
To create an API key, go to Configuration > API Keys, then click Create API Key.
Enter a name for your API key, for example: Master SMTP.
For API Permissions, you can leave the default All option selected.
You can leave the Allowed IPs field empty unless you want to restrict the API key to specific server IP addresses.
Then click Create API Key.
Your new SparkPost API key will be shown only once after creation. Copy it and save it in a safe place, because you will need it in the next step when configuring SparkPost in Master SMTP.
SparkPost Setup in Master SMTP Plugin
In your WordPress dashboard, go to Master SMTP > Connections, then click Create New Connection.
Configure Connection
In the Configure Connection section, fill out the Connection Details fields:
Connection Details: Enter a name for this connection. This is only for you, recipients will not see it.
Default From Email: The email address used when an outgoing email does not define a From Email.
Force From Email: If enabled, this From Email will be used for all emails, even if the email has a different From Email.
Default From Name: The name used when an outgoing email does not define a From Name.
Force From Name: If enabled, this From Name will be used for all emails, even if the email has a different From Name.
Default Reply-To Email: The Reply-To address used when an outgoing email does not define a Reply-To Email.
Force Reply-To Email: If enabled, this Reply-To Email will be used for all emails, even if the email has a different Reply-To Email.
In the Choose a Mailer section, select SparkPost from the grid mailer list.
SparkPost Settings
Enter your SparkPost API Key. For Region, select US or EU to match the SparkPost account region you selected when creating your account. If you want to use this as your main mailer, enable Make this the default connection. Finally, click Save Connection.
The connection will be added to the Connections list, and you should see Connection saved. at the top of the window.
Note: The free version allows you to add only one connection. If you need multiple connections, Conditional Routing, and many other features, you should purchase the Master SMTP Pro.
Test SparkPost Connection
After saving your SparkPost connection, it is recommended to send a test email to make sure everything is working correctly. This helps confirm that your API Key, and connection settings have been entered properly and that your site can send emails successfully through SparkPost SMTP.
For step-by-step instructions, see the test connection guide here: