SMTP Setup

How to Connect Amazon SES to GQ CRM (Step-by-Step)

Create Amazon SES SMTP credentials, request production access, and connect SES to GQ CRM in about 10 minutes — with the exact host, port, and fields to fill in.

Published August 1, 2026

Amazon SES (Simple Email Service) is the cheapest way to send email at volume — often under $0.10 per 1,000 emails. This guide walks you through creating SES SMTP credentials, getting out of sandbox mode, and connecting SES to GQ CRM.

Why SMTP instead of the SES API? GQ CRM sends through any standard SMTP endpoint, so you keep full control of your sending infrastructure and never pay per-email markup on top of what you already pay AWS.

1. Create an SES SMTP credential

SES does not let you use your regular AWS access keys for SMTP. You need a dedicated SMTP credential:

  1. Open the Amazon SES console.
  2. In the left sidebar, go to SMTP settings.
  3. Click Create SMTP credentials.
  4. AWS creates an IAM user with ses:SendRawEmail permission and shows you:
    • SMTP username (e.g. AKIA...)
    • SMTP password
  5. Save both now — the password is only shown once.

2. Find your SMTP endpoint

The host depends on the AWS region your SES is in:

RegionSMTP endpoint
US East (N. Virginia)email-smtp.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
US West (Oregon)email-smtp.us-west-2.amazonaws.com
EU (Ireland)email-smtp.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com
Asia Pacific (Singapore)email-smtp.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com
Asia Pacific (Tokyo)email-smtp.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com

Supported ports:

PortEncryption
465SSL/TLS
587STARTTLS
2587TLS

Use 465 with SSL or 587 with STARTTLS in GQ CRM — both are supported.

3. Verify your sending domain

Before SES will send email, you must verify the domain you send from:

  1. In the SES console, go to Identities → Create identity.
  2. Choose Domain and enter your sending domain.
  3. Add the DNS records SES shows you (DKIM + optionally SPF/MX) at your domain registrar or DNS provider.
  4. Wait for the verification status to change to Verified (usually a few minutes to a couple of hours).

4. Request production access (leave sandbox)

New SES accounts start in sandbox mode: you can only send to verified addresses, at 1 email/second. To send to real recipients you must request production access:

  1. In the SES console, go to Account dashboard → Sending statistics → Request production access.
  2. Fill in the use case (describe legitimate cold outreach / transactional email; mention you verify recipients and honor unsubscribes).
  3. AWS usually approves within 24 hours.

Deliverability tip: before scaling, confirm your domain has proper DKIM/SPF (SES does this for you in step 3) and start with modest volume so your reputation warms up.

5. Connect SES to GQ CRM

  1. Log in to GQ CRM and open Projects → your project → SMTP Configuration.
  2. Fill in the fields:
FieldValue
SMTP Hostemail-smtp.<your-region>.amazonaws.com
Port587 (STARTTLS) or 465 (SSL)
Secure connectionOn (for 465/587 TLS)
Auth userYour SES SMTP username
Auth passwordYour SES SMTP password
From nameThe name recipients see (e.g. Acme Team)
From emailAn address at your verified domain
  1. Click Test connection. GQ CRM will verify the credentials and TLS handshake.
  2. Save, then create a project task and send a test email to confirm end-to-end delivery.

Troubleshooting

  • "Access denied" or 454 errors — your SMTP credential's IAM user needs ses:SendRawEmail. Recreate the credential from SMTP settings.
  • Emails only go to the address you tested — you are still in sandbox. Request production access (step 4).
  • 554 Message rejected — the From address's domain is not verified. Check step 3.
  • Slow first sends — SES starts at 14 emails/second by default; set your task rate limit below that.