Overview
If you use SendGrid for transactional or marketing emails, you can integrate your account with Apollo. Apollo only recommends integrating your SendGrid account if you already actively use SendGrid for transactional or marketing emails. If you don't already use SendGrid, use this Apollo partner.
If you use SendGrid for open tracking, Apollo doesn't sync events from SendGrid like self-opens or bot-opens. Apollo only tracks process events from SendGrid like dropped or not sent messages, bounced messages, and spam blocked messages. However, SendGrid may count bot and self-opens in its own open tracking, which could lead to an inflated report on engagement. To avoid this, consider using Apollo for open tracking.
The SendGrid integration is available on professional and organization plans on Apollo. If you need access to SendGrid, upgrade your plan. If you have questions about upgrading, reach out to the sales team.
Check out the following sections to integrate your SendGrid account with Apollo.
Connect the Integration
You must be an admin on Apollo to connect this integration. If you need permission, reach out to an admin at your organization for help.
An admin can connect the SendGrid integration, then individual users can enable it for their mailboxes, or you can enable it for all users. Before you can connect the SendGrid integration, configure your SendGrid account, which includes authenticating all domains on SendGrid that are used as both mailboxes and user logins on Apollo and generating an API key.
To connect the SendGrid integration:
- Launch Apollo and click Settings > Integrations > All integrations.
- Click Connect beside SendGrid.
- Paste the SendGrid API key you generated when configuring your SendGrid account, and click Link SendGrid.
Apollo recommends you update your API keys every 90 days to uphold security best practices. Check out Replacing an Old API Key on SendGrid Support for more details on how to update your SendGrid API key. Any time you update your API key, copy and paste the new key into Apollo.
- Click Update API key.
You have now integrated SendGrid with Apollo.
Next, configure webhook settings so the integration behaves the way you expect.
Configure Webhook Settings
To ensure accurate email event tracking with SendGrid, configure webhook event settings in Apollo. This allows Apollo to sync the email statistics you prefer.
To configure webhook event settings:
- Launch Apollo and click Settings > Integrations > All integrations > SendGrid.
- Scroll to Event webhook settings. Apollo automatically populates the HTTP post URL, configures the necessary event types, and enables the webhook authentication toggle.
- Enable any additional events you prefer, and click Save.
Don't deactivate Enable webhook authentication. This setting provides an additional layer of security and allows Apollo to track your SendGrid events. If you deactivate it, Apollo can't track your email events.
You have now configured the integration. Apollo now syncs the statistics you selected from SendGrid so you can report on email outreach directly on Apollo. This sync isn't retroactive; review previous statistics directly on SendGrid.
Next, your users can enable SendGrid for a particular mailbox, or as an admin, you can enable SendGrid for all your users.
If you use tracking with SendGrid, SendGrid replaces tracking URLs and redirects recipients to SendGrid servers to prevent deliverability issues. With SendGrid, you don't need to configure a tracking subdomain because SendGrid manages these tracking links. Check out Configure Your SendGrid Account for more details.
If your emails are flagged as spam when your Apollo account is connected to SendGrid, you may need to replace the tracking link in the emails within your SendGrid account itself. SendGrid includes a feature called link branding that functions the same as Apollo's tracking subdomain. Link branding provides the URL that you replace to reset the deliverability on your account. In this scenario, contact SendGrid technical support so that they can help you update this configuration and provide any additional information about deliverability within your account.
Enable SendGrid for a Mailbox
Once SendGrid is integrated with Apollo, you can enable it for specific mailboxes, or as an admin, for your entire team.
You and your team must comply with SendGrid's opt-in and opt-out policy and follow email best practices to use SendGrid's server responsibly. If you email contacts without their consent, SendGrid may block your domain.
To enable SendGrid for a mailbox:
- Launch Apollo and click Settings > Outbound > Mailboxes.
- Click . . . beside one of your mailboxes, then click Send emails from Sendgrid.
You have now enabled SendGrid for your mailbox.
With SendGrid enabled, you may need to adjust your email sending limits on Apollo. Although you can send more emails per day and hour with SendGrid, remain mindful of email best practices and comply with SendGrid's sending requirements. When you send emails via SendGrid, the emails don't appear in your mailbox sent folder. Reach out to SendGrid support to learn more.
To deactivate SendGrid for a particular mailbox:
- Click Settings > Outbound > Mailboxes.
- Click ... beside a mailbox > Stop sending emails from SendGrid.
If you're an admin and want to set SendGrid as the default for all users:
- Launch Apollo and click Settings > Integrations > All integrations > SendGrid.
- Toggle Use SendGrid as default for entire team.
- Click Make SendGrid default.
You have now enabled SendGrid by default for all users in your team. Your team can still decide whether to use SendGrid for each of their email accounts.
With SendGrid enabled for a mailbox, your team may need to adjust their email sending limits on Apollo. Although you can send more emails per day and hour with SendGrid, your reps must remain mindful of email best practices and comply with SendGrid's sending requirements.
To deactivate SendGrid as the default for your team:
- Click Settings > Integrations > All integrations > SendGrid.
- Toggle off Use Sendgrid as default for entire team.
FAQs
|
Frequently asked questions |
||
| Do I need SendGrid to send emails through Apollo? | Does SendGrid override Apollo's sending limits? | Why does Apollo say no active SendGrid account is linked? |
| Do I still need domain authentication if I use SendGrid? | ||
Do I need SendGrid to send emails through Apollo?
Nope. You can send emails through a linked mailbox without connecting SendGrid. Apollo only recommends integrating SendGrid if you already actively use it for transactional or marketing emails.
Does SendGrid override Apollo's sending limits?
No, Apollo still applies each mailbox's daily limit, hourly limit, and delay between emails when you send through SendGrid. Your SendGrid account's sending allowance also applies. Review your email sending limits if your sending volume is lower than expected.
Why does Apollo say no active SendGrid account is linked?
Your mailbox may be configured to send through SendGrid even though the integration isn't connected. Ask an Apollo admin to reconnect SendGrid with a valid API key. If you don't want to use SendGrid, go to Settings > Outbound > Mailboxes, click ... beside the affected mailbox, then click Stop sending emails from SendGrid.
Do I still need domain authentication if I use SendGrid?
Yes. Using SendGrid doesn't remove the need to configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your sending domains. Follow the steps to configure your SendGrid account before sending.
Next Steps
Now that SendGrid is connected, fine-tune your sending limits, protect your sender reputation, and track how your team's outreach performs.
| Email Sending Limits Overview | Adjust your email sending limits to control how many emails Apollo sends from each mailbox as you start using SendGrid. |
|---|---|
| Avoid Spam Filters | Put email best practices into action to help your team protect its sender reputation and keep outreach out of spam folders. |
| Manage Mailboxes and Domains on Apollo | Monitor your team's mailboxes and domains to check deliverability health, identify setup issues, and run diagnostic tests when emails aren't reaching inboxes. |
| Use Analytics Reports | Review your team's email performance to spot outreach trends and use the SendGrid events synced to Apollo to inform your next adjustments. |