> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://apidoc.mailercloud.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Quickstart: send your first campaign
> Create a list, add a contact, and send your first email campaign in five minutes.
## 1. Get your API key
In your Mailercloud account, open **Settings → API** and create a key. You can create up to 10 keys. Every request below sends this key in the `Authorization` header (plain text, no `Bearer` prefix).
## 2. Create a list
```bash theme={null}
curl --request POST \
--url https://cloudapi.mailercloud.com/v1/list \
--header 'Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data '{"list_type": 1, "name": "Newsletter Subscribers"}'
```
The response includes the list's `id` — you'll need it in the next steps.
## 3. Add a contact
```bash theme={null}
curl --request POST \
--url https://cloudapi.mailercloud.com/v1/contacts \
--header 'Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data '{
"email": "jane@example.com",
"first_name": "Jane",
"list_id": "YOUR_LIST_ID"
}'
```
## 4. Create a campaign
`name`, `subject`, `sender`, and `list_ids` are required, plus your HTML content:
```bash theme={null}
curl --request POST \
--url https://cloudapi.mailercloud.com/v1/campaign \
--header 'Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data '{
"name": "My first campaign",
"subject": "Hello from Mailercloud",
"sender": {
"sender_email": "you@yourdomain.com",
"sender_name": "Your Name"
},
"list_ids": ["YOUR_LIST_ID"],
"html": "Hello!
My first campaign.
"
}'
```
The sender email must belong to a [verified sender](/api-reference/senders) on your account.
## 5. Send a test email, then schedule
Preview it in your own inbox first:
```bash theme={null}
curl --request POST \
--url https://cloudapi.mailercloud.com/v1/campaign/testmail/YOUR_CAMPAIGN_ID \
--header 'Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data '{"email": "you@yourdomain.com"}'
```
Happy with it? Send or schedule it with [Schedule Campaign](/api-reference/campaigns/schedule-campaign).
## Next steps
* [Send transactional email](/guides/transactional-email) for receipts, OTPs, and notifications
* [Sync contacts in real time](/guides/contact-sync) from your app or website
* [Set up webhooks](/guides/webhooks) to receive campaign events