Prerequisites: You need an AWS account to complete this setup. If you
don’t have one, you’ll create it following the official AWS
document.
Create an Access Key with IAM Policy
Create IAM Policy
- Open the IAM console.
- In the navigation pane on the left, choose Policies, and choose Create policy.
- In the Policy editor section, choose the JSON option.
- Copy a JSON policy below and paste it, and choose Next.
- On the Review and create page, type a Policy Name (e.g.
EmailForIndieHackers
) and a Description for the policy. - Choose Create policy to save your new policy.
IAM Policy
Create IAM User
- In the navigation pane, choose Users and then choose Create users.
- On the Specify user details page, type User name(e.g.
EmailForIndieHackers
). - On the Set Permissions page, attach the policy you created earlier.
- Choose Create user.
Generate Access Keys
- Select View user to go to the user details page.
- Select the Security credentials tab.
- Select Create access key to generate and download access keys for the user.
Important: Save both the Access Key ID and Secret Access Key immediately.
You cannot retrieve the secret key after this step.
Move AWS SES out of Sandbox
AWS SES starts in sandbox mode, limiting email sending to verified addresses only. To send emails to any address, you need production access.Request Production Access
- Open the Amazon SES console
- Ensure you’re in your preferred region (e.g., us-east-1)
- In the navigation panel, choose Account dashboard.
- In the warning box at the top of the console, choose View Get set up page followed by Request production access.
- Fill out the production access request and choose Submit request.
Once you submit a review of your account details, you can’t edit your details
until the review is complete. The AWS Support team provides an initial
response to your request within 24 hours.
Writing Production Access Request
Before submitting your production access request, follow these important guidelines to increase approval chances: Prerequisites:- Set up a webpage: Set up a professional webpage on your domain that includes a comprehensive privacy policy.
- Set up domain authentication: Configure DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records before applying. You can find DNS records in Email Identity page.
- Copy the prompt and paste it into your preferred AI assistant. (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.)
- Fill out Business Info and Email Program in the required input.
- Generate the detailed production access request and submit it.
You must review and revise the generated request thoroughly before submitting
it.