📧 Body Sleep Mind — Email System Guide

The complete reference for everything email on this site. Read the relevant section before making any changes. Written for developers — junior or otherwise.

1 Why SMTP — The Problem With WordPress Email Out of the Box

By default WordPress sends email using PHP’s built-in mail() function. On a VPS like Ionos this is either blocked entirely or so poorly authenticated that every email lands in spam. The solution is SMTP — authenticated email delivery through your actual Ionos mail account.

2 Installing WP Mail SMTP

1. Go to Plugins → Add New
2. Search for WP Mail SMTP by WPForms — it has 4+ million installs, look for that one specifically
3. Install and Activate
4. The setup wizard will launch automatically

3 Configuring WP Mail SMTP for Ionos

Navigate to WP Mail SMTP → Settings and enter the following:

Testing

Go to WP Mail SMTP → Tools → Email Test. Send a test to your inbox. If it arrives, the configuration is correct and all WordPress email — including contact forms — will work.

4 Our Ionos Email Setup

This site has two Ionos email addresses — the maximum on our plan:

5 Writing a Contact Form That Works

We learned several hard lessons building the forms on this site. Follow this pattern exactly and you will avoid all of them.

The Minimal Working Pattern

Always start here and build outward. Never start with a complex form and debug backwards.

<?php
if (isset($_POST['test_submit'])) {
    $sent = wp_mail(
        'info@bodysleepmind.com',
        'Test Email',
        'This is a test.'
    );
    echo $sent ? 'SENT OK' : 'FAILED';
}
?>

<form method="POST" action="">
    <input type="hidden" name="test_submit" value="1">
    <button type="submit">Send Test Email</button>
</form>

Confirm SENT OK before adding anything else. Then add fields one at a time.

Critical Rules — Read These Carefully

if (!function_exists('my_function')) {
    function my_function() {
        // your code
    }
}

if (!defined('MY_CONSTANT')) define('MY_CONSTANT', 'value');

6 Deploying a Form via WPCode

We use WPCode to deploy PHP contact forms without touching theme files. There are two methods — both work, choose based on the situation.

Method A — Physical File + WPCode Include Recommended

Save your form as a physical PHP file in your theme directory, then include it from a WPCode snippet. This keeps the code in version control and easy to edit via SFTP.

In your WPCode snippet (set type to PHP Snippet):

include( get_stylesheet_directory() . '/email/your-form.php' );

Method B — Full Form Written Directly in WPCode Snippet Also Works

Write the entire form — PHP processing, HTML, CSS and JS — as a single self-contained WPCode PHP snippet. No external files, no includes. The partners page form was built this way.

The snippet contains everything in this order:

1. PHP processing block at the top — handles POST, sanitizes, calls wp_mail()
2. CSS <style> block
3. HTML form markup with PHP echoes for success/error messages
4. JavaScript <script> block at the bottom

WPCode Snippet Settings Checklist

7 Debugging a Form That Isn’t Working

Follow this exact sequence. Do not skip steps.

1. Does the form render? If not, WPCode snippet is not active or not assigned to the page.
2. Does clicking submit do anything? Open browser DevTools → Network tab. If “No network activity recorded” after submit, something is blocking the form client-side — likely a JavaScript error or an action="#" issue.
3. Check the form action in the console:

   document.querySelector('form').action

   It should return the current page URL. If it returns ##something you have the double hash problem — change action="#" to action="".
4. Is the POST reaching PHP? Add this at the very top of your snippet temporarily:

   if (isset($_POST['your_submit_field'])) {
       echo 'POST received';
       die();
   }

   If you see “POST received” the PHP is working. If not, check field names for reserved word conflicts.
5. Does wp_mail() return true? Test in isolation with the minimal pattern from Section 5. If it returns false, check WP Mail SMTP settings and run the plugin’s own email test.
6. Email sent but not arriving? Check spam. Check the From Email in WP Mail SMTP matches your Ionos address exactly.

8 Production Form Template

The partners page form at /email/partners-page.php is the canonical working example on this site. Use it as your starting point for any new form. Key things it does correctly:

1 Why FluentCRM

MemberPress has a built-in email system but its editor is basic — plain text with limited HTML. It cannot produce properly designed branded emails. FluentCRM is a WordPress-native CRM and email automation plugin that sits on top of MemberPress and adds a full visual email designer and automation engine.

We chose FluentCRM over alternatives for these reasons:

2 Installation

1. Go to Plugins → Add New
2. Search for FluentCRM
3. Install and Activate FluentCRM — Marketing Automation and CRM
4. Run through the setup wizard — it will ask for your From Name and From Email. Use Body Sleep Mind and info@bodysleepmind.com
5. FluentCRM will automatically import your existing WordPress users and MemberPress members into its contact list

3 MemberPress Integration

FluentCRM detects MemberPress automatically on activation. To verify the integration is active:

1. Go to FluentCRM → Settings → Integrations
2. Confirm MemberPress is listed and enabled
3. Go to FluentCRM → Contacts — your MemberPress members should already be imported

FluentCRM creates tags automatically based on MemberPress membership levels. For example a member on the “Premium” plan will be tagged MemberPress: Premium. These tags are what you use to target the right people in automations.

4 Disabling Duplicate MemberPress Emails

This is the most important step and is easy to miss. MemberPress sends its own emails for signup, payment confirmation etc. Once FluentCRM is handling those same emails you must turn off the MemberPress versions — otherwise members receive two emails for every event.

1. Go to MemberPress → Settings → Emails
2. For each email type you are replacing with a FluentCRM automation, uncheck Enable and save
3. Do this one at a time as you build each FluentCRM automation — do not disable everything at once before your FluentCRM automations are live and tested

5 Designing an Email Template

FluentCRM has a built-in visual email builder. All designed emails start here before being used in an automation.

1. Go to FluentCRM → Email Templates → Add New
2. Give the template a clear internal name — e.g. Welcome Email — Premium Member
3. Choose a layout from the pre-built options or start from blank
4. Use the drag-and-drop editor to add your blocks — image, text, button, divider, footer
5. Save the template

Brand Settings to Apply Consistently

6 Building an Automation

An automation is a trigger + one or more actions. For example: Member completes signup → wait 1 minute → send welcome email.

1. Go to FluentCRM → Automations → Add New Automation
2. Give it a clear name — e.g. Welcome Sequence — New Member
3. Click Add Trigger and select the MemberPress event:
   • MemberPress — Membership Activated for new signups and renewals
   • MemberPress — Membership Cancelled for cancellations
   • MemberPress — Membership Expired for expiries
   • MemberPress — Payment Failed for failed payments
4. Filter by membership level if needed — e.g. only trigger for “Premium” members
5. Add a Wait step if appropriate — a 1-2 minute delay prevents the email arriving before the member has finished the checkout page
6. Add a Send Email action and select your designed template
7. Set the automation to Active

7 Merge Tags Reference

Merge tags pull live data into your email at send time. Use these in your templates:

8 Testing

Never go live without testing. Follow this sequence:

1. In the email template editor click Send Test Email — sends to your admin email address
2. Check it in both Gmail and Outlook — they render differently, both must look correct
3. Check on mobile — over 60% of email is read on mobile. Single-column layouts are safest.
4. Check all merge tags resolve correctly — a tag that fails renders as the raw tag text e.g. {{contact.first_name}} appearing literally in the sent email
5. In the automation, use Test This Automation with a test contact before setting to Active
6. Once live, monitor FluentCRM → Reports for open rates and any bounce or failure notifications

Last updated: September 2026  ·  Body Sleep Mind Dev Notes