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Amazon SES Make integrationAutomate Amazon SES with Make.

Can Make send your Amazon SES emails and keep your contact lists tidy on its own? The Amazon SES Make integration gives you 24 modules, including 2 triggers and 4 searches. This guide shows you how to link your AWS keys and build a first working scenario.

Try the Amazon SES integration on MakeSee the 24 modules

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What you can automate

What can the Amazon SES Make integration do for you?

The Amazon SES Make integration links your SES account to Make, a no-code tool where you build a scenario: an automation made of modules, each one a brick that triggers, acts or searches. With it, Make can send emails through SES, manage contacts and contact lists, and handle email templates and configuration sets without you writing a line of code.

A welcome email for every new subscriber. Watch Contacts spots a contact added or changed in a contact list you pick, and Send a Message mails that person. Each contact moves through the scenario as one bundle, the item passed from one module to the next.

Contacts that follow your other tools. A form, a CRM or a shop hands over a new lead: Create a Contact puts it in the right list, Update a Contact edits it later, and Delete a Contact takes it out when someone leaves. The Airtable Make integration works well as the source table.

Templates under control. Watch Email Templates notices each new template, so you can log it or notify the team. Create, Update and Delete an Email Template let you manage them from one place instead of the AWS console.

Make does not cover every SES feature with a ready module. When one is missing, Make an API Call reaches the rest of the SES API through the same connection. The same app often has an n8n node too; the n8n vs Make page helps you weigh the two, and Make pricing explains how operations are counted.

Connect

How do you connect Amazon SES to Make?

  1. 01

    Create an access key in AWS

    In the AWS Management Console, open the IAM section, pick Users, then click the user Make will act as. On the Security credentials tab, click Create access key and copy both the Access key ID and the Secret access key.

  2. 02

    Add an Amazon SES module

    In your scenario, add any Amazon SES module and click Create a connection. A connection is your SES account linked to Make once, then reused by every SES module you add later. The Connection name field is optional, but a clear name helps.

  3. 03

    Paste your keys and save

    Enter the two keys you copied from AWS, or follow the on-screen instructions, then save. Make now reads your SES account, so lists of contact lists or templates appear in the module fields instead of forcing you to type names.

First scenario

Your first scenario: a welcome email for each new SES contact

GoalWhen a contact is created or updated in an Amazon SES contact list, Make sends that person an email through Amazon SES.

  1. 01

    Start a new scenario

    From the Scenarios page, create a new scenario and click the big +. That empty circle is where your first module, the trigger, goes.

  2. 02

    Add Watch Contacts

    Search for Amazon SES, pick Watch Contacts and choose your connection. Make lists the contact lists it can read, so you just select the one your sign-ups land in.

  3. 03

    Chain Send a Message

    Click the + on the right of the trigger and add Send a Message. Map the contact data coming from Watch Contacts into the email so each person gets a message addressed to them.

  4. 04

    Test with Run once

    Click Run once, then add or edit a contact in the watched list. Open the bubbles above each module to read the bundles it received and check the email went out.

  5. 05

    Schedule and switch on

    On the first module, set the schedule; a new scenario checks every 15 minutes by default. Then switch the scenario on, and new contacts get their email without you touching anything.

Triggers

What starts an Amazon SES scenario

2 modules start a scenario when something happens in Amazon SES. A scheduled trigger is checked by Make on the scenario's schedule; an instant one is called by Amazon SES as soon as it happens.

Amazon SES1Watch Contacts

Watch Contacts

Scheduled trigger

In Make“Triggers when a contact is created and updated in a specified contact list.”

Start a scenario whenever someone joins or changes in one of your SES contact lists, and pass that contact along as a bundle to the next modules.

How it fires
scheduled, so Make checks the app on the scenario's schedule and picks up contacts created or updated since the last check. You see a clock badge on the module.
When to use it
welcome emails, copying new subscribers to a spreadsheet or CRM, or alerting sales when a lead lands in a list.
Watch out
it watches one contact list; pick the right one, or build a second scenario for another list.
Amazon SES2Watch Email Templates

Watch Email Templates

Scheduled trigger

In Make“Triggers when an email template is created.”

Get a heads-up each time a new email template appears in your SES account, with its details ready for the rest of the scenario.

How it fires
scheduled, so Make checks the app on the scenario's schedule rather than hearing from SES directly, which shows as a clock badge.
When to use it
keeping a shared log of templates, telling a reviewer a new one needs a look, or backing template content up somewhere outside AWS.
Watch out
the official description only talks about templates being created, so do not count on it to catch edits to an existing one.
Modules

Everything the Amazon SES modules can do

Amazon SES gives you 22 modules. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

Amazon SES1

Create a Configuration Set

Action

In Make“Creates a new configuration set.”

Adds a fresh configuration set to your SES account straight from a scenario, so you skip a trip to the AWS console when a new brand or sending stream appears.

When to use it
a new client or product line gets set up in another tool and you want its SES side ready at the same moment.
Watch out
run List Configuration Sets first if the scenario may fire twice for the same name.
Amazon SES2

Create a Configuration Set Event Destination

Action

In Make“Creates a new configuration set event destination.”

Attaches an event destination to a configuration set you already have, finishing its setup inside the same scenario that created it.

When to use it
right after Create a Configuration Set, so the new set is complete without a second manual step in AWS.
Watch out
the configuration set must exist before this module runs; place it after the creation module, never before it.
Amazon SES3

Create a Contact

Action

In Make“Creates a new contact.”

Puts a new person into an SES contact list, taking the data from whatever module comes before, such as a form entry or a CRM record.

When to use it
someone signs up on your site or buys in your shop and should start getting your emails.
Watch out
if that person may already be in the list, check with Get a Contact first and use Update a Contact instead.
Amazon SES4

Create a Contact List

Action

In Make“Creates a new contact list.”

Builds a new contact list in SES so later modules have somewhere to store contacts for a fresh audience or campaign.

When to use it
a new event, product or region starts in your planning tool and needs its own list without anyone opening AWS.
Watch out
List Contact Lists helps you avoid creating a near-duplicate list under a slightly different name.
Amazon SES5

Create an Email Template

Action

In Make“Creates a new email template.”

Saves a reusable email template in SES, filled with content prepared earlier in the scenario, for example text written in a doc or a table.

When to use it
your marketing team drafts templates outside AWS and wants them pushed to SES as soon as a draft gets approved.
Watch out
if another scenario starts on Watch Email Templates, it will pick up this new template too, so make sure that scenario does not create a template in return.
Amazon SES6

Delete a Configuration Set

Action

In Make“Deletes a configuration set.”

Removes a configuration set from your SES account when the brand or stream it served is gone, keeping the account clean.

When to use it
a client contract ends in your CRM and its sending setup should disappear along with it.
Watch out
a deletion cannot be undone from Make; add Get a Configuration Set before it and a filter so only the intended set goes.
Amazon SES7

Delete a Contact

Action

In Make“Deletes a contact.”

Takes a person out of an SES contact list for good, so they stop receiving what that list sends.

When to use it
someone asks to be forgotten, closes their account in your app, or a CRM record is marked as lost.
Watch out
there is no undo; put a filter before it so only the contacts you mean to remove reach this module.
Amazon SES8

Delete a Contact List

Action

In Make“Deletes a contact list.”

Wipes an entire contact list from SES once its campaign or audience no longer exists.

When to use it
a one-off event ends and its dedicated list should not linger in the account.
Watch out
it removes the whole list in one go; test it with Run once on a dummy list before letting it touch real audiences.
Amazon SES9

Delete an Email Template

Action

In Make“Deletes an email template”

Removes a template you no longer send, so nobody picks an outdated version by mistake later on.

When to use it
a template gets archived in your content tool and should vanish from SES in step with it.
Watch out
any scenario still sending with that template breaks after the deletion, so check your other Send a Message modules first.
Amazon SES10

Get a Configuration Set

Action

In Make“Retrieves a specified configuration set.”

Fetches the details of one configuration set you name, so the next modules can read its settings or confirm it exists.

When to use it
before an update or a deletion, as a safety check that the set you target is the right one.
Watch out
it needs the exact set; if you only know part of the name, start with List Configuration Sets.
Amazon SES11

Get a Contact

Action

In Make“Retrieves a specified contact.”

Looks up one contact in a list and returns their record, handy for deciding what the scenario does next.

When to use it
a form comes in and you want to know whether this person is already known before creating or updating them.
Watch out
add a filter after it, so the scenario handles the case where the contact is not found.
Amazon SES12

Get a Contact List

Action

In Make“Retrieves a specified contact list.”

Returns the details of a single contact list, so you can confirm it exists before pouring contacts into it.

When to use it
ahead of Create a Contact in scenarios where the list name comes from another tool and might be wrong.
Watch out
despite the similar name, it reads one list only; to see all your lists, pick List Contact Lists.
Amazon SES13

Get an Email Template

Action

In Make“Retrieves a specified email template.”

Pulls the content of one template out of SES, ready to copy, review or reuse elsewhere in the scenario.

When to use it
after Watch Email Templates, to grab the full template and save it in a doc or send it to a reviewer.
Watch out
it reads one template at a time; to back them all up, run List Email Templates first.
Amazon SES14

Make an API Call

Action

In Make“Performs an arbitrary authorized API call.”

Calls any endpoint of the Amazon SES API with the connection you already have, which covers what the ready modules leave out.

When to use it
you need an SES feature that none of the 24 modules offers and still want to stay inside Make.
Watch out
you describe the request yourself, so keep the SES API documentation open while you build it.
Amazon SES15

Send a Message

Action

In Make“Sends an email message.”

Sends an email through your SES account, with content mapped from earlier modules so every message fits its recipient.

When to use it
an order confirmation, a password reset notice or a welcome email that must leave the moment something happens in another app.
Watch out
each bundle sends one email and uses one operation, the unit Make counts on your plan.
Amazon SES16

Update a Contact

Action

In Make“Updates an existing contact.”

Changes an existing contact in a list, so SES keeps the same picture of that person as your CRM or shop does.

When to use it
a customer edits their profile, moves up a tier or changes their preferences in another tool.
Watch out
the contact has to exist already; pair it with Get a Contact and fall back on Create a Contact when nothing comes back.
Amazon SES17

Update a Contact List

Action

In Make“Updates an existing contact list.”

Edits a contact list that already exists, so its settings follow what changed on your side.

When to use it
a campaign gets renamed or reframed in your planning tool and the SES list should reflect it.
Watch out
Get a Contact List before this module lets you check which list you are about to change.
Amazon SES18

Update an Email Template

Action

In Make“Updates an existing email template.”

Replaces the content of an existing template, so the next emails sent with it carry the new version.

When to use it
copy gets approved in a doc or table and should reach SES without anyone pasting it by hand.
Watch out
Watch Email Templates is described as reacting to new templates only, so do not rely on it to spot this change.
Amazon SES19

List Configuration Sets

Search

In Make“Retrieves a list of configuration sets.”

Returns every configuration set in your account, each as its own bundle, which gives you a quick inventory.

When to use it
an audit sheet, or a check before Create a Configuration Set to make sure the name is free.
Watch out
a search can return zero, one or many bundles, and each following module runs once per bundle.
Amazon SES20

List Contact Lists

Search

In Make“Retrieves a list of contact lists.”

Brings back all the contact lists in your SES account, one bundle per list, ready to loop over.

When to use it
you want a table of every audience you run, or you need to find a list by name before acting on it.
Watch out
with many lists, later modules run many times and each run costs operations, so filter early.
Amazon SES21

List Contacts

Search

In Make“Retrieves a list of contacts in a specified contact list.”

Reads every contact of one list you choose and passes them on one by one, which makes exports and bulk fixes simple.

When to use it
copying a whole list into a spreadsheet, or checking each contact against your CRM.
Watch out
a big list means a lot of bundles; a Make filter right after keeps only the contacts you really need.
Amazon SES22

List Email Templates

Search

In Make“Retrieves a list of email templates.”

Lists all the email templates stored in SES, one bundle each, so you see at a glance what exists.

When to use it
a full backup of your templates, paired with Get an Email Template to fetch each one's content.
Watch out
a search can return zero bundles, in which case the next modules have nothing to work on; check the connection points to the right AWS account.
Need help

Need help automating Amazon SES with Make?

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FAQ

Amazon SES and Make: common questions

01Is the Amazon SES Make integration free?
Yes, on the Make side. Amazon SES is a standard app, so it works from the Free plan. That plan gives you 2 active scenarios, at least 15 minutes between two scheduled runs, up to 5 minutes per execution, files up to 5 MB and 512 MB of data transfer. Paid plans (Core, Pro, Teams and Enterprise) lower the interval to 1 minute and remove the cap on active scenarios. Usage is counted in operations each month. Sending with SES itself follows Amazon's own pricing, which you check on the Amazon SES pricing page.
02What do you need to connect Amazon SES to Make?
An active AWS account with SES set up, and an IAM user whose credentials have the permissions SES needs. In the AWS Management Console, go to IAM, then Users, open the user, and on the Security credentials tab click Create access key. Copy the Access key ID and the Secret access key. In Make, add any Amazon SES module, click Create a connection, name it if you like, and paste both keys. Every SES module in your scenarios then reuses that one connection.
03Does the Amazon SES trigger in Make fire instantly?
No. Both Amazon SES triggers, Watch Contacts and Watch Email Templates, are scheduled. Make checks SES on the scenario's schedule, which is every 15 minutes by default for a new scenario, and picks up what changed since the last check. On the Free plan, 15 minutes is also the shortest gap allowed; paid plans go down to 1 minute. If you need an email to leave the moment something happens elsewhere, start the scenario from the other app's trigger and end it with Send a Message.
04What if an Amazon SES module is missing in Make?
Use Make an API Call. It is one of the 24 modules and lets you call any endpoint of the Amazon SES API with the connection you already set up, so you stay in the same scenario. You write the request yourself, which means reading the SES API documentation. For everyday work, the 18 actions and 4 searches already cover contacts, contact lists, templates, configuration sets and sending, so check that list before going the API route.
05Make or n8n for Amazon SES?
It depends on the tool your team already uses. In Make, Amazon SES comes with 24 ready modules, including 2 scheduled triggers, plus Make an API Call for the rest of the API, and it works from the Free plan. The same app often has an n8n node as well, so check what that node covers against your use case. Compare the modules you need, how each tool counts usage, and which editor your team finds easier to maintain. Neither answer is right for everyone.
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