diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index cf7cb10..930dbab 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 PORT=3000
 
-# SMTP — defaults are set for Resend (smtp.resend.com:465)
+# SMTP — defaults are set for Resend.
+# Port 587 (STARTTLS) is used instead of 465 (implicit TLS) because most VPS
+# providers (Hetzner, DigitalOcean, etc.) block outbound 465 by default.
 SMTP_HOST=smtp.resend.com
-SMTP_PORT=465
+SMTP_PORT=587
 SMTP_USER=resend
 SMTP_PASSWORD=
 MAIL_FROM=send@read.atanasov.fi