Build and launch a sequence

This guide takes you from an empty workspace to a live sequence, then covers running it and reading what each lead is doing.

You need Starter, Pro or Enterprise to launch. LinkedIn steps need Pro or Enterprise; for those, also follow LinkedIn steps.

Step 1: connect a sending address

Sequences send from your own mailbox. Connect it once; every sequence you own can use it.

The rest of the Senders pane:

• Signature: your default signature (up to 5,000 characters), used by every address you own unless an address has its own. Click Save signature. It appears in an email only where you insert {{sender.signature}}.
• Sending limits: Emails per day, for new connections (40 by default) is the starting limit for addresses you connect later. Below it you can change each address's daily limit. The LinkedIn limits are here too.
• My connections / Team: admins can switch to Team to see every member's connections.
• Reconnect needed: an address that lost its connection shows this status and a Reconnect button. Its sequences wait until you reconnect.
• Remove: from the address's menu. The dialog says how many active sequences use it; their new sends stop until another address is chosen.

How many addresses your workspace can connect depends on your plan: one per seat on Starter and Pro, and as set in your contract on Enterprise. See Sequences → Plans.

Step 2: create the sequence

Open Sequences in the sidebar and click New sequence. Click the name at the top ("Untitled sequence") to rename it.

A sequence has three tabs: Steps, Leads and Launch. The menu next to the name has Add to favorites, Sequence settings and Duplicate.

Step 3: pick the sender and review the schedule

At the top of the Steps tab:

• Senders: choose the address this sequence sends from. A new sequence picks your own connected address, or a shared one, when it can. You can choose only your own addresses and addresses teammates shared.
• Schedule: "This is the default schedule. Review when this sequence sends." Click it to open Sequence settings → Schedule.

Schedule settings:

The default (Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, one email every 20 minutes) sends up to 27 emails a day from one sequence. Reviewing the schedule is recommended but not required to launch.

While you're in Sequence settings, open Replies:

• When a lead replies: End the sequence for that lead (default) or Keep sending the remaining steps.
• Create a task to reply: off by default. When on, each reply creates a high-priority "Reply to (lead name)" task in Tasks, due the same day, for the sequence owner.

Schedule and Replies save in any state and apply immediately, including to leads already in progress.

Step 4: add steps

Click + on the canvas to add a step. The library has three groups:

Every step after the first gets a Wait for 1 business day header. Click it to set 1 to 30 business days, or Remove wait to run the step right after the one before. Business days are Monday to Friday. Select a step to edit it in Step details on the right.

Step 5: write the emails

Each Email step has a Subject and a Message.

• Subject: required on the first email only ("Add a subject. The first email starts the thread."). Leave a later email's subject empty to send it as a reply in the same thread.
• Message: the toolbar has Bold, Italic, Link, Bullet list, Numbered list and Heading.
• Insert variable: adds a personalization field such as {{lead.first_name}} or {{company.name}}. Missing values are left blank. The full list is in Sequences → Personalization variables.
• Insert signature: adds {{sender.signature}}. The signature is never added automatically.
• Unsubscribe link: in Insert variable, group Email, pick Unsubscribe link to add {{unsubscribe_link}}. It is not added automatically. Recipients who use it are removed from all your sequences and can't be added again.
• Preview email: shows the email "Previewing as" a real lead from the sequence, or a sample lead.

Step 6: set up call and manual task steps

Select a Call task or Manual task step:

• Type: Call or Task.
• Call script (for Call) or Instructions (for Task): required. Variables work here too.
• Agent: optional. Turn it on and pick Research, Lead scoring, Call script, or one of your Custom skills. The agent runs on each lead who reaches the step, so the task opens with the research already done. It costs the price shown as "N / lead" for each lead. See Skills.

The lead waits on a task step until the task is marked done in Tasks. See Inbox and Tasks.

Step 7: add leads

Open the Leads tab. Pick where the leads come from:

The Add to sequence drawer runs in three stages: 1. Choose, 2. Review, 3. Done. It shows "Sends from (address)" and, at Review, which leads are eligible. Click Add N eligible leads.

Leads that can't be added, and why:

An email that was never validated is still eligible. Run email validation first if you want to send only to verified addresses.

In a draft, added leads "wait here and start when you launch the sequence" (status Starts at launch). In a live sequence, "They start at the next open slot in the sending schedule." You can't add leads to a paused sequence ("Resume this sequence before adding leads.") or an archived one.

Adding leads is free. Leads can also be added by Clu or by an agent's Add to sequence step (Play steps).

Step 8: launch

Open the Launch tab. The checklist shows:

• Email account: the sender is connected and turned on (only if the sequence has email steps).
• LinkedIn account: a LinkedIn account is chosen and connected (only if it has LinkedIn steps).
• Steps: at least one email or LinkedIn step, and no step with an error.
• Schedule: "Default schedule: Mon to Fri, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, (city) time", with Review or Change.
• Leads: "Add leads in the Leads step (optional before launch)".

Click Launch sequence. The dialog says "Launch sequence?" and "Sending starts as soon as you launch." If any task step has an agent, it also shows the estimated credit cost. Confirm, and you see "Sequence launched."

If the button is greyed out, hover it: "Resolve the items marked above first" means something in the checklist needs fixing. On the Pro trial it says "Choose a paid plan to launch this sequence"; clicking it explains "Start an eligible paid plan to launch sequences. Your saved draft will remain available."

Run a live sequence

The Sequences list shows Active (switch), Name, Status, Leads, In progress, Sender, Owner and Modified. Filter with Status (All statuses, Active, Draft, Paused, Archived), the owner filter, the favorites toggle, or search "Find sequences...". A warning triangle on a row means its sender has a problem.

Set a standard schedule for your workspace (admins)

Go to Settings → Sequencing → Schedule. It has the same fields as a sequence's schedule. Click Save. Every new sequence starts from this schedule; existing sequences keep their own. Use the default clears it, and new sequences go back to Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, one email every 20 minutes, in the creator's time zone. Members see the schedule but only admins can change it.

Troubleshooting: what the Step column means

On the Leads tab, the Step column says what each lead is doing. The ones that need attention:

LinkedIn messages (for example Waiting for the daily LinkedIn limit to reset or Skipped: not connected on LinkedIn) are explained in LinkedIn steps.

Related

• Sequences: plans, variables, sending rules, stop rules
• LinkedIn steps
• Inbox and Tasks
• Settings: where Sequencing sits in Settings
• Find People and Managing lead lists
• Clu: build a sequence in chat