How to Create and Configure a Campaign

Overview

ContactOut Campaigns helps you organize outreach to your contacts through a series of steps. You can create a campaign using email, SMS, calls, LinkedIn activities, and other manual tasks, depending on your outreach needs.

Creating a campaign involves three main steps:

1. Create your campaign steps.
2. Add recipients.
3. Start your campaign.

Important: Your campaign must contain at least one Send email step before you can start it.

This guide walks you through the overall setup process. For detailed instructions on configuring individual step types, see the dedicated email, SMS, and manual task guides.

Step 1: Create a new campaign

Open Campaigns in ContactOut and begin creating a new campaign.

Give your campaign a name that helps you identify its purpose. For example, you might name it after the audience you're contacting or the goal of your outreach.

Choose a clear, descriptive name so you can recognize the campaign later.

Step 2: Create your campaign steps

The campaign setup page includes an Overview tab. This is where you build and arrange the steps in your outreach workflow.

Select Add step to see the available step types:

• Send email: Send an email to your recipients.
• Send SMS: Send a text message to your recipients. This requires calling credits.
• Make call: Add a call activity to your workflow. This requires calling credits.
• LinkedIn task: Add a LinkedIn activity that you perform manually.
• Other task: Create a custom manual task with a title and body, often used as a reminder.

Choose the step type that matches the action you want to include, then follow the on-screen instructions to configure it.

Repeat this process until you've added the steps you need.

Arrange your steps

Review the steps on the Overview page and arrange them in the order you want your outreach to follow.

For example, your campaign might include:

1. Send email.
2. LinkedIn task.
3. Make call.
4. Send another email.

This is only an example. Choose the steps and order that suit your outreach goal.

Configure your steps

Each step should be configured for its intended purpose.

• For Send email, prepare the email content and review the relevant sending options.
• For Send SMS, configure the message and ensure you have calling credits.
• For Make call, prepare the task details and ensure you have calling credits.
• For LinkedIn task, specify the LinkedIn activity you need to perform.
• For Other task, provide a clear title and body describing the action or reminder.

For detailed instructions, refer to the relevant step-specific articles.

Important: Include at least one email step

Your campaign must contain at least one Send email step before you can start it.

You can include other step types, such as Send SMS, Make call, LinkedIn task, and Other task, but they do not replace the email-step requirement.

Before moving on, check that you've added at least one email step to the Overview page.

Step 3: Review your campaign steps

Before adding recipients, review your steps on the Overview page.

Check that:

• You've added all the steps needed for your outreach.
• The steps are arranged in the intended order.
• Your campaign contains at least one Send email step.
• Your email and SMS content is ready, where applicable.
• Your manual tasks contain clear instructions.
• You have calling credits if the campaign includes calls or SMS.
• Your sending settings are appropriate for the campaign, where applicable.

Planning the steps first helps you prepare the workflow before deciding which contacts to include.

Step 4: Add recipients

Once you've created your steps, open the Recipients tab.

You can add recipients using one of these options:

• Import from CSV: Upload a file using the ContactOut CSV template.
• Import from saved lists: Add contacts from a saved list.
• Import from saved profiles: Select contacts from your saved profiles.
• Enter manually: Enter recipient details through the form.

You can also add contacts to campaigns from other areas of ContactOut, including the LinkedIn extension, Search portal, and Lists.

Choose the method that best fits your workflow.

Review your recipients

Before starting the campaign, check that you've selected the intended contacts and that their contact information is suitable for your campaign steps.

For example:

• Recipients need email addresses for the email outreach you plan to send.
• SMS and call activities require the relevant phone information.
• Calling and SMS require calling credits.

Recipients without email addresses can still be appropriate for campaigns that use other supported outreach methods, although the campaign itself must contain at least one email step.

For detailed instructions, see How to Add Recipients to a Campaign.

Step 5: Start your campaign

Once you've created your steps and added recipients, review the setup before launching.

When you're ready, select Start Campaign on the campaign setup page.

Remember that your campaign must contain at least one Send email step to be eligible to start.

Starting the campaign begins the outreach workflow. Recipients progress through the steps according to the campaign configuration and the requirements of each step.

Important: Manual activities don't automatically complete themselves. When you reach a manual step—such as Make call, LinkedIn task, or Other task—you need to perform the activity and mark the step as complete for each relevant recipient before they can move ahead past it.

What should I check before starting?

Use this checklist before launching your campaign.

• The campaign has a clear, recognizable name.
• All required steps have been added.
• The steps are arranged in the intended order.
• The campaign contains at least one Send email step.
• Email and SMS content has been reviewed, where applicable.
• Manual tasks have clear titles and instructions.
• The intended recipients have been added.
• Recipient contact information is suitable for the selected steps.
• Calling credits are available if the campaign includes calls or SMS.
• Relevant email sending settings have been reviewed.

Common questions

Can I create a campaign with only one type of step?

You can build a campaign around the outreach methods that suit your needs, but the campaign must contain at least one Send email step before it can start.

Can I start a campaign that contains only SMS or manual tasks?

No. Your campaign must contain at least one Send email step before you can start it. You can include SMS and manual tasks alongside email steps.

Do I need to add recipients before creating steps?

The recommended workflow is to create your campaign steps first, add recipients second, and start the campaign last.

Do manual tasks complete automatically?

No. You must perform the activity and mark the manual step as complete for the relevant recipient before they can progress past that step.

Do calls and SMS require credits?

Yes. Both calling and SMS require calling credits.

Can I add contacts from outside the Campaigns page?

Yes. You can also add contacts from the LinkedIn extension, Search portal, and Lists.

What's next?

After creating your campaign, explore these guides to learn more about configuring and managing it:

• How to Set Up Email Steps in a Campaign
• How to Set Up SMS Steps in a Campaign
• How Manual Tasks Work in Campaigns
• How to Configure Campaign Sending Speed, Days, Hours, and Recipient Time Zones
• How to Configure Campaign Sending Speed, Days, Hours, and Recipient Time Zones

Summary

To create a campaign in ContactOut, name your campaign, build and arrange the steps on the Overview page, add recipients, and select Start Campaign when you're ready.

Remember that a campaign must contain at least one Send email step before it can start. Reviewing your steps, recipient information, and credit requirements before launch helps you prepare your outreach workflow.