How to Set Up Email Steps in a Campaign

Email steps let you send messages to recipients as part of a ContactOut campaign. You can use them to introduce yourself, follow up on an earlier message, or continue a conversation as recipients move through your campaign sequence.

Before You Start

Before configuring an email step, make sure you have:

• Connected your mailbox to ContactOut so you can select an email account to send from.
• Created a campaign.
• Added recipients to the campaign, or are ready to add them before launching.

Important: Every campaign must contain at least one email step before it can be started. Recipients without email addresses can still be included in a campaign, but they won't be able to receive email messages.

How to Add an Email Step

1. Open Campaigns and select the campaign you want to edit.
2. Go to the Overview tab to view the campaign sequence.
3. Select Add step.
4. Choose Send email.
5. Configure the email using the editor that opens.
6. Select Update step to save your changes.
7. Review the step's position in the sequence.

Configure the Email Step

When you select Send email, an editor opens where you can configure the sending conditions, sender, subject, and message content.

1. Set the follow-up condition

At the top of the editor, you can configure when the email should be sent:

• Follow up: Choose the delay before the email step runs, such as 1 day.
• if no reply at: Choose the time shown in the editor, such as 01:00PM.

These settings let you control the timing of the step and specify the no-reply condition associated with it. Review the selected values to make sure they fit your intended sequence.

2. Choose the sending mailbox

Use the Send from dropdown to select the connected mailbox that will send the email.

Before continuing, confirm that the correct email account is selected.

3. Enter the email subject

Use the subject field near the top of the editor to enter the email's subject line.

Keep the subject relevant to the message and easy for the recipient to understand.

4. Write and format the email body

Use the message editor to compose your email. The visible formatting controls include:

• Font family and font size.
• Bold, italic, and underline.
• Additional text-formatting options.
• Insert placeholder for adding available personalization fields.

The editor also provides options along the bottom toolbar to insert placeholders, use the AI Email Writer, add an image, insert a link, attach a file, and access additional available tools.

Write a clear, concise message and review any personalization fields before saving.

5. Use a template or preview the email

The editor includes additional actions to help prepare your email:

• Use template: Start with an available email template.
• Preview & test: Review the email before using it in your campaign.
• Add CC/BCC: Add recipients to the CC or BCC fields when needed.

Use these options to check the email content and confirm it looks as expected.

6. Save the step

When you've finished configuring the email, select Update step to save your changes.

If you no longer want the step, the editor also provides a Remove step option. Use it carefully, as removing a step changes your campaign sequence.

Review the Email Step Before Launching

Before starting your campaign, check that:

• The correct mailbox is selected under Send from.
• The subject line and message body are complete.
• Any placeholders are appropriate for your recipients.
• The follow-up delay and no-reply time are set as intended.
• The email displays correctly in Preview & test.
• The campaign contains at least one Send email step.

You should also review your campaign's sending schedule and other configuration settings before starting it.

Monitor Email Step Performance

After the campaign starts, you can review the available performance metrics for individual email steps.

Within a campaign, an email step can show:

• Open rate: The percentage of emails opened, as calculated by ContactOut.
• Reply rate: The percentage of recipients who replied, as calculated by ContactOut.
• Click-through rate: The percentage of recipients who clicked a tracked link, as calculated by ContactOut.
• Delivered count: The number of emails reported as delivered.

You can also view open rate and reply rate on the Campaigns list page.

These metrics can help you understand how recipients respond to your messages and identify opportunities to improve future email content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to connect a mailbox before setting up an email step?

You should connect your mailbox so you can select the account to send from in the Send from dropdown.

Can I use personalization in an email?

Yes. Use Insert placeholder to add available personalization fields to your message.

Can I use a template instead of writing an email from scratch?

Yes. Select Use template in the email-step editor to choose an available template.

Can I check the email before launching the campaign?

Yes. Use Preview & test to review the email before launching.

Can I start a campaign without an email step?

No. A campaign must contain at least one Send email step before it can be started.

Summary

To set up an email step, open your campaign's Overview, select Add step, and choose Send email. Configure the follow-up condition, sending mailbox, subject, and message body. Use placeholders, templates, and preview options as needed, then select Update step to save the step.

Remember that every campaign must contain at least one email step before it can be started.