Bulk sending proposals in Pandadoc for efficient client outreach

If you’re sending proposals to lots of clients—maybe dozens, maybe hundreds—copy-pasting or doing it one at a time isn’t just tedious, it’s a recipe for mistakes. This guide is for anyone who wants to use Pandadoc to crank out personalized proposals without losing their weekend (or their mind).

Below, I’ll show you how to use Pandadoc’s bulk send feature the right way. No fluff, no “transform your workflow” nonsense—just clear steps, honest pros and cons, and a few shortcuts to make your outreach less painful.

Why Bulk Sending Matters (and When It Doesn’t)

Let’s get something out of the way: bulk sending isn’t always the answer. If you’re courting a handful of high-value clients, do it personally. But if you’re dealing with a decent-sized list—think webinar leads, standardized service packages, or annual renewals—bulk sending can save you hours.

Good use cases: - Sending nearly identical proposals to a list of prospects (with a few personalized details) - Following up on a batch of inbound leads - Annual contract renewals for existing clients

Probably not: - Super-custom, high-touch deals - Proposals that need heavy negotiation or lots of back-and-forth

If you’re nodding along so far, let’s get into the nuts and bolts.

Step 1: Get Your Pandadoc House in Order

You can’t bulk send anything if your Pandadoc setup is a mess. Here’s what you need before you even think about mass outreach:

  • A solid template. This means all the right fields, tokens, and a layout that works for most clients. Don’t try to “fix it later” on dozens of docs.
  • Tokens/variables for personalization. These are the placeholders Pandadoc swaps out for real client info (like “{{First.Name}}” or “{{Company}}”).
  • A clean, well-formatted CSV list. This should include every bit of info you want to merge—names, emails, company names, maybe even pricing tiers.

Pro tip: Run a test with your own info in the CSV before you blast out 100 proposals. Nothing worse than realizing you forgot a column—or worse, sent someone the wrong proposal.

Step 2: Build a Smart Pandadoc Template

Your template is the backbone of bulk sending. If it’s sloppy, every proposal will be sloppy. Here’s what matters:

Key Template Elements

  • Use tokens for everything that changes: Name, company, price, dates—anything that’s client-specific. The token names must exactly match the column headers in your CSV.
  • Set up signature/approval roles: Make sure you define who’s supposed to sign and where. If you need two signatures (say, client and internal manager), set it up now.
  • Keep “optional” stuff truly optional: If you have sections that only apply to some clients, consider making them conditional or just keep your template as simple as possible.
  • Preview your template: Use Pandadoc’s “Preview” with sample data to check that tokens are pulling the right info.

What to skip: Don’t overdesign. Fancy graphics and too many custom fields just slow you down and increase the chance of errors.

Step 3: Prepare Your CSV—Don’t Get Cute

Pandadoc’s bulk send lives or dies by the quality of your spreadsheet. Here’s what to do (and what to avoid):

Must-haves in Your CSV

  • Columns match token names: If your template says “{{First.Name}}”, your CSV column must be “First.Name.” No spaces, no typos.
  • Email column: This is how Pandadoc knows where to send each proposal.
  • No weird characters or formatting: Keep it simple—don’t add formulas, merged cells, or anything fancy.
  • Double-check for missing data: If a row is missing a key field, that proposal won’t send (or it’ll send with blanks).

Pro tip: Save your CSV in UTF-8 format if you have non-English characters. Pandadoc can choke on weird encoding.

Step 4: Fire Up Pandadoc’s Bulk Send

Here’s where the magic (or chaos) happens. The steps are pretty straightforward, but don’t rush them:

  1. Open Pandadoc and go to your template.
  2. Click “Send” and choose “Bulk Send.” If you don’t see this, check your plan—bulk send is usually only on the Business or Enterprise tiers.
  3. Upload your CSV. Pandadoc will prompt you to map CSV columns to the tokens/roles in your template. Do this carefully.
  4. Check the preview. Pandadoc will let you preview each document as it’ll appear to the client. Scan through a few—don’t just trust the first one.
  5. Hit “Send.” Once you’re confident, go for it. Pandadoc will queue up all your docs and start sending.

What to watch for: - If there’s a mismatch between CSV and template, Pandadoc will flag it. Fix it before you send. - You can’t “unsend” a proposal. If you spot a mistake after sending, you’ll need to void and resend.

Step 5: Track, Follow Up, and (Hopefully) Close Deals

Bulk sending isn’t just about blasting proposals—it’s about moving deals forward. Here’s how to keep things from falling through the cracks:

  • Use Pandadoc’s dashboard: You’ll see who’s opened, viewed, or signed each proposal. Follow up with folks who haven’t opened theirs after a few days.
  • Automate reminders (carefully): Pandadoc can send follow-up emails automatically. Use this for low-stakes deals, but don’t annoy high-value clients.
  • Download reports: Export activity data if you want to track performance or report to your boss.

Don’t: Spam everyone with generic follow-ups. A little personalization goes a long way, even when you’re working at scale.

Honest Pros, Cons, and Gotchas

Let’s be real—Pandadoc’s bulk send isn’t perfect. Here’s what works and what to watch out for:

What Works

  • Saves hours: If you’re sending 20+ proposals, the time savings are real.
  • Keeps things consistent: No more copy-paste errors or missed attachments.
  • Good tracking: You’ll know who opened and signed, without digging through email.

What’s Not Great

  • Setup is picky: One typo in a token or CSV header, and the whole process stalls.
  • Limited customization per doc: You can’t tweak an individual proposal mid-bulk send. If you want to make exceptions, you need to handle them separately.
  • Plan limitations: Bulk send is only on certain Pandadoc plans—check your subscription.
  • No “undo”: Once proposals go out, you can only void them—not recall or edit.

Ignore the Hype

You’ll see claims that bulk send can “personalize at scale” and “automate your pipeline.” Yes, it’s faster—but it’s not a magic wand. Double-check everything, and expect a few hiccups the first time.

Pro Tips for Less Headache

  • Test with a small batch. Send 2–3 proposals to yourself or colleagues first.
  • Use unique proposal names. Add a token in the filename (like {{Company}}) so clients don’t get confused.
  • Keep your CSV clean. If you’re updating it regularly, lock down formatting and access.
  • Have a template review checklist. Prevent embarrassing mistakes before you send to real clients.
  • Document your process. If someone else needs to take over, they won’t have to start from scratch.

Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Overthink It

Bulk sending proposals in Pandadoc is a big time-saver—if you’ve got a solid template, a clean CSV, and you take the time to double-check everything. Don’t try to automate absolutely everything on your first try. Start small, fix what breaks, and scale up once you’ve ironed out the kinks.

No tool is a silver bullet, but done right, bulk send can clear up your pipeline and free you up for the work that really matters—actually closing deals.