If you’re tired of wrestling with spreadsheets and copy-pasting emails, this guide is for you. I’ll walk you through automating cold email sequences in Salesblink — step by step, with honest tips on what’s worth your time and what’s not. Whether you’re new to cold outreach or just sick of low response rates, you’ll find practical advice here. No fluff, no grand promises — just what actually works.
Step 1: Get Your List Ready (Don’t Skip This)
Automation is only as good as your data. Salesblink can’t magically fix a messy list or find the right people for you. Before you even open the tool:
- Verify emails. Use a tool like NeverBounce, ZeroBounce, or whichever works for you. Sending to dead addresses will tank your deliverability.
- Clean up formatting. Make sure your CSV or spreadsheet has clear columns: First Name, Last Name, Company, Email, etc.
- Segment smartly. One-size-fits-all sequences are obvious and get ignored. Divide your list by job title, industry, or trigger event (like recent funding).
Pro tip: If your list is old, run a quick re-verification. Nothing kills a campaign faster than bounced emails.
Step 2: Connect Your Email Account
No need to overthink this. Salesblink supports Gmail, Outlook, and custom SMTP.
- Go to “Settings” → “Email Accounts.”
- Connect the account you actually want to send from (don’t use your main personal address).
- Set up sending limits. Salesblink lets you cap daily emails — keep it under 100/day per account to stay out of spam folders.
What to ignore: Don’t bother with “warmup” tools promising to boost deliverability overnight. They’re hit-or-miss, and good list hygiene + smart sending is more reliable.
Step 3: Build Your Sequence (Keep It Simple)
This is where most people get stuck. Salesblink lets you build multi-step sequences: emails, LinkedIn touches, even calls. Don’t get fancy right away. Start with a basic sequence:
- Email 1: Your cold open. Keep it short, relevant, and not obviously templated.
- Wait 2-3 days
- Email 2: Friendly follow-up. Reference your first note, add a new angle or question.
- Wait 4-5 days
- Email 3: Last nudge. Stay polite, make it easy to say yes/no.
You can add more steps—like a LinkedIn visit or call—but honestly, if your first 2-3 emails don’t get a bite, piling on more rarely helps.
How to set it up in Salesblink: - Go to “Sequences” → “Create Sequence.” - Add your steps. For each email, you can use merge tags (like {{FirstName}}) to personalize at scale. - Set delays between steps. Don’t crowd someone’s inbox.
Step 4: Write Emails That Sound Human
Templates are fine, but they’re a starting point, not the finish line. Here’s what works (and what doesn’t):
- DO: Use merge tags for real personalization — not just “Hi [Name],” but mentioning something specific to them or their company.
- DO: Keep it under 100 words. Busy people skim.
- DO: Make your ask clear. Don’t bury the point in paragraphs of fluff.
- DON’T: Use spammy phrases (“quick question,” “just following up,” “free trial”).
- DON’T: Fake urgency or pretend you know them if you don’t.
Pro tip: Write your emails like you’d write to a peer, not a prospect. If you wouldn’t say it out loud, don’t type it.
Step 5: Upload and Map Your List
Once your sequence is ready, it’s time to upload your list:
- Go to “Prospects” → “Import.”
- Upload your CSV. Double-check that columns match (First Name = First Name, Email = Email, etc.).
- Map custom fields if you’re using advanced personalization.
Watch out: If your columns are mismatched, Salesblink won’t personalize correctly. Double-check before you start sending.
Step 6: Set Sending Schedules and Throttling
You want your emails to land when people actually check their inbox, and you want to look like a real person, not a robot.
- In Salesblink, you can set sending windows (e.g., Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm).
- Stagger sending to avoid bursts. Salesblink will drip emails out at intervals, not all at once.
- Use “reply detection” — Salesblink can automatically pause the sequence for anyone who responds, so you don’t accidentally send a follow-up to someone who already replied.
Ignore: The urge to blast 500 emails in one go. You’ll just burn your domain and annoy lots of people. Slow, steady, and targeted wins.
Step 7: Test Everything Before Hitting Send
It’s tempting to just launch, but a quick test can save you from embarrassing mistakes.
- Send a preview email to yourself. Check merge tags, formatting, and links.
- Double-check for typos, weird spacing, or broken images.
- If you’re using custom fields (“Hey {{FirstName}} at {{Company}}”), make sure they actually fill in correctly.
Pro tip: Have someone else on your team review the test email. Fresh eyes spot what you won’t.
Step 8: Launch and Monitor
Now you can start the campaign. But you’re not done — in fact, this is where most people drop the ball.
- Watch open rates, reply rates, and (most importantly) positive reply rates.
- If your open rates are below 40%, you probably have deliverability issues.
- If your reply rates are below 5%, your message isn’t landing. Tweak your subject lines and copy.
- Salesblink gives you reporting dashboards—use them, but don’t obsess over vanity metrics like opens. Replies are what matter.
Step 9: Iterate, Don’t Automate and Forget
Automation isn’t magic. The first sequence probably won’t be your best. What separates decent senders from great ones is willingness to tweak:
- Test different subject lines.
- Swap out calls to action.
- Shorten your copy if you’re not getting replies.
- Try different sending times.
What to ignore: Chasing every shiny new “AI-powered” copywriting tool. Good outreach still comes down to knowing your audience and sending something worth opening.
Step 10: Stay Out of Trouble
A couple quick reminders so you don’t end up in spam jail:
- Use a real reply-to address and email signature.
- Don’t send from a brand-new domain.
- Make it easy to opt out (a simple “let me know if you’re not interested” line is fine).
- Don’t scrape lists without consent — it’s not just sketchy, it’s a waste of everyone’s time.
A Few Last, Honest Tips
- Don’t overcomplicate your sequence. Simple, relevant, and respectful messages work best.
- The best “automation” is stuff people want to reply to. No tool can fake that for you.
- If something’s not working, change one thing at a time and measure.
- You’ll never get a 50% reply rate. That’s fine. Focus on small improvements.
Keep it simple, iterate, and remember: most of your competition is blasting out garbage. Sending a handful of thoughtful, well-targeted emails — on autopilot — is how you actually stand out.