If you’re in B2B sales or outreach, you already know the follow-up is where deals are made—or lost. Most prospects don’t reply to the first email. That’s normal. But manually chasing threads is a grind, and it’s way too easy to let good leads slip through the cracks. This guide is for anyone who wants to automate follow-up sequences (without turning into a spammer) using Mailivery and actually get more responses—not just more “sends.”
Let’s cut through the fluff. Here’s how to actually set up automated, effective follow-up sequences in Mailivery, what works, what to skip, and how to keep things from going sideways.
Why Automate Follow-ups (and What to Watch Out For)
Before jumping in, a reality check: automated follow-ups can save you hours and nudge busy prospects. But they can also backfire—if your emails sound robotic, come too often, or don’t add value, you’ll just annoy people (and maybe get flagged as spam).
Here’s what automation should and shouldn’t do for you:
What Works: - Consistent timing. Prospects don’t fall through the cracks. - Personalization at scale. You can add just enough personal touch without rewriting every email. - Metrics you can actually use. See what’s working and tweak as you go.
What to Avoid: - Over-automation. Don’t send 5 emails in 7 days. You’ll get ignored (or worse). - Generic templates. If it reads like a mail merge, it lands in the trash. - Set-and-forget. Sequences should evolve, not run forever untouched.
Step 1: Get Your Mailivery Account Ready
First off, make sure you’ve got a functioning Mailivery account and your sending domain is warmed up. This isn’t just busywork—if your domain is cold or brand new, you could end up in spam folders before you even start.
Checklist: - Is your email domain older than a few weeks? - Have you set up DKIM, SPF, and DMARC? (Ask IT or Google it. It matters.) - Run Mailivery’s deliverability tools and follow their warm-up process. - Send a few manual emails to yourself and friends. Do they land in inboxes?
Pro Tip:
Don’t skip the warm-up. If you do, your beautifully automated sequence might never reach real humans.
Step 2: Map Out Your Follow-up Sequence (Before Automating)
Automation only saves time if you know what you’re automating. Resist the urge to just “turn it on” and hope for the best.
Plan your sequence out: - Start with 2–3 follow-ups max. Any more and you’re probably overdoing it. - Spacing: Wait 3–5 days between emails. Daily pings scream desperation. - Keep it short: Nobody’s reading a novel in their inbox.
Example Sequence: 1. Initial cold email: Short, relevant, and personal. 2. Follow-up 1 (3–4 days later): Reference your first note, ask a simple question or offer value. 3. Follow-up 2 (another 4–5 days): Soft close (“Should I stop bugging you?”) or a new angle.
What to skip:
Don’t include attachments or lots of links—these trigger spam filters.
Step 3: Write Emails That Sound Human
This is the part everyone rushes, but it’s the difference between getting a reply and getting ignored.
How to Write: - Use their name (obviously). - Reference something specific to their business or role. - Ditch the fluff (“I wanted to circle back…”). - Ask one clear question or offer a single next step.
Example:
Hi Sarah,
I reached out last week about helping [Their Company]’s sales team cut admin time. Is this even on your radar right now?
If I’ve got the wrong person, just let me know.
Pro Tip:
Read your email out loud. If you’d cringe getting it, rewrite it.
Step 4: Set Up Your Sequence in Mailivery
Now you’ve got your plan and your emails. Time to put it into Mailivery.
How-To:
- Log in and go to Sequences.
- (If you don’t see it, check your plan or contact support.)
- Create a new sequence.
- Name it so you know what it’s for later (“Q2 Outbound – SaaS CEOs” beats “Sequence 1”).
- Add your first email step.
- Paste your email. Set the delay (send immediately or after X minutes/hours).
- Add follow-up steps.
- For each, paste your template, set the wait time (e.g., “4 days after no reply”).
- Insert variables.
- Use Mailivery’s merge tags for names, company, or other custom fields.
- Set stop conditions.
- Make sure the sequence stops if someone replies. No one likes getting a follow-up after they’ve already responded.
Pro Tip:
Preview your emails with real data. It’s easy to mess up a merge tag and end up with “Hi {{FirstName}},”—which is a fast track to the delete folder.
Step 5: Import Your Contacts (Carefully)
Don’t just dump a scraped list into Mailivery. Bad data = bad results.
Best Practices: - Upload a clean CSV with accurate names and emails. - Remove known bounces and role-based emails (info@, sales@, etc.). - Double-check that your fields match your merge tags.
What to ignore:
Buying big lists of “decision makers.” You’ll end up flagged as spam and waste your warm-up work.
Step 6: Launch, Monitor, and Tweak
Hit send, but don’t walk away. The best sequences are never “done”—they’re always being improved.
Watch for: - Open rates: If these are low (<30%), your emails might be going to spam or your subject lines are too bland. - Reply rates: Under 5%? Rewrite your emails. Change your ask. - Bounce rates: Over 3–5% means your list is messy.
How to tweak: - Edit your follow-ups if you see a drop-off. - Test new subject lines. - Shorten your copy—almost nobody complains about a too-short email.
Pro Tip:
Don’t obsess over minor metrics. Focus on replies that turn into real conversations.
Step 7: Don’t Get Burned—Stay Out of Spam
Even when you do everything right, deliverability can tank. Here’s how to keep your reputation clean:
- Use a dedicated sending domain (not your main company domain).
- Keep daily sends reasonable (100–200/day per inbox is plenty).
- Remove people who never open or reply.
- Rotate templates—don’t send the exact same copy forever.
- Check Mailivery’s deliverability reports regularly.
What doesn’t work:
Sending more emails to fix low response rates. You can’t brute-force engagement.
Step 8: Keep It Personal (Without Going Crazy)
Automation is a tool—not a replacement for human connection. The best results come from mixing automated follow-ups with the occasional personal touch.
Try this: - After two automated emails, send a manual, highly personalized note to your best prospects. - Reference something recent (a blog post, LinkedIn update, etc.). - Use automation for scale, but real outreach for high-value leads.
Wrapping Up: Iterate, Don’t Overthink
Automating follow-ups in Mailivery can save your sanity and boost response rates—if you keep it simple, watch your results, and treat prospects like actual people. Don’t worry about building the perfect sequence on day one. Start small, pay attention, and adjust as you go. The best outreach isn’t magic—it’s just consistent, considerate, and a little bit persistent.