If you’re sending cold emails and your reply rate is stuck in the single digits, you’re not alone. Most people don’t respond to the first email—sometimes they’re busy, sometimes they just miss it. That’s why follow-ups matter. But who has time to chase every lead by hand? This guide is for anyone who wants to set up smarter, automated follow-ups in Mailrush without making it feel like a robot is harassing their prospects.
Here’s what actually works, what to skip, and how to get it done.
Why Automated Follow-Ups Matter (and What to Watch Out For)
Automated follow-ups aren’t magic, but they help you stay on top of leads without losing your mind. Here’s the deal:
- Most replies come after the first email—but not always the first one you send.
- People forget or ignore emails. A gentle nudge helps.
- Manual follow-ups are a time sink and easy to mess up.
But, here’s what automated follow-ups won’t fix: - Bad targeting. If your list is junk, no sequence will save you. - Awkward, robotic messages. You’ll just annoy people faster.
Mailrush makes it pretty easy to automate follow-ups, but it’s not a “set it and forget it” tool. You need to write messages that don’t sound like canned spam, and you need to pay attention to what’s working.
Step 1: Get Your List and Message Basics Right
Let’s not gloss over the basics, because this is where most go wrong.
Before you touch Mailrush: - Clean your list. Remove bounces, duplicates, and obvious junk. - Segment your list. Don’t send the same sequence to everyone. Split by role, industry, or any clue you have. - Write like a human. If your emails sound like marketing copy, your reply rate will tank.
Pro Tip: If you wouldn’t reply to your own email, don’t send it.
Step 2: Setting Up Your Campaign in Mailrush
Mailrush is built for cold email, so it’s more flexible than tools bolted onto a CRM. Here’s the workflow:
- Log in to Mailrush and click “Campaigns.”
- Create a new campaign. Name it something clear (“June SaaS Founders Outreach” beats “Campaign 12”).
- Upload your contact list. Double-check mapping—first name, company, etc. for personalization.
- Set up your initial email. Use merge fields like
{first_name}or{company}sparingly. Too many, and it reads like a mail merge.
Don’t: Copy-paste the same message for every campaign. Track what’s working and tweak.
Step 3: Building Your Follow-Up Sequence
This is where automation pays off—or blows up in your face if you’re not careful.
How to Add Follow-Ups in Mailrush
- In your campaign, look for “Sequences” or “Follow-ups.”
- Add a new step. This is your first follow-up.
- Write your follow-up message. Keep it short. Reference your last email (“Just checking in on my note from Tuesday”) and add value—don’t just nag.
- Set the delay. Most people set 2-4 days between emails. Too soon, and you’re annoying. Too late, and they forget you.
- Repeat for more steps. Don’t go overboard—2-3 follow-ups max. After that, you’re just burning your list.
What works: - Short, direct messages. A sentence or two, max. - A new angle or offer each time. Don’t just resend the same email. - Clear call to action. Make it easy for them to say yes—or no.
What doesn’t: - “Bumping this to the top of your inbox.” (Everyone sees through it.) - Gimmicks or fake “Re:” subject lines. People catch on and mark you as spam.
Step 4: Personalization Without Losing Your Mind
Personalization is the difference between a reply and an unsubscribe. But you don’t need to write every email by hand.
How to do it in Mailrush: - Use merge fields for basics (name, company), but don’t overdo it. - Add a fallback (“Hey there” if the first name is missing). - If you have extra info (like a recent blog post or news about their company), add a custom field and reference it in one of your follow-ups. - Pro Tip: The first line is your hook. Spend time making it sound natural.
What to ignore: Fancy AI-spun personalization. It usually sounds off, and savvy prospects spot it a mile away.
Step 5: Setting Conditions and Stopping Rules
You don’t want to keep emailing people who’ve already replied, or worse—those who clearly aren’t interested.
- Set “Stop on reply” rules. Mailrush lets you halt sequences when someone responds. Always turn this on.
- Use “Stop on open” or “Stop on link click” if you want to be extra cautious, but don’t overthink it—replies are the real signal.
- Blacklist domains or addresses that bounce or mark you as spam.
What to avoid: Don’t keep hammering the same contact if they’ve ignored three emails. Move on. It’s not personal.
Step 6: Testing and Sending
- Send test emails. Make sure merge fields work and formatting looks right.
- Check for spam triggers. Avoid ALL CAPS, exclamation marks, and weird links.
- Send in batches. Don’t blast your whole list at once. Warm up your sending domain first if you haven’t already.
Pro Tip: If your reply rate drops or you get flagged, pause and review your messages. It’s usually a content or targeting problem.
Step 7: Tracking and Iterating
Mailrush gives you basic stats—opens, clicks, replies. Don’t obsess over open rates (they’re unreliable thanks to privacy tools). Replies are king.
- Look for patterns. Are replies coming after the first, second, or third email?
- Tweak your follow-ups. If a message bombs, swap it out.
- Prune your list. Remove dead leads every month.
What to ignore: Vanity metrics like “delivered” or “clicked.” Focus on conversations.
What Makes for Higher Reply Rates (No Nonsense)
- Relevance beats timing. A tightly targeted, relevant email will outperform a perfectly timed generic one.
- Brevity wins. People are busy—get to the point.
- Respect opt-outs. Make it easy to unsubscribe, and honor it. Your sender reputation depends on it.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Be Annoying
Automating follow-up sequences in Mailrush is straightforward once you know where to look—and what to avoid. Don’t get lost in the weeds with endless personalization or overcomplicated logic. Start with a simple sequence, learn from your replies (and your misses), and adjust. The best campaigns are the ones you actually send—and improve over time.
Keep it human, keep it useful, and don’t chase ghosts. Your reply rates will thank you.