If you’re sick of cobbling together email tools, copy-pasting lists, and manually tracking who got which follow-up—this guide is for you. Automating personalized email sequences isn’t magic, but it does save you hours and makes sure nobody slips through the cracks. Here’s how to do it the right way in ThorsHammer—without falling for the shiny features you don’t actually need.
1. Get Your Contact List in Order
Before you even open ThorsHammer, make sure your contacts are ready for automation. This is the step most people rush, and it bites them later.
- Clean your list: Get rid of old, bounced, or obviously bad emails. ThorsHammer can’t fix a messy list.
- Add personalization data: If you want to send emails that say “Hey Sarah, saw you work at Acme Corp,” you need those fields in your spreadsheet—first name, company, maybe job title.
- Format for import: Save your list as CSV or Excel. Make sure column headers are clear (“FirstName,” “Company,” etc.).
Pro tip: Only collect data you’ll actually use. If you never reference someone’s city, don’t bother with it.
2. Import Contacts to ThorsHammer
Now, log into ThorsHammer and get those contacts loaded.
- Go to the Contacts section.
- Click “Import Contacts.”
- Upload your CSV/Excel file.
- Map your columns to ThorsHammer’s fields (double-check this—wrong mapping = wrong personalization).
- Finish the import and spot-check a few records.
What works: ThorsHammer’s import is solid and usually error-free if your spreadsheet is tidy.
What doesn’t: If your data’s a mess (extra spaces, merged cells), you’ll waste time troubleshooting. Take five minutes to clean it first.
3. Build Your Email Sequence
Here’s where you set up the actual emails. Resist the urge to overcomplicate: most effective sequences are 2-4 emails long.
- Go to “Sequences” or “Campaigns.”
- Click “Create New Sequence.”
- Name it something clear (“Q2 Product Demo Outreach” beats “Sequence 7”).
For each step in your sequence:
- Write your email: Keep it short. Personalize only what matters (first name, company, recent event).
- Insert dynamic fields: ThorsHammer lets you add placeholders like {{FirstName}}. Use them, but don’t get carried away—if you try to personalize every sentence, it reads like a bad Mad Libs.
- Set delays: Leave at least 2-3 days between emails. People need time to respond (or ignore you).
Pro tip: Write your first draft in plain text. Fancy formatting looks weird on mobile and triggers more spam filters than it helps.
4. Add Personalization Without Going Overboard
Personalization gets better responses—but only if it feels real.
- Use first name and company sparingly. “Hey {{FirstName}}, noticed you’re at {{Company}}” is fine. “Hey {{FirstName}}, as a {{Title}} at {{Company}} in {{City}}…” is too much.
- If you have a real reason to reach out (“Saw your team is hiring designers”), mention it. Otherwise, keep it generic.
- Test your dynamic fields. ThorsHammer has a “Preview” function—check a few contacts to make sure the emails don’t say “Hey ,”.
What works: Simple, relevant personalization. What doesn’t: Inserting every field you have just because you can.
5. Set Up Triggers and Sending Logic
Automation is great until it goes rogue. Here’s how to control it.
- Choose who gets which sequence: You can filter contacts by tags, status, or any custom field. Don’t blast everyone unless you want to get ignored.
- Set your sending window: ThorsHammer lets you pick days and times for sending. Stick to business hours in your recipient’s time zone, if possible.
- Control reply handling: Decide if you want to stop the sequence when someone replies (usually, yes). You don’t want to send “Just checking in!” after they’ve already responded.
Pro tip: Avoid sending on Mondays and Fridays if you can. Mid-week gets better open rates.
6. Test Everything—Then Test Again
Nothing kills trust faster than a botched “Hey ,” or an email sent to the wrong list.
- Send test emails to yourself: Check how they look on desktop and mobile.
- Preview personalization: Use the preview tool to see emails with real data plugged in.
- Check your links: Broken links = lost leads.
What works: Testing with real contacts before launching the full sequence. What doesn’t: Trusting the preview alone, or rushing to send before you’re sure.
7. Launch and Monitor
Ready? Hit send—but keep an eye on things.
- Monitor replies: ThorsHammer will track responses, but it’s still on you to follow up thoughtfully.
- Watch for bounces or spam complaints: If you get a lot, pause and reevaluate your list and content.
- Check analytics: Open rates, reply rates, and unsubscribes matter. But don’t obsess; look for patterns, not perfection.
Pro tip: If you get a lot of “Not interested” replies, your targeting or messaging needs work—not your automation tool.
8. Iterate Based on Real Feedback
No sequence is perfect the first time. The best teams tweak as they go.
- Change your subject lines if open rates are low.
- Shorten your emails if people aren’t replying.
- Segment your list if you notice one group responds better than others.
What works: Small, regular improvements. What doesn’t: Rebuilding everything from scratch every time results dip.
What to Ignore (and What Not To)
- Ignore: Overly complex branching logic. Unless you’re a giant company, keep it simple.
- Ignore: Fancy HTML templates. Plain text almost always works better.
- Don’t ignore: Compliance. Make sure you have permission to email these people, and always include an unsubscribe link.
Keep It Simple—and Keep Tweaking
Automating personalized email sequences in ThorsHammer isn’t rocket science, but it does pay to start simple. Get your basics right: clean data, clear emails, and a short, focused sequence. Launch, watch what happens, and tweak as you go. Skip the shiny distractions, and you’ll save time—and probably get better results than most people chasing the next big thing.