If you’re sick of spending hours on repetitive outreach and want your messages to actually sound like a human wrote them, this guide’s for you. Whether you’re in sales, recruiting, partnerships, or just trying to get more replies, automating personalized outreach can save your sanity—if you set it up right. We’ll walk through how to use Browse to build outreach workflows that don’t sound like spam, skip the fluff, and actually work.
Why Automate Outreach—And Why Most People Screw It Up
Let’s get real: most “personalized” outreach isn’t personal at all. It’s mail merge with a first name field, and everyone can spot it a mile away. Automating outreach is only worth it if:
- Your messages don’t sound robotic.
- You’re not just blasting cold lists.
- You still do a bit of homework on each contact (even if the tools help).
The goal isn’t to trick people—it’s to save you time on the grunt work so you can focus on the conversations that matter.
What You Actually Need Before You Start
Don’t waste time automating a bad process. Here’s what you should have ready before opening up Browse:
- A clean list. Scraped lists full of dead emails and vague job titles will just get you blocked.
- A clear message. If you can’t explain why you’re reaching out in one line, you’re not ready.
- Some context for each person. Even a single note (e.g., their latest blog post, a shared connection) goes a long way.
If you’re missing any of these, pause here. Automation won’t magically fix bad targeting or a generic pitch.
Step 1: Set Up Your Data Sources in Browse
Browse lets you pull in data from a bunch of places—spreadsheets, CRMs, LinkedIn, you name it. The more context you can bring in, the more “personal” your outreach can be.
How to do it:
- Connect your source. Import your CSV, connect to Google Sheets, or link your CRM. Double-check field mapping—especially names, companies, and custom notes.
- Add enrichment if you want. Browse can pull extra info (like LinkedIn headlines or recent news) for each contact. Don’t go overboard—one or two relevant details is plenty.
Pro tip: Spot-check a few random rows after import. If anything looks off (e.g., “Hi ,” or mismatched company names), fix it now before it goes out to 200 people.
Step 2: Build Your Outreach Message Templates
Here’s where most people get lazy. Don’t just slap in “{{first_name}}”—everyone does that. Good templates mix static text with variables and leave room for you (or the tool) to add something specific.
How to do it:
- Write your core message. Short, friendly, and to the point. Example:
Hi {{first_name}},
Noticed you’re working at {{company}} and saw your recent post on {{topic}}. I’m reaching out because {{reason}}.
Would love to connect—if now’s not a good time, just let me know.
- Use smart placeholders. Browse supports custom fields, so you can pull in things like:
- Last article or post
- Mutual connection
- Recent news about their company
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Industry-specific hook
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Set up fallback values. Not everyone will have a “recent post” or “mutual connection.” Use something like “your recent work” or leave it blank if no data is there.
What to avoid:
- Overly formal intros (“Dear Sir/Madam…”)
- Gimmicky icebreakers (“Saw you like coffee—me too!”)
- War-and-peace-length emails
Keep it short. If it takes more than a minute to read, it’s too much.
Step 3: Choose Your Channels (Email, LinkedIn, Others)
Browse can help you automate outreach across multiple channels—but you shouldn’t use them all just because you can.
How to decide:
- Email: Still the best for most business outreach. Just don’t send huge batches from new accounts or you’ll end up in spam.
- LinkedIn: Good for warmer, professional conversations. Don’t automate mass connection requests—LinkedIn hates that, and so do recipients.
- Others (Twitter/X, SMS): Use sparingly. Only if you already have a relationship or clear reason.
Pro tip: Start with one channel. Once you’ve got replies and a working process, add another. Multichannel campaigns sound cool, but most folks just make more noise.
Step 4: Set Up Outreach Sequences in Browse
Sequences = a fancy way to say “follow-ups.” But they matter. Most replies come after the second or third attempt, not the first.
How to do it:
- Create a new workflow in Browse.
- Set your initial message: Use the template you built in Step 2.
- Add follow-ups: Space them out (2-5 days apart is typical). Keep follow-ups even shorter than your first message.
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Example follow-up:
Hi {{first_name}}, just bumping this up in case you missed it. No rush—let me know if you’re interested.
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Decide when to stop: Three attempts is a good max. After that, you’re probably just annoying people.
- Personalize as you go: If Browse pulls in new info (e.g., they just posted on LinkedIn), reference it in your next touch.
Pro tip: Don’t set and forget. Browse can automate the send, but you should tweak your sequences based on what actually gets replies.
Step 5: Review, Test, and Launch (Don’t Skip This!)
This is where most automation projects blow up. If you send out 200 emails and half of them start with “Hi ,” you’ll burn your list and maybe your domain.
Checklist before you hit send:
- Preview at least 10 random messages. Make sure the personalization fields work, nothing sounds weird, and fallback values look OK.
- Test send to yourself. See how it looks in real inboxes (Gmail, Outlook, etc.). Formatting can break, especially if you’re using HTML.
- Set volume limits. If your email account is new, start slow (20-40 per day). Ramp up over a couple weeks.
What to ignore: Fancy deliverability tricks, “AI copywriting hacks,” or promises of 80% reply rates. If someone says you can automate to 5,000 people a day with zero risk, they’re selling snake oil.
Step 6: Monitor Replies and Iterate
Automation is not “fire and forget.” The real work starts after you launch.
What to do:
- Reply fast. The sooner you respond to genuine interest, the better. Don’t let automation become an excuse to be slow.
- Track what works. Browse gives you basic analytics—opens, replies, bounces. Don’t obsess, but notice which messages get responses.
- Update your templates. If nobody replies to a certain approach, change it. If you get asked the same question a lot, add it to your outreach.
Pro tip: Unsubscribe or remove folks who ask not to be contacted again. Being annoying is a fast way to get flagged as spam.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Skip
Works: - Real personalization (not just a name) - Short, clear messages - Respectful follow-ups
Doesn’t work: - Over-automating everything (especially on LinkedIn) - Huge, untargeted lists - Gimmicky subject lines
Skip: - Overly complex workflows - Chasing “deliverability hacks” instead of better targeting - Tools that promise “AI conversations at scale” (nobody’s fooled)
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Here’s the bottom line: Automation saves you time, but it won’t fix bad outreach. Start small, check your work, and improve as you go. Browse is a handy tool, but it’s not magic. The real magic comes from clear messages, a good list, and a little bit of care in each touch.
You’ll get better results by keeping things simple, personal, and honest. Don’t overthink it—just get started, see what works, and tweak from there. Your future self (and your reply rate) will thank you.