If you’re tired of sending cold messages that go nowhere, or you’re overwhelmed by “growth hacks” that never quite deliver, you’re in the right place. This guide walks you step by step through building an outbound campaign in Superwave that you can actually scale—without losing your mind, your budget, or your reputation.
This isn’t a hype piece. It’s for marketers, sales folks, or founders who want real results, not wishful thinking. Let’s get into it.
Step 1: Get Your Basics Straight
Before you click anything, slow down. Outbound fails when you skip the basics.
Decide: - Who you want to reach - Why they should care - What you want them to do
Don’t: - Buy a list and blast everyone. That’s spam. - Write for “decision-makers at SMBs.” Be specific. “Operations managers at 100-500 person logistics companies” is better.
Pro tip: Write a single sentence describing your ideal prospect. If you can’t? You’re not ready.
Step 2: Prep Your Data
Superwave is powerful, but garbage in, garbage out. Clean data is 80% of outbound.
Do: - Start with a list you actually know something about (LinkedIn scraping, verified tools, or hand-built is fine—just make sure it’s accurate). - Check for missing names, broken emails, duplicates, or obvious spam traps. - Segment by what matters: industry, job title, geography, recent funding, etc.
Don’t: - Buy cheap data. It’ll burn your domain fast. - Assume more = better. 200 great leads beat 2,000 randoms every time.
Reality check: If you can’t vouch for the list, don’t use it.
Step 3: Set Up Superwave The Right Way
Time to get into Superwave itself. Don’t just click around—set it up properly.
- Create a new campaign
- Name it clearly. (“Q2 Logistics Outbound” > “Test”)
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Set your sending domain. Warm up new domains if you’re sending high volume. (Superwave has guides, but don’t expect miracles overnight.)
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Import your leads
- Map fields carefully. “First Name” to “First Name.” Double-check before importing.
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Tag or segment leads within Superwave if you plan to personalize by group.
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Connect your sending email
- Use a real domain. Avoid free Gmail/Yahoo addresses—they look sketchy.
- Set up SPF/DKIM. If this makes your eyes glaze over, ask your IT person or use Superwave’s help docs. Deliverability matters.
Heads up: If you skip domain setup, your emails will go to spam. Every. Single. Time.
Step 4: Write Your Outbound Sequences (Don’t Overthink It)
The best campaigns sound human, not like a robot wrote them. Superwave lets you build sequences—use this to your advantage.
Crafting your sequence
- Email 1: Short, simple, direct. One ask.
- Follow-ups: 2–3 max. Each should add value or a new angle, not just “bumping this to the top.”
What works: - Personalization tokens (first name, company, recent event) - A real reason for reaching out (“Saw you just expanded in Texas” beats “Hope you’re well”) - Subject lines that don’t scream “marketing”
What doesn’t: - Novel-length intros - Gimmicks or fake “RE:” threads - Attachments (they kill deliverability)
Example structure:
plaintext Subject: Quick question about [Company]
Hi [First Name],
Saw [Company] just [recent news]. Wondering if you’re looking at [problem your tool solves]? Happy to share what we’re seeing in [industry].
Worth a chat?
Pro tip: Write your first draft, then cut 30% of the words. If it sounds like you, you’re on the right track.
Step 5: Set Sending Logic and Schedule
Superwave lets you set up sending windows, daily limits, time zones—don’t ignore these.
Best practices: - Send times: Weekdays, local business hours (not 3am). Superwave can handle time zones, but check your settings. - Volume: Start slow (50–100/day per inbox). Ramp up only after you see no deliverability issues. - Throttling: Use random delays between sends so you don’t trip spam filters.
Mistakes to avoid: - Blasting 1,000 emails on day one. You’ll get flagged. - Ignoring bounces or replies. Always monitor your reply-to inbox.
Reality check: More emails ≠ more meetings. Quality still wins.
Step 6: Set Up Tracking and Replies
You want responses, not just opens. Superwave tracks opens, clicks, replies, and unsubscribes.
Set up: - Reply handling: Route replies to someone who will actually answer them. Don’t let warm leads die in a black hole. - Link tracking: Use it, but don’t overdo it. Too many links = spammy. - Unsubscribe option: Always include it. It’s the law, but it also saves your sender reputation.
What to ignore: - Obsessing over open rates. Focus on replies and meetings booked. - Fancy dashboards. Look for clear signals: Are people responding? Are you booking calls?
Step 7: Launch, Monitor, and Adjust
Hit “go,” but don’t disappear. The first days tell you what’s working.
Monitor: - Deliverability: Are you getting high bounce rates? Pause and clean your list. - Reply rates: Under 2%? Your messaging needs work. - Negative replies: Learn from them. If you’re getting “Stop emailing me” a lot, rethink your approach.
Adjust: - Change subject lines if open rates are dead. - Tweak messaging for different segments. - Kill underperforming sequences and double down on what gets replies.
Pro tip: Review replies personally for the first week. You’ll spot patterns no dashboard will show you.
Step 8: Scale (But Don’t Get Greedy)
Once you’ve got a sequence that works, scaling up in Superwave is simple—but scaling bad habits just makes bigger problems.
How to scale safely: - Add more inboxes (with warmed-up domains) - Keep daily send limits sane (Superwave’s default recommendations are pretty safe) - Make small tweaks, not massive overhauls
Don’t: - Buy a bigger list and hope for the best - Automate everything and walk away - Ignore unsubscribes or complaints
Honest take: If your original campaign isn’t performing, scaling won’t magically fix it. Fix first, then scale.
Step 9: Stay Out of the Spam Folder
This isn’t just a Superwave thing—this is true for all outbound.
Rules to live by: - Never buy sketchy lists - Warm up every new sending domain - Don’t send the same message to 10,000 people - Regularly prune non-responders and bounces from your lists
Superwave helps, but you still have to use some common sense.
Step 10: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Don’t get caught up in endless automation or “AI personalization” hype. The best campaigns are the ones you actually run, learn from, and improve over time.
- Start small
- Review real replies
- Make one change at a time
- Repeat
You’ll get further doing the basics well than chasing silver bullets. Superwave is a solid tool, but it won’t save a broken process. Keep it simple, stay skeptical, and iterate as you go. That’s how you actually scale.