If you're juggling email, SMS, phone, and LinkedIn DMs (and maybe wondering why half your prospects ghost you), this guide is for you. We'll walk through setting up and dialing in multi-channel outreach campaigns in Contactbird—minus the fluff and wishful thinking. Whether you're in sales, customer success, or just need more replies, you'll get the gritty how-tos, honest advice, and a few caveats to keep you from wasting time.
Step 1: Get Your Contacts and Channels Ready
Before you even open Contactbird, get your ducks in a row. Multi-channel only works if your data isn’t a mess and you know which channels actually matter for your audience.
What to prep: - Contact list: Names, emails, phone numbers, LinkedIn URLs. Missing data? Either fill it in or be ready to skip channels. - Channel permissions: Make sure you’re allowed to contact these folks by each method. Nothing tanks deliverability like spam complaints. - Messaging basics: Don’t try to write clever copy in the campaign builder. Draft your messages beforehand—one for each channel.
Pro tip: Don’t force every channel for every contact. If you only have email for half your list, don’t pretend you can do a “multi-channel” campaign for all of them. Segment up front.
Step 2: Set Up a Multi-Channel Campaign in Contactbird
Now, log into Contactbird and start a new campaign. The UI’s pretty straightforward, but there are a few things you’ll want to watch for.
- Create a new campaign
- Navigate to the Campaigns section and hit “New Campaign.”
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Name it something you’ll recognize in a month. (“LinkedIn+Email Q2 2024” beats “OutreachTest.”)
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Import your contact list
- Upload a CSV or sync with your CRM.
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Double-check the field mapping—a lot of “automation” platforms choke here and you’ll end up with “First Name: John Doe.”
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Pick your channels
- Contactbird lets you add steps: Email, SMS, Phone, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, etc.
- Drag and drop your steps in the order you want. Typical sequences:
- Email → LinkedIn DM → Email follow-up
- SMS → Phone call → Email
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Not every contact needs every step. Set rules to skip a channel if data is missing.
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Write or paste your messages
- Templates help, but personalize where you can. Merge fields for names, company, etc.
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Don’t overthink the first message. Clear, short, and specific beats clever.
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Set your schedule and delays
- Space out steps based on real-world response times. Bombarding people back-to-back is a fast track to unsubscribes.
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Example: Day 1 email, Day 3 LinkedIn, Day 5 follow-up email.
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Review and test
- Send test messages to yourself. Check for broken merge fields, typos, or “Hi {first_name}” fails.
- Make sure opt-out links work for email/SMS.
Things that don’t work:
- Copy-pasting the same message across channels. People notice.
- Over-automating—if you try to run a 7-step sequence for every contact, you’ll mostly annoy people.
Step 3: Launch and Monitor (But Don’t Go on Autopilot)
With your campaign built, you’re ready to go live. But don’t just “set it and forget it” (unless your goal is to annoy people at scale).
How to launch smart: - Start with a small test batch (20–50 contacts). Watch results and tweak before blasting everyone. - Keep an eye on deliverability—bounces, spam flags, and reply rates. - Contactbird’s dashboard will show you opens, clicks, replies, and call outcomes. Don’t get obsessed with vanity metrics (like open rates)—track real replies and conversations.
What to watch out for: - Deliverability drops: If your reply rate tanks or you get bounces, fix your list or messaging before moving on. - Channel fatigue: If you get ignored on LinkedIn after emailing, maybe skip the DM step for that segment. - Legal stuff: Make sure you’re following opt-out rules and local regulations, especially for SMS and calls.
Pro tip: Build in “human review” steps if you can. For high-value prospects, pause automation after a reply or a certain step. Sometimes a real follow-up beats another template.
Step 4: Optimize—Keep What Works, Ditch What Doesn’t
The real secret sauce? Iteration. Most campaigns flop on the first try. That’s normal. The trick is to see what actually works and double down on it.
What to measure: - Reply rates by channel: If nobody replies to your SMS, stop sending them. - Sequence drop-offs: Are you losing people after a certain step? Maybe your LinkedIn message is too pushy. - Time to response: If all your replies come after the first email, maybe you don’t need follow-ups.
How to improve: - A/B test subject lines and first messages, but keep it simple. Don’t run 10 variations at once. - Shorten your sequence if you see diminishing returns. More steps don’t mean more replies. - Swap in new channels only if you have a good reason (e.g., WhatsApp works in one geography, not another).
Ignore the hype:
- “Omni-channel” doesn’t mean you must use every channel. Pick the ones your audience actually cares about.
- Don’t chase every new feature or integration. Stick with what gets you real conversations.
Step 5: Keep It Clean and Repeatable
Nothing kills a campaign like a messy process or bad data. Set yourself up for easy repeats.
Habits to build: - Regularly clean your lists. Remove bounced emails and opt-outs. - Save your best-performing templates in Contactbird for the next round. - Document what you changed and why—future you will thank you.
Don’t bother with: - Overly fancy reporting dashboards. They look nice but rarely change what you do. - Automating every single reply. Use canned responses, but know when to take over.
Quick Real-World Tips
- Don’t use all caps, exclamation points, or “just following up” in your messaging. It screams spam.
- If a channel is totally silent, it’s not your copy—it’s just not the right channel for your audience.
- Don’t wait weeks to tweak your sequence. Make small changes every few days and see what moves the needle.
Wrap-Up: Simple, Honest, Repeatable
Multi-channel outreach in Contactbird isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to overcomplicate. Start with a clean list, a simple sequence, and honest messages. Watch what works, double down, and cut what doesn’t. Forget the “growth hacks”—just get real conversations started, and you’ll be ahead of most folks drowning in automation. Iterate, stay human, and keep it simple. That’s what actually works.