If you’re doing outbound prospecting, you know the drill: tons of outreach, repetitive follow-ups, and a lot of noise. You want to keep things organized, move fast, and not let anything slip through the cracks. If you’re curious whether Superhuman can actually help you manage this mess, you’re in the right place.
This guide is for salespeople, founders, and anyone running outbound campaigns who loves email but hates clunky CRMs and bloated sales tools. We’ll walk through a realistic workflow using Superhuman, call out what works, and save you some headaches.
Why use Superhuman for outbound prospecting?
Let’s be honest: Superhuman isn’t a sales engagement platform. It’s an email client, built for speed. You won’t get automated sequences, dialers, or intent data. What you do get is a blazingly fast inbox, robust keyboard shortcuts, and just enough workflow tools to stay sane if you’re running a lean, targeted outbound campaign.
Superhuman is best for people who:
- Live in their inbox and want fewer distractions
- Prefer a lightweight workflow over heavy tools like Outreach or Salesforce
- Value speed and clarity over complicated automations
If you’re running massive, multi-touch campaigns to thousands, you’ll outgrow Superhuman fast. But for tight, personalized outbound to 10-100 prospects at a time? It’s hard to beat.
Step 1: Organize your prospect list outside Superhuman
First things first: Superhuman doesn’t manage lists. Keep your list of prospects in a spreadsheet, Airtable, or a real CRM. Don’t try to shoehorn Superhuman into being a database—it’ll just slow you down.
What you need: - A spreadsheet with columns for Name, Email, Company, Last Contacted, and Status (e.g., “Contacted”, “Followed Up”, “Replied”, “Dead”) - Optional: a notes column for personal details or context
Pro tip: Keep it simple. Complicated tracking slows you down and you’ll end up ignoring it.
Step 2: Set up Superhuman for outbound
Now, tune Superhuman for outbound work. Here’s how:
Create outbound-specific labels
Superhuman uses Gmail labels. Set up a few that matter to you, like:
- Outbound/Prospects
- Outbound/Follow Up
- Outbound/Hot
- Outbound/Dead
Keep it minimal. Don’t go wild with labels—you’ll end up not using them.
Build canned responses (Snippets)
Superhuman calls them Snippets. Use them for: - First outreach emails - Follow-up templates (“Just bumping this up…”) - Quick responses for common objections
How:
- Hit Cmd+K (or Ctrl+K) and type “Create Snippet”
- Give it a short, memorable shortcut (e.g., ;intro)
- Personalize as much as you can—don’t spray-and-pray
Set up reminders
Superhuman lets you “remind me if no reply” for outbound emails:
- Compose your email
- Hit Cmd+Shift+R (or use the “Remind me” button)
- Choose when to be reminded (e.g., 3 days if no reply)
This is your safety net for follow-ups.
Step 3: Send personalized emails, fast
This is where Superhuman shines. You want to move quickly, but with a human touch—no “Hi {FirstName}” mail merges here.
The workflow:
- Open your prospect list (your spreadsheet or CRM)
- Copy-paste the email address into Superhuman
- Use a Snippet for your template, but personalize the first couple lines for each prospect
- Set “Remind me if no reply” for 2-5 days out, depending on your cadence
- Add the appropriate label (e.g.,
Outbound/Prospects)
What works:
You’ll fly through your list, and it’ll actually sound like you wrote each email (because you did).
What doesn’t:
Superhuman doesn’t do bulk mail merges. If you want to send 100 emails at once, look elsewhere.
Step 4: Track responses and keep your pipeline moving
You’ll get responses right in your inbox, so triage is easy. Here’s how to keep things straight:
- Positive replies: Move them to
Outbound/Hotor whatever label means “in play.” - Not interested/dead ends: Label as
Outbound/Deadand move on. - No response: When your reminder comes up, reply again or mark as
Outbound/Follow Up.
Pro tip: Update your spreadsheet/CRM after each batch of outreach. It’s not glamorous, but it’s the only way to have a real record.
What to ignore:
Don’t bother with endless sub-labels or color-coding. That’s just busywork.
Step 5: Follow up (without being annoying)
Most replies come on the second or third email, not the first. When your reminder triggers, keep it short and polite. Resist the urge to send a whole new pitch—just nudge.
Sample follow-up:
Hi {{Name}}, just wanted to check in on my note below. Let me know if this isn’t a fit. Thanks!
Use a Snippet for this, but always double-check for tone.
How many times to follow up?
3-4 touches is the sweet spot for most outbound. After that, archive and move on.
Step 6: Stay focused and avoid “email drift”
It’s easy to get lost in your inbox and start chasing every little thing. Here’s how to keep outbound from turning into a time sink:
- Set a timer for outbound blocks. (30-45 minutes is plenty.)
- Don’t check your inbox all day—batch your prospecting.
- Use Superhuman’s Split Inbox feature to keep “Outbound” stuff separate from everything else. (Set up a split for your outbound labels.)
What works:
Focused sprints. You’ll get more done and avoid the “just one more email” trap.
What doesn’t:
Chasing every notification in real time. Turn off badges, sounds, and distractions.
Step 7: Review and refine your process
Outbound is all about iteration. Every week or two, look at: - Which emails are getting replies (and which aren’t) - Which prospects convert (and why) - How many follow-ups you’re sending before getting a response
Make small tweaks. Change your subject lines. Tighten your templates. Cut dead weight from your list.
What to ignore:
Don’t obsess over open rates or click tracking. Superhuman isn’t built for that, and honestly, neither are most prospects. Focus on real replies.
Honest pros and cons of using Superhuman for outbound
Works well if: - You want a fast, distraction-free workflow - Your campaigns are highly targeted and personal - You hate clunky CRM UIs
Doesn’t work if: - You need automated sequences/mass mail merges - You want deep reporting or analytics - You’re managing a huge team and need collaboration features
Superhuman is great for the solo operator or small team who cares about quality over quantity. If you want to scale up, you’ll eventually want a true sales engagement tool.
Final thoughts: Keep it simple, iterate fast
Outbound prospecting is hard enough—don’t bury yourself in process. With Superhuman, you can move fast, stay organized, and actually enjoy sending email again. Keep your system lightweight, adjust as you go, and focus on conversations, not clicks.
The best system is the one you’ll actually use. Start simple, and tweak only when you need to. Happy prospecting.