If you’re juggling dozens (or hundreds) of leads, you know following up is everything. But it’s also a pain. This guide is for sales reps, founders, and anyone tired of letting leads slip through the cracks. We’ll walk through setting up automated lead follow-ups in Breakcold—step by step, without any hand-waving or empty promises.
If you want a magic bullet, look elsewhere. If you want to actually save time and close more deals, read on.
Why automate follow-ups in the first place?
Manual follow-ups are easy to skip and even easier to mess up. People get busy. CRMs get cluttered. If you’re relying on sticky notes or your memory, you’re already losing leads.
Automation won’t make you a sales superstar overnight, but it does make sure your leads actually hear from you, on time, every time. That’s the real edge.
What works: - Consistent, timely outreach (people notice) - No more “Oops, I forgot to email them” moments - More time to focus on warm leads, less on chasing cold ones
What doesn’t: - “Set it and forget it” (you’ll still need to monitor and tweak) - Spammy, generic messages (they get ignored or flagged)
What you need before you start
Don’t dive in without lining up the basics. Here’s what you need on hand:
- A Breakcold account (duh): If you don’t have one, sign up and poke around first.
- Your lead list: Ideally, this is a CSV or spreadsheet with names, emails, and any useful context.
- Your follow-up message templates: Don’t stress about perfection—just have drafts ready.
- Basic idea of your sales process: How many follow-ups? How far apart? What’s your end goal?
Pro tip: You can tweak everything later. Don’t let “I need the perfect template” slow you down.
Step 1: Import your leads into Breakcold
First, get everyone in one place.
- Log in to your Breakcold dashboard.
- Find the “Leads” or “Contacts” section—Breakcold sometimes shifts naming, but it’s usually on the sidebar.
- Click “Import” (look for a button or link—usually top right).
- Upload your CSV or connect to your existing CRM (if you use one). Breakcold has basic import mapping—just make sure emails and names end up in the right fields.
- Double-check that your leads look right after import. Bad data here means headaches later.
What to ignore: - Fancy enrichment or data cleaning for now. Focus on getting something in—you can always tidy up later.
Step 2: Set up your outreach sequence
This is where automation begins.
- In Breakcold, go to “Sequences” or “Campaigns.”
- Click “Create new sequence.”
- Name your sequence something obvious (e.g., “Q2 follow-up - SaaS leads”).
- Add your first email step. This is the initial follow-up. Paste in your draft message, and use merge fields (like {{FirstName}}) so it doesn’t sound like it came from a robot.
- Add more steps for additional follow-ups. Most people do 2–4 total, spaced a few days apart. Example:
- Day 1: Intro email
- Day 3: Quick check-in
- Day 7: “Just making sure” nudge
- Day 14: “Should I close your file?”
- For each step, set the timing (how many days after the last step).
- Review the sequence flow. You want it to feel human, not desperate or spammy.
Pro tips: - Keep messages short. Nobody reads walls of text from strangers. - Personalize the first line if you can. Even a “Saw you recently launched X—congrats” works better than nothing. - Don’t go overboard with follow-ups. Four steps is usually enough.
Step 3: Connect your email account
Breakcold can’t send emails for you unless it has access.
- Go to your settings or the “Email” tab.
- Click “Connect email.” You’ll see options like Gmail, Outlook, or custom SMTP.
- Follow the prompts. You may need to grant permissions or enter your email/password (or app password).
- Send a test email to yourself to make sure it’s working.
Heads up:
If you’re using a personal Gmail or Outlook, be aware of sending limits. Too many emails at once can get you flagged. If you have a company domain, use that.
Step 4: Add leads to your sequence
Now it’s time to put those leads on autopilot.
- Go back to your “Leads” list.
- Select the leads you want to enroll in your sequence. You can usually filter by tag, status, or just select all.
- Click “Add to sequence” (the wording might be “Enroll” or “Start campaign”).
- Pick the sequence you set up earlier.
- Confirm and activate.
Breakcold will now drip out your messages on the schedule you set. You’ll see upcoming sends and can pause or remove leads if needed.
Step 5: Monitor replies and adjust
Automation isn’t magic—you still need to check in.
- Watch the replies. Breakcold can track responses (and sometimes auto-pause sequences for anyone who replies).
- Check your open and reply rates. If nobody’s biting, tweak your subject lines or timing.
- Move leads to “Warm,” “Interested,” or whatever makes sense in your pipeline.
- Unenroll anyone who asks not to be contacted or who’s clearly not a fit.
What works: - Respond quickly when someone replies (the whole point is to start conversations, not just send emails). - Adjust your follow-up timing if you see drop-off after a certain step.
What doesn’t: - Blasting the same message to everyone forever. Eventually, you have to change it up.
Step 6: Keep it clean and compliant
Cold outreach has rules. Don’t ignore them.
- Make sure your emails include a way to opt out (most CRMs handle this, but double-check).
- Don’t harass people—3–4 follow-ups max is enough. If they’re not interested, drop it.
- If you’re emailing EU residents, know your GDPR basics.
- Don’t import bought email lists. Not only does it rarely work, but you can get blacklisted fast.
What to skip (for now)
There’s always some shiny new feature—A/B tests, AI-powered icebreakers, social media scraping. Most of it’s overkill for getting started.
Focus on: - Clean lead list - Simple, personal emails - Consistent follow-up rhythm
Once you’ve got replies coming in, then experiment with fancier stuff.
Troubleshooting: Common issues
Low reply rates? - Try shorter, more direct emails. - Adjust your subject lines. “Quick question” still works, but don’t overuse it. - Double-check your sending domain isn’t blacklisted.
Emails going to spam? - Warm up your domain (send real, manual emails first). - Avoid too many links or images. - Don’t send 500 emails in a day from a new account.
Breakcold acting up? - Log out and back in (yes, really). - Check their support docs or help chat. Sometimes the bug is on their end, not yours.
Wrapping up: Iterate, don’t overthink
Automated follow-ups in Breakcold aren’t rocket science, but they do take a bit of setup. Don’t aim for perfection—aim for done. You can always go back and tweak your templates or try new sequences.
Keep it simple, watch what works, and double down on that. The best automation is the one you actually use. Good luck—and here’s hoping your “just following up” emails actually get a response this time.