Automated outreach is a lifesaver for B2B sales teams—but only if you set it up right. Too many folks throw money at tools, blast out generic messages, and wonder why nothing lands. If you want real results and not just a full “sent” folder, this guide is for you. We’ll walk through setting up outreach in Nooks, a popular sales engagement platform, and call out what actually matters along the way.
Whether you’re a sales rep tired of manual follow-ups, or a founder juggling too much, this is the guide I wish I’d had starting out.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Outreach Goals (Seriously, Don’t Skip This)
Before you even open Nooks, you need a plan. That means:
- Who are you targeting? (Company size, role, industry, etc.)
- What do you want them to do? (Book a call? Download something? Reply?)
- How will you measure success? (Replies? Meetings? Deals closed?)
Why this matters: Automated outreach without clear goals is just spam. And spam gets ignored, reported, or worse—hurts your reputation.
Pro tip: Write down your ICP (ideal customer profile) and a simple outreach goal before you start. Keep it visible.
Step 2: Prep Your Contact List—Don’t Just Import Everything
Your outreach is only as good as your list. Nooks lets you import leads from CSV, CRM, or integrations, but quality beats quantity every time.
What works:
- Well-researched, up-to-date contacts (no more “Hi [FirstName]” fails)
- Segmented lists (by persona, industry, or buying stage)
- Verified emails and LinkedIn URLs
What doesn’t:
- Dumping your entire CRM into Nooks and praying for the best
- Using bought lists (you’ll get flagged as spam, and it’s just lazy)
- Skipping data hygiene—bounces kill your sender reputation
Quick checklist:
- [ ] Remove duplicates and junk contacts
- [ ] Verify emails
- [ ] Organize into logical segments (ex: “SaaS VPs,” “Manufacturing Ops Directors”)
Step 3: Connect Your Sending Accounts (Email & LinkedIn)
Nooks supports multi-channel outreach—usually email and LinkedIn. Setting this up right is key to deliverability and not getting banned.
- Connect a real, warmed-up business email. Don’t use your main domain for cold outreach. Set up a subdomain (like
sales.yourcompany.com)—it looks legit but keeps your main inbox safe. - Authenticate with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. If you don’t know what these are, ask IT or Google it—without them, you’re destined for spam folders.
- Daily send limits: Start slow (20-50/day), then ramp up. Never blast 500/day out of the gate.
- Connect your LinkedIn account. Use the browser plugin or official integration.
- Don’t send too many connection requests. LinkedIn is quick to flag abuse. Keep it human—no more than 20-30/day for new accounts.
Pro tip: Rotate sending accounts if you’re scaling. But don’t overcomplicate this if you’re just starting.
Step 4: Write Messages That Don’t Suck
Templates are fine, but most are terrible. If your message sounds like a robot wrote it, you’re going straight to the trash.
What works:
- Short, conversational intros (“Saw you’re building out a sales team at Acme…”)
- Personalization (mention something real about them or their company)
- Clear ask (“Are you the right person for a quick chat about X?”)
- Follow-up sequence (2-4 messages, spaced out, not desperate)
What doesn’t:
- “I hope this email finds you well…” (everyone hates this)
- Huge paragraphs or walls of text
- Asking for a meeting in the first sentence
Example Email Sequence
- First touch: Simple intro + value (“Noticed you just raised a round—congrats. Curious if you’re exploring new outbound tools?”)
- Follow-up 1: Gentle reminder (“Just bumping this in case you missed it.”)
- Follow-up 2: Add a useful resource (“Saw this article on outbound benchmarks—thought of your team.”)
- Breakup: Short and polite (“If now’s not the right time, no worries—just let me know.”)
Pro tip: Write like a human. If you wouldn’t say it at a coffee shop, don’t send it.
Step 5: Build and Launch Your Campaign in Nooks
Now’s the time to actually use Nooks. Here’s how to do it without getting lost in menus:
- Create a new campaign.
- Give it a name that makes sense (“Q2 SaaS CEOs,” not “Outreach Campaign 1”)
- Upload your cleaned contact list.
- Double-check mapping for fields like “First Name,” “Company,” etc.
- Add your message sequence.
- Paste in your emails and LinkedIn steps.
- Use personalization tokens, but test them first—nothing kills credibility like “Hi {FirstName}.”
- Set sending schedule and limits.
- Spread out sends across the week.
- Avoid weekends (nobody wants to get pitched on Sunday).
- Test your campaign.
- Send to yourself and a colleague. Check formatting, links, tokens.
- Go live.
- Start small, watch for issues. Don’t panic if nobody replies on day one—give it a week.
Step 6: Monitor, Iterate, and Don’t Get Lazy
This is where most people drop the ball. Automation isn’t autopilot.
What to watch:
- Reply rates: Are people responding at all? If not, tweak your messaging or list.
- Bounce/spam rates: Too high? You need better data or a different sending account.
- LinkedIn limits: If you’re getting warnings, back off.
- Positive vs. negative replies: Don’t just count “any” reply—are people interested, or just telling you to stop?
Keep improving:
- Change one thing at a time (subject line, intro, timing) and see what moves the needle.
- Archive dead campaigns, don’t just keep adding more noise.
- Respond to replies fast—automation gets you in the door, but humans close deals.
Pro tip: Track what actually books meetings, not just opens or clicks. That’s all that matters.
What to Ignore (For Now)
- Obsessing over fancy A/B testing: You don’t need 10 subject lines. Get one solid message working first.
- Buying more tools: Nooks covers most outreach needs. Don’t stack on more software unless you hit a real wall.
- Vanity metrics: Opens are nice, but meetings and replies pay the bills.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Ship, and Iterate
Automated outreach in Nooks isn’t magic. It’s a tool—how you use it matters way more than what features it has. Start with a tight list, send real messages, and watch your results. If something’s not working, fix it. If it is, do more of it.
Don’t overthink it. Launch, learn, and keep tweaking. That’s how real B2B sales teams win.
Go get those meetings.