How to create a cold email campaign

A campaign sends a sequence of automatic emails to the leads of an Analysis or a List: a first email and several follow-ups that only go out if the contact meets what you have defined, for example not replying. It is created in 6 steps.

Requirements

• Leads: an Analysis or a List with contacts that have an email.
• At least one connected sending mailbox: Gmail, Outlook, SMTP or a purchased mailbox.
• A plan with campaigns available: each plan has a campaign limit.

Step 1: Name

Give it an internal name that helps you recognize the campaign. Only you see it, so it can be descriptive, for example Facebook Ads Agencies May or Barcelona Dental Clinics.

Step 2: Leads

Choose the source of the contacts in the Analysis or Lists tabs. In this step you can also verify the emails so you don't send to invalid addresses.

Before continuing, think about who you are writing to: who your ideal customer is, what problem they have and why they should reply to you. The more specific the audience, the better the results.

Step 3: Sequence

Here you write the first email, with subject and body. Then you can add follow-ups, setting how many days to wait between one and the next.

• Subject line: its only goal is to get the email opened, not to sell. Keep it short, natural and curiosity-sparking, for example An idea for your company, Quick question or I found you on Instagram. Avoid excessive capitals, too many emojis, exaggerated promises and anything that sounds like advertising.
• Body: short and easy to read. Short sentences, a single goal per email and a clear call to action.
• Personalization: use variables, for example Hi {{first_name}},. Mailerfind replaces them with each contact's data. You have more details in How to personalize your emails with variable fields.
• Email AI: the built-in assistant can create a draft, give you ideas or improve a message you already have. Always review it before sending.

More details about follow-ups in How to create follow-up emails.

Step 4: Sending accounts

Choose which mailboxes the campaign is sent from. You can choose several: this spreads the volume, lowers the spam risk and protects each account's reputation.

Step 5: Settings

Define:

• Sending schedule: time window and sending days. It is best to send during working hours and avoid the night.
• Behavior: when to stop contacting someone.
• Reputation protection.

Step 6: Review and launch

Check the summary and launch the campaign. Before that, send a test email to yourself and check the design, spelling, variables and links.

When the campaign is running, its page shows the statistics, the list of contacts and the status of each one.

Review the results

Check the metrics from time to time:

• Open rate.
• Reply rate.
• Bounces.
• Unsubscribes.

Cold email is an iterative process: the campaigns that work best are the ones that are constantly reviewed and improved.

Recommendations

• Prioritize the quality of segmentation over volume.
• Keep emails short and direct.
• Personalize whenever you can.
• Run a test before every launch.
• Increase the number of sends gradually.

Limits and things to keep in mind

• Replies: to detect them, the mailbox must have its inbox connected. An SMTP mailbox used only for sending does not detect them and the campaign will not stop when someone replies. Mailerfind warns you if no mailbox in the campaign has it connected.
• Mailbox provider: emails are sent from a mailbox of the same provider as the recipient's, Gmail with Gmail and Outlook with Outlook, to improve deliverability. This can't be configured.
• Sending pace: it is calculated from the time window and the daily limit of each mailbox. There is no every X minutes option.
• Priority: if there is a long queue, follow-ups go out before first emails.
• Campaigns: there is a limit depending on your plan.

Frequently asked questions

Replies aren't detected or the campaign doesn't stop when people reply

The mailbox doesn't have its inbox connected. Connect it so detection works.

The campaign isn't sending or it has stalled

There may be no valid mailboxes, you may be outside the time window, or the mailbox may have reached its daily limit. It can also pause by itself if bounces rise sharply, as part of reputation protection.

I can't create any more campaigns

You have reached your plan's campaign limit. To have more, upgrade your plan.

It's not sending to some contacts

Most likely their email came out invalid in the verification, or you have already contacted them before and have the option not to recontact turned on.

Updated on: 13/10/2026