Understanding campaign sequences and follow-ups

A campaign's sequence is the first email plus everything that follows it: follow-up emails and, optionally, reminder tasks for you. Each follow-up has a trigger (who should get it) and a wait (how long after the previous step). Every recipient moves through the sequence on their own timeline.

This page covers Email campaigns. Email + LinkedIn campaigns have their own builder, with LinkedIn steps and connection-based conditions instead of open and click triggers. See Email + LinkedIn campaigns.

The parts of a sequence

A sequence can have up to 20 emails and tasks, and the first step is always an email. The Sequence panel in the composer sidebar lists every step with its trigger and wait; click one to jump to it.

Add a follow-up

1. In the Email campaign composer, click Add a follow-up email below your last email.
2. Set the line at the top of the follow-up: choose a trigger, a number and a unit. A new follow-up starts as If no reply after 3 business days.
3. Write the body. By default the follow-up is sent as a reply in the same thread, so it appears as "Re:" plus your first subject and needs no subject of its own.

To add a to-do instead of an email, click or add a reminder task. You can also turn any follow-up into a task (or back) from its ⋮ menu.

Triggers

The trigger is checked when the follow-up comes due, not when the campaign starts. If it doesn't match, that follow-up is skipped for that person and they move on to the next step.

Opens and clicks count likely-human activity only: Distro filters out security scanners and image proxies. That makes If opened conservative, and If no open can still reach someone whose mail app opened the email automatically.

If you pick an open or click trigger while Track emails is off, the composer shows a notice with a Turn it on link, and the campaign can't be sent until you turn tracking on or change the trigger.

Waits

Each follow-up waits a number of hours, days or business days (1 to 365) after the previous step:

• The wait starts when the previous email actually went out for that person, not when the campaign launched.
• Business days skip Saturdays and Sundays. Days count every calendar day.
• When the wait ends, the email still has to fit your Autopilot sending days, sending hours and daily limit, so it can go out later than the wait alone suggests. See Schedule a campaign.

Same thread or new email

From a follow-up's ⋮ menu:

• Send as a new email starts a new conversation. It needs its own subject.
• Send as a reply instead goes back to replying in the same thread.

Reminder tasks

A reminder task appears in the campaign's Delivery tab under Your tasks when it comes due for a person. Mark it Done or Skip.

Other per-email options

From an email's ⋮ menu you can Insert a template, A/B test this email (test subject and body versions), and Send a test email to yourself. Each email can also carry attachments.

What always stops a sequence

Whatever the triggers say, Distro stops sending to someone who unsubscribes or whose email hard-bounces, and it never emails anyone on your Do Not Contact list. See What happens when a prospect replies, unsubscribes or bounces.

Once a campaign has launched, its sequence can't be changed. To send a revised version, duplicate the campaign.