# How to set up an outreach sequence

> Create an OpenATS sequence of outreach emails and tasks, set its sending schedule, enroll people, and see what stops it.

In **Sequences**, name a new sequence, pick its sourcing project and choose **Create sequence**. It starts with an email, a follow-up after 72 hours and a task; edit the steps and the **Sending schedule**, then enroll people with **Add from shortlist**. A reply, a bounce or an unsubscribe stops it for that person.

*Email & sequences · Last updated 2026-11-11*

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## Create a sequence

1. Open **Sequences** in the sidebar.
2. Enter a **New sequence name** and pick a sourcing project.
   **No project yet** is fine; you can add one later.
3. Choose **Create sequence**.
   It starts with three steps: an email straight away, a follow-up email after 72 hours, and a manual task after 72 more.
4. Edit the steps.
   Each delay begins after the previous step. A sequence has up to 12 steps.
5. Set the **Sending schedule**, then enroll people.

### Steps

| Step | What happens |
| --- | --- |
| **Email** | An email in your words, with tokens such as `{{first_name}}`, `{{job_title}}`, `{{company_name}}` and `{{sender_name}}`. In a sequence, `{{company_name}}` is the role’s client, or “our team”. |
| **Manual task** | A reminder for you to do something yourself, such as a call. |
| **SMS** and **WhatsApp** | A text message, where your workspace has text messaging set up and the person agreed to messages. |

Each step has **Wait N hours** before it, up to 2,160 hours (90 days).

### Sending schedule

Pick the sequence’s **Timezone**, the hours it sends (**From** and **Until**, 09:00 to 17:00 to begin with) and its **Daily send limit** (50 to begin with, up to 200). Sequences send Monday to Friday, and the limit counts emails, texts and tasks together.

## Enroll people

Choose **Add from shortlist** to enroll people from the sequence’s sourcing project, up to 100 at a time. People who opted out, bounced, are off-limits, or have no address or consent for that kind of step can’t be picked.

Each email waits for your approval on the **Automated emails** page, unless an admin turned on **Send without approval**.

> **Important:** Sequence emails go from the sender’s own Gmail, so that a reply can stop the sequence. Connect Gmail with sending on (the inbox card lists **Sends email**). Without it, people are paused until you do.

## What stops a sequence

- They reply, to any email, once they’re enrolled: **Replied**.
- An email bounces: **Bounced**.
- They unsubscribe: **Unsubscribed**.
- They’re marked do-not-contact or not interested anywhere: **Canceled**.
- Three emails have gone unanswered: “Two follow-ups … already went unanswered.”
- They become off-limits.

Every sequence email ends with a short line and a link to unsubscribe, and carries the headers that let mail apps show an Unsubscribe button. Unsubscribing stops every sequence they’re in, but never emails about their own applications.

You can also set someone’s status yourself: changing them to replied, interested or unsubscribed stops their next step straight away. Marking someone unsubscribed also marks them do-not-contact in the project.

## Changing a live sequence

Pause a sequence before editing it. Once anyone is enrolled its steps are fixed: create a new sequence to change them.

## Questions about set up an outreach sequence

### Who can use sequences?

Admins, managers and team members. Limited members and interviewers don’t see **Sequences**.

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Still need help? Write to the OpenATS team at https://openats.ai/support (or support@b150.ai). We reply by email.

Source: https://openats.ai/docs/email-and-sequences/sequences
OpenATS help center: https://openats.ai/docs