Write subject and email instructions

Who this is for: anyone filling in wizard steps 2 and 3, or editing the Instructions for the AI card on a campaign page.

You never write the email itself. You write instructions, and the AI writes a different email for every lead from them. Good instructions read like a brief to a smart assistant.

What the AI already knows about each lead

For every lead, the AI receives:

• Every column of the lead’s row in your list (name, company, city, website, anything you imported).
• What we read on their website, when website research is on and the site could be read.
• Your instructions for the subject and for the email.

That is why placeholders are optional. You do not need {{company}} for the AI to know the company name.

Placeholders (the chips)

Under each instruction box, Insert from your list shows one chip per column of the chosen list, plus two fixed ones:

Click a chip to insert it at the cursor. On the campaign page the same list is in the Insert data menu. Use a placeholder when you want one exact value in a fixed spot, for example Start the subject with {{company}}:.

Subject line instructions

1. Say how long: under 8 words or 3 to 6 words.
2. Say what to mention: their practice, their city, one thing from their website.
3. Say what to avoid: no clickbait, no exclamation marks, no emojis, no “Re:”.

Example:

Write a short, specific subject line that mentions their practice. No clickbait, no exclamation marks, under 8 words.

Email instructions

A reliable structure has four parts:

1. Who you are. I run a dental marketing agency in Austin.
2. One personal detail. Mention one real thing you noticed on their website.
3. The offer, in one sentence. Offer a free 10-minute website audit.
4. A soft ask. End with a simple question, for example whether a short call next week would help.

Add rules for form: length, tone, links and sign-off.

Example:

I run a dental marketing agency. Write a friendly 80-word email to the practice owner. Mention one real thing from their website, offer a free website audit and end with a soft question. No links, no signature.

Tip: Say no signature when your sending account or workspace already adds one (Settings > Tracking and signature). Otherwise the email may end with two sign-offs.

Website research and your instructions

The research setting on step 3 decides how personal the email can get:

Check before you start

1. Click Generate preview on step 2 and step 3 (own AI connection only), or open the campaign page after saving. See Preview the email.
2. Read the result as the lead would. Is it short? Is the detail true? Is the ask clear?
3. Adjust one instruction at a time and generate again. The preview warns Instructions changed. Generate again to update. when it is out of date.

Changing instructions later

• Draft: edit in the wizard or on the campaign page.
• Paused: edit on the campaign page under Instructions for the AI, then Save instructions. Emails written after that use the new text.
• Running: the boxes are read only with the hint Pause the campaign to edit these.
• Finished or stopped: This campaign has ended, so the instructions are locked.

Both boxes hold up to 10 KB of text each.

Common mistakes

• Writing the email word for word. The AI then copies it and nothing is personal. Describe it instead.
• Asking for facts that are not in the data. If the list has no city column and research is off, “mention their city” makes the AI guess.
• Long emails. Cold emails over 120 words get fewer replies. Ask for 60 to 90.
• Links and attachments in the first email. They raise spam scores. Ask for the call first.

For a deeper set of patterns, see the Prompt playbook for high reply rates.

Next step

Preview the email before you start.