THIS ARTICLE IS FOR: ✅ Self-Serve
Stage: Onboarding / Live
Owner: OB
Last updated: 2026-02-20
TL;DR
Go to Email Engine → Campaigns → Create Campaign.
Complete 4 steps: Campaign Details → Create Sequence → Campaign Setup → Review & Publish.
Select connected inboxes before launching.
Campaigns start sending on your selected start date.
Why this matters
The Campaigns tab is where you build and launch cold email campaigns.
Your sending behavior, scheduling, follow-ups, and inbox allocation are all controlled here.
Step 1: Access the Campaigns tab
Go to next.listkit.io
Click Email Engine → Campaigns
Click the blue Create Campaign button
You’ll enter the 4-step campaign creation flow.
Step 1 of 4: Campaign name & lead import
1️⃣ Name your campaign
Enter a clear, descriptive name.
Examples:
US SaaS – February Outreach
Real Estate – Series A Funded
This helps you organize and track performance later.
2️⃣ Import leads
You must import leads before continuing.
You have two options:
Option A: Upload CSV
Use this if your leads are external.
Click Download CSV Sample
Match your file format exactly
Click Upload CSV
Select your file
Confirm upload
Option B: Import from Order History (Recommended)
Use this if you purchased leads through ListKit.
Click Import from Order History
Select the order
Click Select
Click Import Leads
Before confirming, you can choose:
✔ Import leads even if they are in the global blacklist
✔ Import leads even if they are unsubscribed
After import, leads will appear on screen.
Click Next (bottom right).
Step 2 of 4: Create your email sequence
This is where you build your outreach flow.
Click the + button to begin.
Create Email 1
On the right panel:
Add your Subject line
Write your Email body
Insert Variables (First Name, Company Name, etc.)
Add personalization variables
Click the Variable dropdown
Select a variable (e.g., First Name)
It inserts automatically into your email
Add variants (A/B testing)
You can add a variant to test:
Different subject lines
Different messaging angles
Variants appear next to the first variant.
Add follow-ups
Click the Add follow-up below your email
A follow-up will be created (default: 3 days delay)
To change timing:
Click “3 days”
Adjust delay in the panel
You can:
Add multiple follow-ups
Add variants to follow-ups
Customize timing for each step
Once finished, click Next: Set up campaign (Bottom right).
Step 3 of 4: Campaign setup
This controls how your campaign sends.
1️⃣ Lead list selection
You’ll see your Campaign, and the selected lead list.
To change it:
Click Manage (returns to Step 1)
2️⃣ Select email accounts
Choose which inboxes will send this campaign.
3️⃣ Schedule settings
Configure when emails are sent.
You can adjust:
Time Zone
Campaign Start Date
Sending Days
Recommended: Remove Saturday & Sunday
Sending Hours
Recommended: 9 AM – 5 PM
Minutes Between Emails
Example: Every 20 minutes
Maximum New Leads Per Day (Per Campaign)
These settings control campaign pacing and deliverability.
4️⃣ Sending priority (Follow-ups vs new leads)
Set how sending capacity is split.
Example:
70% New Leads
30% Follow-Ups
This ensures fresh outreach while maintaining follow-up consistency.
5️⃣ Auto-pause for same domain
Enable this to automatically pause sending when:
Someone from the same company domain replies
This prevents over-emailing one company.
6️⃣ AI lead categorization
Enable AI to categorize replies as:
Pending Response
Engaged
Unsubscribed
Out-of-Office
Additional AI options
You can choose to:
Exclude Out-of-Office replies from reply rate calculation
Enabling reaching out to OOO leads after a set amount of days
These settings help maintain accurate reporting and reply rates.
After configuring everything:
Click Save changes
Click Next: Review & Publish
Step 4 of 4: Review & launch
This is your final summary screen.
You’ll see:
Campaign summary
Campaign name
Total leads
Credit usage
Email sequence
Subjects
Follow-up timing
Variants
Sending settings
Selected inboxes
Daily limits
Start date
Schedule configuration
Publish your campaign
If everything looks correct:
Click Publish Campaign (top right).
Your campaign will begin sending on the selected start date.
Expected outcome
You should now see your campaign listed in the Campaigns tab.
It will:
Begin sending automatically
Follow your schedule
Respect inbox limits
Track replies and engagement
Final pre-launch checklist
Before publishing:
✅ Confirm inbox selection
✅ Review sending limits
✅ Check follow-up timing
✅ Verify start date
✅ Ensure inboxes are properly warmed up
Troubleshooting / FAQs
Why can’t I select inboxes?
You must first add them in Email Engine → Inboxes.
Why isn’t my campaign sending?
Check start date, schedule, and daily sending limits.
Can I edit a campaign after publishing?
Yes, but changes may affect sending timing.
Should I remove weekends?
Recommended for B2B outreach to improve reply rates.