Write an email sequence

Write step 1 and the follow-ups on a campaign's Sequences tab, set the delays and preview the result.

How-toChecked 2026-10-10

You will have a first email and its follow-ups written, with the days between them set. Nothing is sent while you write.

Steps

  1. Open your campaign and click Sequences.
  2. Click step 1 on the left. Type a Subject and the email. Plain text only.
  3. Click Variables to put a lead's detail in, such as the first name. For a fallback type {{firstName | there}}. See Variables and personalisation.
  4. Write your name, your business's name and address, and a plain opt-out line at the end. Adapt adds no signature, footer or unsubscribe link. See Unsubscribes and the do-not-email list.
  5. Click Preview. Adapt fills the variables in for a real recipient and runs the copy checks. A red "Unknown variable" note means a typo that would send blank. Fix it.
  6. Click Add step for a follow-up (a campaign has up to 4). Write it, then set Send ... days after the first email. The delay counts from the first email, not from the email before.
  7. Click Save.
The Sequences tab with three steps and the email editor
The Sequences tab. Steps on the left, the email on the right.

Rules the spam check enforces

  • No long dashes.
  • Eight stock phrases are blocked, such as "touch base" and "circling back".
  • No more than one ask per email.
  • {{companyName}} and {{city}} once each at most.

Step 1 is also nudged towards 50 to 80 words. That only warns. The full list is in The spam check and the copy rules.

What you will see

Each step shows a word count line. An email with no subject or no message is not sent. A reply stops the follow-ups for that lead unless you turned Stop sending on reply off in Options.

For a version to test against, see Test two versions of an email (A/B variants). Next: Launch an email campaign (the approval step). More detail: Write the steps and set the delays.