How to: Create a sequence

What this guide helps you do

This quick-start guide walks you through creating and launching your first Email Sequence in Hunter.

By the end, you will:

Create a sequence
Add recipients
Write your emails
Configure sending settings
Launch with safe defaults

If you need deeper explanations, detailed guides are linked throughout.

Before you start

Make sure you have:

At least one sending account connected and ready - there are two ways to get a sending account set up in Hunter:
1. Connect an existing email account — Connect a Gmail or Outlook account you already have—or use SMTP/IMAP (available on paid plans only) → See Connect your email account to Email Sequences
2. Create managed email accounts — Buy a domain and create sending-ready email accounts directly in Hunter, with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC pre-configured. No external setup required. → See Buy and set up managed email accounts in Sequences

A list of recipients:
- In Leads
- As a CSV/TXT file
- Or for manual entry

If you’re unsure what Sequences are, see: Sequences overview.``

Step-by-step: Create and launch your sequence

Step 1: Create a new sequence

Go to Sequences in your Hunter account
Click + New Sequence

+ New Sequence button in the Sequences section in Hunter

Step 2: Name your sequence

Choose a clear internal name for your new sequence.

Examples:

“SaaS founders – Q1 outreach”
“June 2025 Summer outreach”

A screenshot of a new sequence with an arrow pointing out how to find the menu option to rename your sequence.

Step 3: Add recipients

Choose how you want to add recipients:

From Leads
Upload a CSV/TXT
Add recipients manually

Options for adding recipients to a sequence (Leads, CSV upload, manual entry)

Read more on each option (plus mapping rules and common import issues) here: How to add recipients to an email sequence

Step 4: Write your first email

Add a subject line
Write your email content

You can also:

Use email templates
Use the AI writing assistant
Use the A/B Testing feature
Personalize with attributes
Send yourself a test email
Check the spam score before proceeding

Helpful guides:

Step 5: Add follow-ups

Add 1–2 follow-up emails that will be automatically sent after the delay you set.

Set delays between steps (example):

3 days after step 1
7 days after step 2

Follow-ups are only sent to recipients who:

Haven’t replied
Haven’t bounced
Haven’t unsubscribed
Haven’t been marked as Successful

If you'd like to review writing and formatting best practices, read more here: Cold Email Writing Guide

Step 6: Review settings before sending

Open the Settings tab and review:

Sending window and start date
Sender account
Daily limits
Account rotation (if using multiple accounts)

A screenshot highlighting the "Settings" section of a sequence, where sending settings can be adjusted.

Recommended safe defaults (for first-time senders)

If this is your first sequence or a new sending account:

Setting	Recommendation
Steps	3 total (1 initial + 2 follow-ups)
Delays	3 days, then 7 days
Sending window	Weekdays during business hours
Daily limit	Start low and increase gradually
Personalization	1–2 meaningful attributes

💡 New sending account? Before launching, make sure your account is warmed up. Sending at full volume from a new account is the most common cause of emails landing in spam. Hunter offers two ways to handle this:

Inbox Protection — Automatically builds your sender reputation through real email engagement over 30 days. Recommended for brand new accounts or accounts that have been inactive.
Progressive Sending — Gradually increases your daily sending limit over time. A lighter option if your account already has some sending history and you just want to scale carefully.

Helpful resources:

Step 7: Preview and launch

Once you're ready, you can preview your emails in the Preview section, make last edits and launch the sequence in the Settings tab using the Launch button in the top-right corner.

💡 Before launching, you can also use the Personalize emails toggle in the Preview step to have Hunter automatically generate a personalized version of each email per recipient. Learn more here.