How To Create an Outreach Sequence

Objective

Learn how to create and edit sequences in Outreach as an End User.

Sequences are a series of touchpoints built to drive deeper engagement with a Prospect. Sequences are a guide to ensure the right sales activities are conducted and communications are sent to build the sales pipeline and close deals.

Applies To 

• Outreach Users

Before You Begin

• Some Outreach views and options require admin-level governance permissions. If the options outlined in this article are unavailable, contact the Org's Outreach Administrator as applicable. For more information regarding governance profile settings, refer to the Governance Profile Settings Overview.
• Sequences can be constructed of several individual steps to match a sales process. Outreach recommends a minimum of five steps to creating a successful sequence.
• Outreach strongly warns against editing sequences once Prospects have begun moving through them as it can lead to inconsistent behavior and is outside of our best practices. If you need to make changes to your sequence, Outreach advises cloning the sequence and archiving the old sequence.
• Sequences are disabled by default and must be activated for prospects to activate. Sequence enablement is a governance permission, so if you cannot activate a sequence, you will need to contact an Admin to do so.

Procedure 

1. Access the Outreach Platform.
2. Do either of the following:

   • In the top right corner, click the Actions button > Sequence.
      

     

   • In the left nav, click Content > Sequences. On the resulting page, in the top right corner, click the +Sequence button.
      

     

3. Click the applicable option as outlined in the table below: 

   Sequence Option	Description
   New	Creates a new sequence from scratch.   Click New. Proceed to Step 4 below.
   Blueprint	Creates a new sequence using common cadences and interactions as a starting point.   Click Blueprint. Search and click the applicable sequence to build from. Add and Update the sequence steps as applicable. For more information refer to the How To Edit Sequence Steps article. Proceed to Step 7 below.
   Clone	Cloning a sequence creates a copy of an existing sequence, enabling users the ability to make minor edits that won't have an impact on the original sequence.   Click Clone. Search and click the applicable sequence to clone. Click Settings in the menu bar. Proceed to Step 4 below. Note: Alternatively, users can click the more options icon to the right of an existing sequence and select Clone from the dropdown to quickly add a clone sequence.

4. Input the name in the Sequence Name field.
   Note: An optional Sequence Description can be added to provide context or notes related to the sequence. The Sequence Description can be edited under sequence settings. An optional Sequence Description to provide context or notes related to the sequence. 

5. Select the applicable sequence type from the Sequence Type dropdown as described in the table below:

   Sequence Type	Description
   Steps by day interval	Best used for recurring campaigns (drip campaigns). Steps are separated by time intervals which can range from immediate to months in the future.  Note: Sequence steps process based on how the sequence is configured. Users can use the Prospect’s time zone if set. If the Prospect’s time zone is not available, users can default to the schedule or user schedule. If an email cannot send due to sending or scheduling limitations or throttles, the email will automatically be moved forward to the next available sending time slot.
   Steps by exact date/time	Best used when a one-time event is being scheduled as a webinar, conference, or trade show. Once the date and time have been passed, any Prospect added to the sequence will automatically be marked as Failed.

6. Select the applicable sharing option from the Sharing dropdown as described in the table below:

   Sharing Option	Description
   Private to Owner	Only the owner can view and use the sequence.
   Others can only see it	Users can see the sequence, but only the owner can use and configure the sequence.
   Others can see it and use it	The sequence can be used by all users.

   Note: If an existing sequence is cloned, the new sequence is owned by the individual who initiated the clone. Sequence ownership can be manually changed to any member who has access to the Sequence Settings.

7. Click Create.
8. On the Sequence Settings landing page, click Add Step.
   Note: If updating or editing an existing, clone, or blueprint sequence, click the applicable step to edit.

9. Select the applicable type of sequence from the Step Type dropdown menu and configure the sequence as outlined in the table below:

   Step Type	Description
   Auto Email	Emails automatically send out to Prospects based on the defined time interval.
   Manual Email	Used for sending customized emails. A manual task will appear in the Tasks tab notifying the user to send an email to the applicable Prospect. The Task is marked Send & Complete when the email is sent and the Prospect will move to the next step in the sequence as applicable.
   Phone Call	A Call Task will appear in the Tasks tab notifying the user to contact the applicable Prospect. When the call is logged, Outreach will mark the Task as completed and the Prospect will move to the next step in the sequence as applicable.
   Generic Task	Used to create helpful reminders to complete an action outside of Outreach such as connecting with a Prospect on LinkedIn. The Task must be manually marked as complete before the Prospect can move on to the next step in the sequence if applicable.
   LinkedIn	Task for LinkedIn-specific activities such as sending a connection request to a Prospect, reviewing a Prospect’s profile, or sending the Prospect a message via InMail. The Task must be manually marked as complete before the Prospect can move on to the next step in the sequence.

   Note: For more information regarding the configuration of different steps, refer to the applicable articles in this knowledge base site.
10. Click Save.
11. Repeat Steps 8-10 to add more steps as applicable.
12. In the bottom right corner, click the Activate button to make the sequence live.

The sequence is ready to use.

Archived vs. Deleted Sequences

Archiving sequences is not the same as deleting a sequence. Deleting a sequence is permanent.  Archiving a sequence removes the sequence from use. Prospects cannot be added to an archived sequence. 

If the sequence is enabled when it is archived, Prospects continue through the sequence steps. 

If the sequence is disabled (paused) Prospects do not move through the sequence steps. 

Additional Information

Outreach University - Sequences

Sequence Overview

How To Add Prospects to a Sequence

How To Sequence Prospects from the Salesforce List View

Sequence Schedule Overview

Building Sequences for Inbound Leads

Building a Standard Outbound Sequence

Prospect Timezones