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Sequencing Setup: Autobound’s Gmail/Outlook Integration (Native)
Sequencing Setup: Autobound’s Gmail/Outlook Integration (Native)

Autobound's native sequencing integrates with Gmail/Outlook, enabling personalized email campaigns with AI content generation and review options.

Joyce Frias avatar
Written by Joyce Frias
Updated over a month ago

Overview

Autobound's native sequencing system integrates directly with Gmail and Outlook, allowing you to send personalized email sequences through these platforms.

1. Getting Started: Setting Up Your Email Integration

To begin using Autobound's native sequencing capabilities:

  1. Log in to your Autobound account.

  2. Navigate to the Settings section.

  3. Connect your Gmail or Outlook account.

  4. Provide your email signature to be used in outgoing emails.

  5. (Optional) Set up a BCC email address:

    • If your CRM (e.g., Hubspot or Salesforce) offers functionality to log activities via BCC, add the appropriate BCC email address.

    • This will ensure that all sent emails are logged in your CRM on the appropriate contact record.

2. Creating a Sequence

To create a new sequence using Autobound's native system:

  1. Go to Autobound's sequence page.

  2. Choose one of the following options: a) Click "Create new sequence" to start from scratch. b) Select one of Autobound's pre-built templates.

  3. Name your sequence and set up the steps:

    • Add email steps, which can be either: a) Template email steps (same template sent every time) b) AI email steps that personalize content for each prospect

  4. Set your Content Review Options (learn more below)

  5. Set your Content Hub Preferences (learn more below)

  6. Configure sequence settings:

    • Set the sending schedule
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When creating your sequence, go to settings and make sure you've selected the correct content review preference according to your desired workflow:

Content Review Options:

Option 1: Direct Push OFF: Generate and edit content in Autobound UI before pushing to sequence:

  • Generated content is held in Autobound for review before sending to prospects.

  • This allows you to check and edit emails within Autobound's interface prior to sending.
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  • Benefits:

    • You can chat with Autobound to refine the outputs (e.g., make them shorter, more casual, longer).

    • You can regenerate content and reselect insights used.

    • You can review all emails in a sequence at once, streamlining your workflow.
      ​

  • Note: Emails will not be sent until you approve them in Autobound's interface.

Option 2: "Direct Push ON: Generate and send to sequence without reviewing content in Autobound UI"

  • Emails are sent automatically after content generation, without review in Autobound.

  • Benefits:

    • Fully automated workflow.

    • Content is sent immediately after generation.
      ​

  • Note: If you upload prospects without an email address (i.e using the Autobound Chrome Extension to add prospect via LinkedIn), it won't send then. You'll need to review them in this case.

Content Hub Preferences

Before setting your Content Hub preferences, it's important to understand what Content Hub is and how Autobound's AI uses it to personalize content.

Understanding Content Hub

Content Hub consists of four key components:

  1. Personas: Different buyer personas your team targets

  2. Sales Assets: Product-specific value props, case studies, or other materials

  3. Writing Styles: Custom tones and styles for your messaging

  4. Additional Context: Extra information or instructions for content generation

Autobound's AI automatically determines which persona and sales assets are most relevant for each prospect based on various factors including:

  • Job title

  • LinkedIn profile information

  • Industry

Setting Content Hub Preferences

Content Hub preferences allow you to pre-determine which Content Hub items are leveraged for a given sequence. For example:

  • Persona Selection: Lock a specific persona for the entire sequence

  • Sales Asset Choice: Pre-select certain sales assets to always be considered

  • Writing Style: Set a consistent writing style across all sequence emails

  • Additional Context: Add sequence-specific context that applies to all prospects

This feature is particularly useful when:

  • Targeting a specific persona consistently throughout a sequence

  • Running product-specific campaigns

  • Maintaining a particular tone or style across all messages

  • Ensuring specific value propositions are always considered

Important Notes on Sequence Creation:

  • It's highly recommended to check the Tips section on the right-hand side when editing email steps. This section provides guidance and examples, as well as a video which you can watch directly within the interface. These tips will teach you how to use advanced instruction prompting using [square brackets] within the template.


    More details can be found in the Advanced Sequencing Strategies article. You can also learn more by watching this video.

3. Adding Prospects to a Sequence

There are three main methods to add prospects to your sequences:
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Option 1: Upload a CSV File

  1. Prepare a CSV file with prospect information.

  2. Go to the sequence page in Autobound.

  3. Click on "Add Prospects"

  4. Choose the option to upload a CSV file.

  5. Map the fields in your CSV to Autobound's fields.

  6. Confirm the import.

Option 2: Using the Autobound Chrome Extension (Bulk)

  1. Navigate to a Sales Navigator list page, a contact list in your CRM, or any page where multiple email addresses or LinkedIn URLs are visible.

  2. Click the Autobound extension icon on the right-hand side of the browser.

  3. Autobound will scan the page for email addresses and LinkedIn URLs.

  4. If multiple contacts are detected:

    • Look for the "Bulk Compose" button at the bottom or an icon that looks like three people.

    • Select the prospects you want to add.

  5. Choose the sequence you want to add the prospects to.

  6. Click "Add to Sequence".

Note: If adding from LinkedIn URLs or Sales Navigator URLs, Autobound needs to resolve these to email addresses. If this isn't possible, you'll need to add the email address for each prospect before content generation begins in the Autobound application.
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Option 3: Using the Autobound Chrome Extension (Individual)

  1. Open Autobound's Chrome Extension for a specific prospect.

  2. In step two of the process, select "Sequence" as the action.

  3. Choose the sequence you want to add the prospect to.

  4. Confirm the addition.

4. Reviewing and Sending Content

The review and sending process depends on your chosen review settings:
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If your sequence content review setting is: “Direct Push OFF: Generate and edit content in Autobound UI before pushing to sequence”

  1. Review AI-generated content in Autobound's interface.

  2. Edit content for individual prospects as needed.

  3. Approve emails individually or in bulk.

  4. Once approved, emails will be sent according to the sequence schedule.
    ​

If your sequence content review setting is: "Direct Push ON: Generate and send to sequence without reviewing content in Autobound UI"

  1. Autobound automatically sends emails when generation is complete.

  2. Emails are sent according to the sequence schedule without additional review.

5. Content Editing, Regeneration, and Handling Missing Details

After content is generated, Autobound provides several options to refine and improve your emails:
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Chatting with Autobound for Content Editing

Users have the option to chat with Autobound to edit the generated content. This feature allows for quick adjustments and refinements based on your specific needs.
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Regenerating Content

If you’re not satisfied with the initial output, you can regenerate it. Each regenerated email will cost 2 credits. To save credits, only regenerate the emails you truly want updated within the sequence.

When regenerating, you have the option to:

  1. Reselect the insights used to generate the content

  2. Adjust the persona and value proposition

  3. Modify sales assets

  4. Change the writing style

  5. Add additional information for the AI to leverage

You can choose to regenerate either:

  • The email you're currently viewing

  • All emails in the sequence
    ​

Handling Missing Prospect Details

Sometimes, when adding prospects to a sequence, Autobound may warn you about missing prospect details. To ensure the highest quality output:

  1. Look for warning signs next to the prospects or the "Add Missing Details" button.

  2. Add the missing details as prompted.

  3. Regenerate the content to incorporate the new information.

Uploading CSV with missing email:

Generating content from a LinkedIn URL where Autobound can’t resolve the email address

Note for Autobound Native Users

When using Autobound's native sequencing system, an email address is required to send the email. Content will not generate if the email address is missing. In this case:

  1. You will be notified with a warning sign that data is needed.

  2. Add the missing email address.

  3. Once the email is added, you can generate the content.

6. Analytics and Tracking

Autobound's native sequencing system offers analytics capabilities:

  • Track opens, reply rates, and other key metrics on the analytics page.

Tips for Maximizing Autobound's Native Sequencing

  • Regularly update your email templates to ensure Autobound has the most current information to work with.

  • Experiment with different levels of personalization to find the right balance for your audience.

  • If using a BCC email for CRM integration, ensure it's set up correctly in your settings for accurate activity logging.
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Troubleshooting

  • If emails aren't being sent, check your email integration settings and ensure your Gmail or Outlook account is properly connected.

  • For issues with prospect imports, verify the format of your CSV file or check the LinkedIn URL resolution process in Autobound.
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    Visual workflow: Within Outreach AI Sequence

Visual workflow: Salesforce & Outreach integration for AI sequencing

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