How to Set Up Smartlead for Cold Email: Step-by-Step Guide

SmartLead is the cold email sending platform we use at Alchemail for every client campaign. This guide walks through the complete setup process, from account creation to launching your first campaign. We manage 200+ sending accounts through SmartLead and have sent millions of emails on the platform. These are the exact steps and configurations we use.

If you are new to SmartLead or want to optimize your existing setup, follow this guide step by step.

Step 1: Create Your SmartLead Account

Choosing a Plan

Plan	Monthly Price	Active Leads	Best For
Basic	$39	2,000	Testing, small campaigns
Pro	$94	30,000	Regular campaigns, small agencies
Custom	$174+	100,000+	Agencies, high volume

For most new users, the Basic plan is enough to start. Upgrade to Pro when you need more active leads or want API access. At Alchemail, we use Custom plans for client accounts.

Account Setup

1. Sign up at smartlead.ai
2. Complete onboarding questionnaire
3. Choose your plan
4. Set your timezone (matches your sending windows)

Step 2: Connect Your Email Accounts

This is the most critical setup step. Every email account you send from needs to be properly connected.

Connecting Google Workspace Accounts

Method 1: OAuth (Recommended)

1. In SmartLead, go to Email Accounts > Add Account
2. Select "Google" and click "Sign in with Google"
3. Authorize SmartLead to access your Google Workspace account
4. Select the specific permissions requested
5. Account connects automatically

Method 2: App Password

1. Enable 2-factor authentication on the Google account
2. Generate an app password in Google security settings
3. In SmartLead, select "Other" provider
4. Enter SMTP and IMAP settings:
   • SMTP: smtp.gmail.com, port 587, STARTTLS
   • IMAP: imap.gmail.com, port 993, SSL
5. Use the app password (not your regular password)

OAuth is more reliable and we recommend it for all Google Workspace accounts.

Connecting Microsoft 365 Accounts

Method 1: OAuth

1. In SmartLead, go to Email Accounts > Add Account
2. Select "Microsoft" and sign in
3. Authorize SmartLead to access your Microsoft 365 account
4. Account connects automatically

Method 2: SMTP/IMAP

1. Ensure SMTP AUTH is enabled in Microsoft 365 admin
2. Disable Security Defaults in Azure AD (they block SMTP)
3. In SmartLead:
   • SMTP: smtp.office365.com, port 587, STARTTLS
   • IMAP: outlook.office365.com, port 993, SSL
4. Use the account password

Important Microsoft 365 note: You must enable SMTP AUTH per user in the Exchange admin center. Without this, SMTP connections will fail.

Account Settings After Connection

For each connected account, configure:

1. Display name: First and last name (e.g., "Artur Grishkevich")
2. Sending limit: 25-35 cold emails per day (start at 15 if the account is new)
3. Warm-up limit: 20-30 warm-up emails per day
4. Custom tracking domain: Set up CNAME for tracking (e.g., track.yourdomain.com)
5. Signature: Add a professional email signature

Step 3: Set Up Email Warm-Up

Enabling Warm-Up

1. Go to Email Accounts
2. Select each account
3. Toggle warm-up ON
4. Configure warm-up settings:

Setting	Recommended Value	Notes
Daily warm-up emails	20-30	Start lower for new accounts
Reply rate	30-40%	Percentage of warm-up emails that get replies
Warm-up schedule	Match business hours	Your target audience's timezone
Auto-move from spam	Enabled	Warm-up tool moves emails from spam to inbox

Warm-Up Timeline

• New accounts: Enable warm-up immediately, wait 14-21 days before campaigns
• Existing accounts: Enable warm-up alongside campaigns (15-20/day)
• Returning accounts: If paused for more than 2 weeks, re-warm for 7-10 days

Monitoring Warm-Up

Check warm-up health weekly:

• SmartLead shows a health score per account (aim for 80+)
• Review inbox placement in the warm-up dashboard
• Flag any accounts dropping below 70% placement

For detailed warm-up strategies, see our email warm-up guide.

Step 4: Set Up Custom Tracking Domains

Every sending domain should have its own tracking domain for open tracking.

DNS Setup

Create a CNAME record for each sending domain:

Type: CNAME
Host: track (or link)
Value: [SmartLead's tracking server - provided in settings]
TTL: 3600

Tracking Settings

1. Go to Settings > Tracking
2. Add your custom tracking domain
3. Verify the DNS record has propagated (SmartLead will check)
4. Assign the tracking domain to the corresponding email accounts

Our Tracking Recommendation

Enable open tracking. Disable click tracking.

Click tracking wraps your links in a redirect URL, which many spam filters flag. Open tracking uses an invisible pixel, which is less likely to trigger filters. For cold email, knowing if someone opened your email is useful. Click tracking is not worth the deliverability risk.

Step 5: Create Your First Campaign

Campaign Setup

1. Go to Campaigns > Create Campaign
2. Name your campaign clearly (e.g., "Client Name - ICP - Oct 2025")
3. Select your sending accounts for this campaign

Uploading Leads

1. Click "Add Leads"
2. Upload your CSV file with prospect data
3. Map columns to SmartLead fields:

CSV Column	SmartLead Field
email	Email
first_name	First Name
last_name	Last Name
company	Company Name
title	Job Title
custom_line	Custom Variable 1

4. Review the import preview
5. Confirm the upload

Data quality check: Before uploading, ensure all emails have been verified. See our email verification guide.

Writing Your Sequence

SmartLead's sequence editor supports multiple steps with delays between each.

Our standard sequence structure:

Step	Timing	Content Type
Step 1	Day 0	Initial cold email
Step 2	Day 3	Follow-up (add value or different angle)
Step 3	Day 7	Third touch (case study or social proof)
Step 4	Day 14	Breakup email (final touch)

Personalization variables available:

• {{first_name}}, {{last_name}}, {{company_name}}
• {{custom1}}, {{custom2}}, etc. (mapped from your CSV)
• Spintax: {Hi|Hey|Hello} for variation

Example Step 1:

Subject: {{first_name}}, quick question about {{company_name}}'s outbound

Hi {{first_name}},

{{custom_line}}

I run the outreach at Alchemail and we recently helped a company similar to {{company_name}} generate 40+ qualified meetings in 90 days.

Would it make sense to share how we did it?

Best,
Artur

A/B Testing

SmartLead supports A/B testing on:

• Subject lines (test 2-3 variants)
• Email body copy (test different approaches)
• CTAs (different calls to action)

We recommend testing subject lines first, as they have the highest impact on open rates. Run tests with at least 200 sends per variant for statistical significance.

Campaign Settings

Setting	Recommended Value	Notes
Sending window	8am-4pm recipient's timezone	Match business hours
Min delay between emails	3-5 minutes	Avoid machine-like patterns
Max emails per day per account	30-35	Conservative for safety
Stop on reply	Enabled	Do not follow up after a reply
Stop on auto-reply	Configure per case	OOO replies should pause, not stop
Track opens	Enabled	Use custom tracking domain
Track clicks	Disabled	Hurts deliverability

Step 6: Launch and Monitor

Pre-Launch Checklist

Before hitting "Start":

• All sending accounts are warmed up (14+ days)
• Warm-up health scores are above 80
• Custom tracking domains are verified
• Email content has been spell-checked and tested
• Personalization variables are mapped correctly
• A/B tests are configured
• Sending limits per account are set
• Sending window matches target audience timezone
• Lead list is verified (bounces under 2% expected)

Day 1-3: Close Monitoring

Check these metrics every 6-12 hours:

• Bounce rate: Should stay under 2%. If it spikes above 3%, pause immediately.
• Spam complaints: Any complaints require investigation.
• Open rate: Should be above 40% if deliverability is healthy.
• Reply rate: Track positive vs. negative replies.

Week 1+: Regular Monitoring

Check daily:

• Campaign performance dashboard
• Account health scores
• Bounce and complaint rates
• Reply management (respond to positive replies quickly)

Check weekly:

• Inbox placement tests (send to test accounts)
• Warm-up health across all accounts
• A/B test results
• Overall campaign metrics

Step 7: Manage Replies

SmartLead's Unified Inbox

SmartLead aggregates replies across all sending accounts into one inbox:

1. Go to "Master Inbox"
2. Review all replies in one place
3. Categorize: Interested, Not Interested, Out of Office, Unsubscribe
4. Reply to interested leads directly from SmartLead or forward to your CRM

Reply Categorization

Category	Action	Follow-Up
Interested	Forward to sales team or book a call	Immediate
Maybe/Questions	Answer the question, push to call	Within 24 hours
Not now	Add to nurture list	Re-engage in 3-6 months
Not interested	Respect, remove from future campaigns	None
Unsubscribe	Remove from all lists	Required by law
Out of office	Pause sequence, resume when they return	Auto-resume

Advanced SmartLead Tips

Tip 1: Use Subsequences

SmartLead allows subsequences triggered by lead behavior. Example: if a lead opens Step 1 but does not reply, trigger a different follow-up sequence than leads who never opened.

Tip 2: Webhook Integrations

Use SmartLead's webhooks to:

• Push positive replies to Slack
• Add interested leads to HubSpot or Salesforce
• Trigger n8n or Zapier workflows
• Update Clay tables with campaign results

Tip 3: Campaign Cloning

When a campaign performs well, clone it for similar audiences. SmartLead makes it easy to duplicate campaigns, changing only the lead list.

Tip 4: Account Grouping

Group accounts by client (for agencies) or by campaign type. This prevents accounts from one client's aggressive campaign from affecting another client's deliverability.

For more on our overall campaign management approach, see our complete guide to cold email.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many email accounts should I connect to SmartLead?

Start with 10-20 accounts across 5-10 domains. This gives you capacity for 300-700 emails per day. Scale to 50-200+ accounts as your campaigns grow. At Alchemail, we connect 200+ accounts per client.

Can I use SmartLead with any email provider?

SmartLead supports Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and any email provider that offers SMTP/IMAP access. We recommend sticking with Google and Microsoft for the best deliverability. Other providers may work but have not been tested as extensively.

How long should I warm up before starting campaigns?

Warm up new accounts for 14-21 days before sending any cold emails. During this period, only warm-up emails should be sent. After warm-up, start campaigns at 10-15 emails per day per account and ramp to 25-35 over the next 1-2 weeks.

What if my SmartLead warm-up score is low?

If the warm-up health score is below 70: check your DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), verify the account is not blacklisted, reduce warm-up volume, and give it more time. If the score does not improve after 2 weeks, the account or domain may need to be replaced.

Does SmartLead work for teams and agencies?

Yes. SmartLead's Pro and Custom plans include features specifically for teams and agencies: client management, white-label options, team member access controls, and client-separated reporting. This is one of the main reasons we chose SmartLead at Alchemail.

Let Us Manage Your SmartLead Campaigns

Setting up SmartLead is just the beginning. Managing 200+ accounts, monitoring deliverability daily, optimizing sequences, and handling replies requires dedicated expertise. At Alchemail, we do all of this for our clients, generating $55M+ in pipeline and 927 meetings in 2025.

Book a call with us to discuss your cold email campaign needs.