Contacts & Your First Campaign - Feature Launch Pad

Why it matters

Start Warm, Not Wide

Most people import everyone they have ever met on day one, then wonder why nothing works. Start with your warmest contacts instead, the people who already know you, like you, and have done business with you.

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Warm contacts first

Current customers, past customers, active leads, and people who recently expressed interest. You want replies, and replies build your sender reputation.

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A few simple tags

You do not need twenty tags. Three or four that reflect how you actually think about people, like current customer, past customer, or warm lead, is plenty.

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Start clean

An old spreadsheet full of emails you have not used in years hurts deliverability. Do not import that list yet.

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One inbox for everything

Text, email, DMs, and website chat all flow into a single conversations view once your channels are connected, so nothing slips through the cracks.

"Every reply is a vote that says this sender is legitimate. The more votes you collect early, the better your email performance gets over time."

Getting oriented

The Three Moves In This Step

This part of the Launch Pad walks you through three connected moves. Tap each one to see what it covers.

Bring in your warmest list first

Import your current and past customers and active leads first. Tag them with a few simple labels so you can sort and filter later.

Get your phone and email connected

You cannot communicate with the contacts you just brought in without a channel set up. Connect your phone and email so every conversation lands in one place, your unified inbox.

Send one simple email

Your very first campaign should not be promotional. It should be a short, personal engagement email to your warmest contacts that asks for a quick reply.

Build trust before you promote

Replies tell email providers you are a real sender. Every reply raises your reputation, and a higher reputation means more of your future emails land in the inbox instead of spam.

Key definitions

Terms worth knowing

A score email providers build about you based on engagement, especially replies. A higher reputation means more of your emails land in the inbox instead of spam.

A short, personal, non-promotional first email that simply asks a warm contact to reply, used to build your sender reputation before you send anything promotional.

The single conversations view where every text, email, call, and chat message lands, no matter which channel a contact used to reach you.

A short label, like current customer or warm lead, used to sort and filter your contacts. Three or four consistent tags beat twenty inconsistent ones.

What's ahead

What You'll Set Up

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Your first contact

Added by hand, or brought in through an import of your warmest list.

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Phone and email connected

So you actually have a way to talk to the contacts you just brought in.

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Your first engagement email

Short, personal, and sent only to your warmest contacts to start building trust.

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A drip campaign, when ready

Once you are comfortable, automatic follow-up messages nurture leads without extra manual work.

Things to do

Try it now

Import your warmest contacts first: current customers, past customers, and active leads. Connect your phone and email so you have a real channel to communicate through. Write and send one short engagement email to your warmest list, asking for a quick reply.

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Tips

Worth remembering

Start with warm contacts only. Cold, unengaged lists hurt your sender reputation from day one.
Keep it to three or four tags that match how you actually think about your business, not twenty just because you can.
Your very first campaign should be an engagement email, never a promotional one.
Give your warm-up email a few days and watch replies come in before you send anything promotional.

Check yourself

Quick Knowledge Check

Four quick questions on this lesson. One attempt each, and the answer is revealed either way.

0 of 4 answered

Which contacts should you import first?

What should your very first email campaign be?

What builds your sender reputation the fastest?

How many tags does Cathy recommend starting with?

Apply it

Try this with your favorite AI

💬Write my first engagement email

You are helping me write a short, personal engagement email to my warmest contacts, current customers, past customers, and active leads, as the very first email from a new business communication system. My context: - My business: [describe it in 1-2 sentences] - My tone: [example: friendly and casual, or professional and warm] - What I want to confirm: that I have their correct contact information and that they are willing to hear from me here Write me: 1. A short subject line, under 8 words 2. A 3 to 4 sentence email body that is personal, not promotional, and ends by asking them to simply reply "yes" 3. One alternate version in a slightly different tone, in case I want to test both Rules: no sales pitch, no links, no attachments, just a simple, human check-in. Finish by asking me which version I want to send first.

🏷️Build my simple tagging system

You are helping me design a simple, three to four tag system for organizing contacts in my business software. My context: - My business type: [describe it in 1-2 sentences] - The different kinds of people in my contact list: [example: current clients, past clients, referral partners, cold leads] Give me: 1. Three or four tag names, in plain language, that map to how I actually think about my contacts 2. One sentence for each tag explaining who belongs in it 3. One warning about a tag I should avoid creating because it would be too narrow or rarely used Finish by asking me which existing contacts I should tag first.