instantly-core-workflow-a

Instantly Core Workflow A: Campaign Launch Pipeline

Overview

Build the core Instantly outreach pipeline: create a campaign with email sequences, add leads with personalization, assign sending accounts, and launch. This is the primary money-path workflow for cold email outreach via Instantly API v2.

Prerequisites

• Completed instantly-install-auth setup
• At least one warmed-up email account in Instantly
• Lead data (CSV or programmatic) with email + first name at minimum
• API key with campaigns:all and leads:all scopes

Instructions

Step 1: Create a Campaign with Sequences

import { instantly } from "./src/instantly";

interface CreateCampaignPayload {
  name: string;
  campaign_schedule: {
    start_date: string;
    end_date?: string;
    schedules: Array<{
      name: string;
      timing: { from: string; to: string };
      days: Record<string, boolean>;
      timezone: string;
    }>;
  };
  sequences: Array<{
    steps: Array<{
      type: "email";
      delay: number;
      delay_unit?: "minutes" | "hours" | "days";
      variants: Array<{ subject: string; body: string }>;
    }>;
  }>;
  daily_limit?: number;
  stop_on_reply?: boolean;
  stop_on_auto_reply?: boolean;
  email_gap?: number;
  link_tracking?: boolean;
  open_tracking?: boolean;
}

async function createCampaign() {
  const payload: CreateCampaignPayload = {
    name: "Q1 Outbound — Decision Makers",
    campaign_schedule: {
      start_date: "2026-04-01",
      schedules: [
        {
          name: "Business Hours",
          timing: { from: "09:00", to: "17:00" },
          days: { "1": true, "2": true, "3": true, "4": true, "5": true, "0": false, "6": false },
          timezone: "America/New_York",
        },
      ],
    },
    // sequences array takes ONE element — add steps inside it
    sequences: [
      {
        steps: [
          {
            type: "email",
            delay: 0, // first email — no delay
            variants: [
              {
                subject: "{{firstName}}, quick question about {{companyName}}",
                body: `Hi {{firstName}},\n\nI noticed {{companyName}} is scaling its outbound — we help teams like yours book 3x more meetings without adding headcount.\n\nWorth a 15-min call this week?\n\nBest,\n{{senderName}}`,
              },
              {
                subject: "Idea for {{companyName}}",
                body: `Hey {{firstName}},\n\nSaw that {{companyName}} is growing fast. We helped [similar company] increase reply rates by 40%.\n\nOpen to a quick chat?\n\n{{senderName}}`,
              },
            ],
          },
          {
            type: "email",
            delay: 3,
            delay_unit: "days",
            variants: [
              {
                subject: "Re: {{firstName}}, quick question about {{companyName}}",
                body: `Hi {{firstName}},\n\nJust following up on my last note. Would love to share how we helped [company] with a similar challenge.\n\nHappy to work around your schedule.\n\n{{senderName}}`,
              },
            ],
          },
          {
            type: "email",
            delay: 4,
            delay_unit: "days",
            variants: [
              {
                subject: "Re: {{firstName}}, quick question about {{companyName}}",
                body: `Hi {{firstName}},\n\nI know you're busy — just wanted to check if improving outbound results is a priority right now.\n\nIf not, no worries at all. If so, I'd love 15 minutes.\n\nBest,\n{{senderName}}`,
              },
            ],
          },
        ],
      },
    ],
    daily_limit: 50,
    stop_on_reply: true,
    stop_on_auto_reply: false,
    email_gap: 120,        // seconds between emails
    link_tracking: false,  // disable for better deliverability
    open_tracking: true,
  };

  const campaign = await instantly<{ id: string; name: string; status: number }>(
    "/campaigns",
    { method: "POST", body: JSON.stringify(payload) }
  );

  console.log(`Campaign created: ${campaign.name} (${campaign.id})`);
  return campaign;
}

Step 2: Add Leads to the Campaign

interface Lead {
  email: string;
  first_name?: string;
  last_name?: string;
  company_name?: string;
  website?: string;
  phone?: string;
  personalization?: string;
  custom_variables?: Record<string, string>;
}

async function addLeads(campaignId: string, leads: Lead[]) {
  // POST /api/v2/leads — one at a time
  // For bulk: POST /api/v2/leads with list_id or loop
  const results = [];

  for (const lead of leads) {
    const created = await instantly("/leads", {
      method: "POST",
      body: JSON.stringify({
        campaign: campaignId,
        email: lead.email,
        first_name: lead.first_name,
        last_name: lead.last_name,
        company_name: lead.company_name,
        website: lead.website,
        personalization: lead.personalization,
        custom_variables: lead.custom_variables,
        skip_if_in_workspace: true,  // avoid duplicates
        verify_leads_on_import: true,
      }),
    });
    results.push(created);
  }

  console.log(`Added ${results.length} leads to campaign ${campaignId}`);
  return results;
}

// Example lead data
const sampleLeads: Lead[] = [
  {
    email: "jane@acmecorp.com",
    first_name: "Jane",
    last_name: "Smith",
    company_name: "Acme Corp",
    custom_variables: { companyName: "Acme Corp", senderName: "Alex" },
  },
  {
    email: "bob@techstart.io",
    first_name: "Bob",
    last_name: "Johnson",
    company_name: "TechStart",
    custom_variables: { companyName: "TechStart", senderName: "Alex" },
  },
];

Step 3: Map Sending Accounts to Campaign

async function assignAccounts(campaignId: string) {
  // Get available warmed-up accounts
  const accounts = await instantly<{ email: string; warmup_status: string }[]>(
    "/accounts?limit=50"
  );

  const warmedUp = accounts.filter((a) => a.warmup_status === "active");
  console.log(`Found ${warmedUp.length} warmed-up accounts`);

  // Check current account-campaign mappings
  for (const account of warmedUp.slice(0, 3)) {
    const mappings = await instantly(
      `/account-campaign-mappings/${encodeURIComponent(account.email)}?limit=10`
    );
    console.log(`${account.email} mapped to ${Array.isArray(mappings) ? mappings.length : 0} campaigns`);
  }

  // Accounts are assigned to campaigns in the Instantly dashboard or
  // via the PATCH campaign endpoint with email_list
  await instantly(`/campaigns/${campaignId}`, {
    method: "PATCH",
    body: JSON.stringify({
      email_list: warmedUp.slice(0, 3).map((a) => a.email),
    }),
  });

  console.log(`Assigned ${Math.min(3, warmedUp.length)} accounts to campaign`);
}

Step 4: Launch the Campaign

async function launchCampaign(campaignId: string) {
  // Activate (start) the campaign
  await instantly(`/campaigns/${campaignId}/activate`, { method: "POST" });
  console.log(`Campaign ${campaignId} is now ACTIVE`);

  // Verify sending status
  const status = await instantly<{ sending: boolean; reason?: string }>(
    `/campaigns/${campaignId}/sending-status`
  );
  console.log(`Sending status:`, status);
}

// Full pipeline
async function main() {
  const campaign = await createCampaign();
  await addLeads(campaign.id, sampleLeads);
  await assignAccounts(campaign.id);
  await launchCampaign(campaign.id);
  console.log("\nCampaign launched successfully!");
}

main().catch(console.error);

Key API Endpoints Used

Method	Path	Purpose
POST	/campaigns	Create campaign with sequences
PATCH	/campaigns/{id}	Update campaign settings
POST	/campaigns/{id}/activate	Start sending
POST	/campaigns/{id}/pause	Stop sending
GET	/campaigns/{id}/sending-status	Check if actively sending
POST	/leads	Add a lead to campaign
GET	/accounts	List email accounts
GET	/account-campaign-mappings/{email}	Check account assignments

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Solution
400 Bad Request on create	Invalid schedule or sequence format	Ensure days keys are strings "0"-"6", timing is HH:MM
Campaign stuck in Draft	No sending accounts assigned	Assign via PATCH /campaigns/{id} with email_list
Leads not receiving emails	Accounts not warmed up	Enable warmup first (see instantly-core-workflow-b)
422 on lead add	Duplicate email in workspace	Set skip_if_in_workspace: true
Low open rates	Poor subject lines or spam folder	Disable link tracking, test with inbox placement

Resources

• Create Campaign API
• Campaign Schemas
• Instantly Deliverability Guide

Next Steps

For account warmup and analytics, see instantly-core-workflow-b.