> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://api.smartlead.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Understanding Campaigns

> Learn about email campaigns and how they work in SmartLead

## What is a Campaign?

A campaign in SmartLead is a complete cold email outreach sequence that includes:

* **Email Sequences**: Multiple follow-up emails with automated timing
* **Lead List**: Your target prospects with custom fields for personalization
* **Email Accounts**: Rotating sender accounts for better deliverability
* **Schedule**: When and how often to send emails
* **Tracking**: Open, click, and reply monitoring
* **Settings**: Advanced options for delivery and behavior

## Campaign Lifecycle

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create Campaign">
    Start with a name and basic settings
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Email Sequences">
    Create your initial email and follow-ups
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect Email Accounts">
    Add sender accounts for rotation
  </Step>

  <Step title="Import Leads">
    Upload your prospect list
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure Schedule">
    Set sending hours and timezone
  </Step>

  <Step title="Activate Campaign">
    Start sending emails
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Campaign Status

| Status        | Description                   | Can Send? |
| ------------- | ----------------------------- | --------- |
| **DRAFT**     | Newly created, not configured | No        |
| **ACTIVE**    | Currently sending emails      | Yes       |
| **PAUSED**    | Temporarily stopped           | No        |
| **STOPPED**   | Permanently stopped           | No        |
| **ARCHIVED**  | Hidden from active list       | No        |
| **COMPLETED** | All leads processed           | No        |

## Key Features

### Multi-Sequence Campaigns

Create sophisticated email sequences:

```
Day 0:  Initial outreach
Day 3:  First follow-up
Day 7:  Second follow-up
Day 14: Final follow-up
```

### Personalization Variables

Use these in your email templates:

* `{{first_name}}` - Lead's first name
* `{{last_name}}` - Lead's last name
* `{{company_name}}` - Company name
* `{{job_title}}` - Custom field: job title
* Any custom field you define

**Example Email**:

```
Hi {{first_name}},

I noticed {{company_name}} is in the {{industry}} space...

Best,
Your Name
```

### Account Rotation

SmartLead automatically rotates between your connected email accounts to:

* Distribute sending load
* Improve deliverability
* Build sender reputation
* Avoid ESP limits

### AI ESP Matching

When enabled, SmartLead intelligently matches leads with appropriate sender accounts based on:

* Lead's email provider
* Account deliverability scores
* Sending patterns
* Historical performance

## Campaign Settings Explained

### Track Settings

Control what gets tracked:

* **Email Opens**: Track when leads open your emails
* **Link Clicks**: Track when leads click links
* **Privacy Mode**: Disable tracking for privacy-focused outreach

### Scheduler Settings

Configure sending times:

```json theme={null}
{
  "timezone": "America/New_York",
  "days": [1,2,3,4,5], // Monday-Friday
  "start_hour": "09:00",
  "end_hour": "17:00"
}
```

### Sending Limits

* **Max Leads Per Day**: Daily sending cap
* **Min Time Between Emails**: Delay between consecutive sends
* **Follow-up Percentage**: What % of leads get follow-ups

### Stop Lead Settings

Configure when to stop emailing a lead:

* `REPLY_TO_AN_EMAIL`: Stop on any reply
* `OPENED_EMAIL`: Stop after opens
* `CLICKED_LINK`: Stop after link click
* `NEVER`: Complete full sequence

## Best Practices

### Campaign Structure

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="One Clear Goal Per Campaign">
    * Focus each campaign on a specific objective
    * Don't mix different audiences in one campaign
    * Keep messaging consistent
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Segment Your Audience">
    * Create separate campaigns for different personas
    * Personalize based on industry, role, or company size
    * Use custom fields for deep personalization
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Test and Iterate">
    * Start with smaller test campaigns
    * Monitor open and reply rates
    * Adjust messaging based on results
    * A/B test subject lines
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Email Sequence Design

1. **First Email (Day 0)**
   * Keep it short and value-focused
   * Clear call-to-action
   * Personalize with custom fields

2. **Follow-up 1 (Day 3-5)**
   * Reference previous email
   * Add additional value
   * Different angle/benefit

3. **Follow-up 2 (Day 7-10)**
   * Case study or social proof
   * Address potential objections
   * Softer CTA

4. **Final Follow-up (Day 14-21)**
   * Permission-based ("Should I stop emailing?")
   * Last chance offer
   * Easy opt-out

### Deliverability Tips

<Tip>
  * Warm up new email accounts before adding to campaigns
  * Keep daily sending under 50 emails per account
  * Rotate multiple accounts
  * Monitor bounce rates
  * Use custom tracking domains
</Tip>

## Campaign Analytics

Monitor these key metrics:

* **Open Rate**: % of leads who opened your email
* **Click Rate**: % of leads who clicked links
* **Reply Rate**: % of leads who replied (most important)
* **Bounce Rate**: % of undeliverable emails
* **Unsubscribe Rate**: % who opted out

### Good Benchmarks

| Metric      | Good           | Great          | Excellent        |
| ----------- | -------------- | -------------- | ---------------- |
| Open Rate   | 30-40%         | 40-50%         | 50%+             |
| Click Rate  | 5-10%          | 10-15%         | 15%+             |
| Reply Rate  | 2-5%           | 5-10%          | 10%+             |
| Bounce Rate | lesser than 2% | lesser than 1% | lesser than 0.5% |

## Common Campaign Types

### 1. Basic Cold Outreach

* 3-4 email sequence
* General value proposition
* Broad targeting

### 2. Warm Introduction

* 2-3 email sequence
* Reference to mutual connection
* Relationship-based

### 3. Content/Value First

* Lead with free resource
* Educational approach
* Longer sequence (5-7 emails)

### 4. Event Invitation

* Short sequence (1-2 emails)
* Time-sensitive
* Clear event details

## API Integration Examples

### Create and Launch Campaign

```python Python theme={null}
import requests

API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"
BASE_URL = "https://server.smartlead.ai/api/v1"

# 1. Create campaign
campaign_response = requests.post(
    f"{BASE_URL}/campaigns/new",
    params={"api_key": API_KEY},
    json={"name": "Q1 2024 Outreach"}
)
campaign_id = campaign_response.json()['campaign']['id']

# 2. Add sequences
sequences_response = requests.post(
    f"{BASE_URL}/campaigns/{campaign_id}/sequences",
    params={"api_key": API_KEY},
    json={
        "sequences": [
            {
                "seq_number": 1,
                "subject": "Quick question",
                "email_body": "Hi {{first_name}},...",
                "seq_delay_details": {"delay_in_days": 0}
            }
        ]
    }
)

# 3. Add email accounts
accounts_response = requests.post(
    f"{BASE_URL}/campaigns/{campaign_id}/email-accounts",
    params={"api_key": API_KEY},
    json={"email_account_ids": [456, 457]}
)

# 4. Add leads
leads_response = requests.post(
    f"{BASE_URL}/campaigns/{campaign_id}/leads",
    params={"api_key": API_KEY},
    json={
        "lead_list": [
            {
                "email": "prospect@example.com",
                "first_name": "John",
                "company_name": "Acme Corp"
            }
        ]
    }
)

# 5. Start campaign
start_response = requests.patch(
    f"{BASE_URL}/campaigns/{campaign_id}/status",
    params={"api_key": API_KEY},
    json={"status": "ACTIVE"}
)

print(f"Campaign {campaign_id} is now ACTIVE!")
```

## Troubleshooting

### Campaign Not Sending

Check:

1. Campaign status is ACTIVE
2. At least one email account connected
3. Leads are in STARTED or INPROGRESS status
4. Schedule allows sending at current time
5. Email accounts have remaining daily quota

### Low Reply Rates

Common fixes:

1. Improve subject lines
2. Shorten email copy
3. Better personalization
4. Clear call-to-action
5. Check deliverability (opens/spam)

### High Bounce Rate

Actions:

1. Verify emails before adding
2. Remove invalid emails
3. Check email account configuration
4. Review sending patterns
5. Warm up accounts properly

## Related Resources

* [Create Campaign API](/api-reference/campaigns/create)
* [Add Leads API](/api-reference/leads/add-to-campaign)
* [Campaign Settings API](/api-reference/campaigns/update-settings)
* [Campaign Analytics](/api-reference/analytics/campaign-performance)