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What is a Lead?

A lead in SmartLead is a prospect you want to reach via email. Each lead has:
  • Contact Information: Email, name, company details
  • Custom Fields: Unlimited personalization data
  • Status: Current state in campaign (STARTED, INPROGRESS, COMPLETED)
  • Category: User-defined labels (Interested, Not Interested, etc.)
  • Activity History: All interactions tracked

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Lead Lifecycle

1

Added to Campaign

Lead is imported to a campaign
2

Emails Sent

Sequences are sent according to schedule
3

Engagement Tracked

Opens, clicks, replies recorded
4

Categorized

Responses categorized (Interested, etc.)
5

Completed or Paused

Campaign completes or lead is paused

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Lead Status

StatusDescription
STARTEDLead added, waiting to send
INPROGRESSActively receiving emails
COMPLETEDAll sequences sent
PAUSEDTemporarily stopped
STOPPEDPermanently stopped
BLOCKEDIn block list

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Lead Categories

Default categories:
  • Interested: Positive response
  • Meeting Request: Wants to meet
  • Not Interested: Negative response
  • Do Not Contact: Hard opt-out
  • Information Request: Needs more info
  • Custom Categories: Create your own

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Custom Fields

Add unlimited personalization data: 
{
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "first_name": "John",
  "last_name": "Doe",
  "custom_fields": {
    "job_title": "CEO",
    "industry": "Technology",
    "company_size": "50-100",
    "pain_point": "Lead generation",
    "annual_revenue": "$5M-$10M",
    "linkedin": "https://linkedin.com/in/johndoe"
  }
}
Use in emails: {{job_title}}, {{industry}}, etc.

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Best Practices

Use the email verification API before adding leads to improve deliverability
Add 5-10 custom fields for better personalization and higher reply rates
Create separate campaigns for different personas or industries
Track opens, clicks, replies to identify hot leads