Smartlead Platform Help

Help the user with Smartlead platform questions — from campaign setup and SmartSenders through SmartInfra, SmartAgents, SmartDialer, SmartProspect, SmartDelivery, agency/white-label, API, and integrations.

Step 1 — Gather context

Ask the user:

What area of Smartlead do you need help with?
- A) Campaigns — creating, managing, or optimizing email campaigns (route to /sales-cadence for strategy)
- B) SmartSenders — automated mailbox provisioning, rotation, daily limits
- C) SmartInfra — dedicated-tenant infrastructure, private IPs, DNS config
- D) SmartAgents — no-code AI agents for research and personalization
- E) SmartDialer — parallel dialing, local presence, call recording
- F) SmartProspect — verified leads with intent signals
- G) SmartDelivery — inbox placement testing, spam test reports
- H) Agency & White-label — master inbox, client workspaces, unified reporting
- I) Integrations — HubSpot, Salesforce (via OutboundSync), Clay, Zapier
- J) API — automation, lead import, campaign management
- K) Admin — billing, plan features, account settings
- L) Something else — describe it
What's your role?
- A) Sales rep / AE / BDR
- B) Sales manager / team lead
- C) RevOps / Sales Ops
- D) Agency owner / account manager
- E) Admin / IT
- F) Founder / solo seller
- G) Other
What are you trying to accomplish? (describe your specific goal or question)

If the user's request already provides most of this context, skip directly to the relevant step. Lead with your best-effort answer using reasonable assumptions (stated explicitly), then ask only the most critical 1-2 clarifying questions at the end — don't gate your response behind gathering complete context.

Note: If the user needs a specialized skill, route them there with a brief explanation of why that skill is a better fit.

Step 2 — Route or answer directly

If the request maps to a specialized skill, route:

List building / prospecting → /sales-prospect-list
Contact enrichment / data hygiene → /sales-enrich
Cadence strategy / sequence design → /sales-cadence
Cross-platform deliverability → /sales-deliverability
Tool integration architecture → /sales-integration
Multi-client agency architecture → /sales-agency-outbound

Otherwise, answer directly from platform knowledge using the reference below.

Step 3 — Smartlead platform reference

Provide module-by-module guidance based on the user's area:

Campaigns

What it is: A campaign in Smartlead is a multi-step email sequence — an initial email plus follow-ups sent on a time-delay schedule
Key concepts: Campaign = sequence, email steps with time delays between them, lead statuses track engagement
Campaign statuses: draft, active, paused, completed
A/B testing: Built-in variant testing — create up to 26 variants (A-Z) for subject lines and email body. Smartlead auto-distributes across variants and tracks performance.
Lead management: Leads are tracked by interest status within campaigns — interested, not interested, not contacted, do not contact, wrong person, completed
Best practices: Keep initial emails under 125 words, use merge fields ({{first_name}}, {{company}}), test one variable at a time across variants

SmartSenders

What it is: Automated mailbox provisioning and management — bulk-create Gmail/Outlook mailboxes via OAuth or connect SMTP accounts
Mailbox rotation: Smartlead automatically rotates sends across connected sender accounts in a campaign
Daily limits: Configure per-sender daily sending limits (recommend 30-50/day per mailbox for cold outbound)
Provisioning at scale: Connect 20+ mailboxes via OAuth in bulk — each gets its own warmup, limits, and reputation tracking
Best practices: Use real names (jane@outbound.company.com), not generic (sales@). One mailbox per 30-50 cold emails/day. Enable warmup on every new mailbox immediately.

SmartInfra

What it is: Dedicated-tenant email infrastructure — private IPs and auto DNS configuration for high-volume senders
Shared vs dedicated: Shared infrastructure is fine for <500 emails/day. Above that, IP neighbor risk increases — one bad sender on a shared IP affects everyone.
Auto DNS config: SmartInfra auto-configures SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your sending domains
When to use: High-volume senders (1,000+ emails/day), agencies managing multiple clients, anyone who needs IP isolation

SmartAgents

What it is: No-code AI agents that research prospects and generate personalized email content at scale
How it works: Configure a prompt, point to data sources (LinkedIn, company website, news), and SmartAgents research each prospect to generate custom email content
Use case: Research-grade personalization — finding specific talking points, recent company news, mutual connections, or industry insights for each prospect
Not for: Simple merge-field personalization ({{first_name}}, {{company}}). SmartAgents are for Level 3-4 personalization at scale.

SmartDialer

What it is: Built-in parallel dialing with local presence numbers, call recording, and voicemail drop
Key features: Dial multiple prospects simultaneously, automatic local number matching, record calls for coaching, drop pre-recorded voicemails
Integration: Calls logged within Smartlead campaigns alongside email activity

SmartProspect

What it is: Built-in lead database with verified contacts and intent signals — an alternative to external list-building tools
Verification: 3x email verification (syntax, domain, mailbox) to reduce bounces
Intent signals: Identifies prospects actively researching relevant topics
Credit model: Pay per verified lead — credits deducted on export/use

SmartDelivery

What it is: Inbox placement testing — send test emails to seed accounts and measure inbox vs spam placement
Pre-campaign testing: Test deliverability before launching a campaign to catch issues early
Ongoing monitoring: Run placement tests periodically during active campaigns to detect reputation changes
Reports: Spam test reports showing placement by provider (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo), authentication status, and content analysis

Agency & White-label

Master inbox: Single view across all client campaigns — manage replies, leads, and activity from one interface
Client workspaces: Isolate campaigns, sender accounts, and data per client. Each workspace operates independently.
White-label: Custom branding — your logo, colors, and domain on the Smartlead interface for client-facing access
Unified reporting: Cross-client analytics — compare performance, spot trends, identify at-risk campaigns across all clients

Smartlead data model

Core entities — understand these to navigate the UI and work with the API:

Entity	What it represents	Key relationships
Campaign	A multi-step email sequence	Has email steps, has Leads, uses Sender Accounts
Lead	A contact enrolled in a campaign	Belongs to a Campaign, has activity tracking
Sender Account	A connected email mailbox	Used by Campaigns, has warmup status
Client/Workspace	A client account (agency)	Has Campaigns, has Sender Accounts
SmartAgent	An AI research/personalization agent	Linked to Campaigns for content generation

API & Integrations

For detailed API documentation including all endpoints, authentication, rate limits, and webhook event payloads, always consult references/smartlead-api-reference.md. Point the user to this file for the full endpoint catalog, request/response schemas, and rate limit details.

Quick reference: Base URL https://server.smartlead.ai/api/v1/, API key auth (api_key query parameter). Key capabilities: campaign CRUD, lead management, sender account management, analytics, webhooks, client/workspace management (agency).

For broader integration architecture help beyond Smartlead's native connectors (e.g., building multi-tool workflows, Zapier/Make recipes, or webhook pipelines), use /sales-integration.

Native integrations

CRM: HubSpot (native — push leads, sync activity), Salesforce (via OutboundSync, a paid third-party connector — not native like HubSpot; alternatively use Zapier as a lighter-weight option). For broader integration architecture, see /sales-integration.
Enrichment: Clay (native — enrichment pipeline integration)
Automation: Zapier (triggers for replies, opens, bounces; actions for adding leads)
Email: Gmail OAuth, Outlook OAuth (direct mailbox connection)
Communication: Slack (campaign notifications)

Step 4 — Actionable guidance

Based on the user's specific question:

Step-by-step instructions — numbered steps to accomplish their goal in Smartlead
Configuration recommendations — specific settings to change, with navigation paths
Common pitfalls — what can go wrong and how to avoid it
Verification — how to confirm the change worked
For API questions — always include a pointer: "For the full endpoint catalog, request/response schemas, and rate limits, see references/smartlead-api-reference.md."

Gotchas

Don't skip SmartInfra evaluation for high-volume. Shared infrastructure has IP neighbor risk at scale. If you're sending 1,000+ emails/day or managing multiple clients, evaluate SmartInfra's dedicated IPs. One bad neighbor on a shared IP can tank your deliverability overnight.
Don't conflate Smartlead campaigns with Salesloft cadences. Smartlead campaigns are email-only by default. Phone steps require SmartDialer, and LinkedIn touchpoints need external tools. Don't promise multi-channel capabilities that require add-ons.
Don't use SmartAgents for simple merge-field personalization. SmartAgents are for research-grade personalization — finding company news, analyzing LinkedIn profiles, generating custom talking points. For simple {{first_name}} and {{company}} merge fields, just use standard campaign variables. SmartAgents add cost and latency for no benefit on simple personalization.
Don't assume Salesforce integration is native. Smartlead connects to Salesforce via OutboundSync, a paid third-party connector. It's not built-in like the HubSpot integration. Users need an OutboundSync subscription or can use Zapier as an alternative.
Don't skip warmup. Ultra Premium Warmup must run 2-3 weeks on new mailboxes before they're added to campaign rotation. Sending cold emails from unwarmmed mailboxes will land in spam. This applies even if the domain is established — new mailboxes need their own warmup.

Step 5 — Related skills

/sales-cadence — Design outbound cadence strategy (platform-agnostic, works with Smartlead campaigns)
/sales-deliverability — Cross-platform email deliverability — SPF/DKIM/DMARC, warmup, inbox placement
/sales-prospect-list — Build prospect lists to import into Smartlead
/sales-enrich — Enrich contacts with emails/phones before importing
/sales-integration — Connect Smartlead to other tools via webhooks, Zapier, or API
/sales-agency-outbound — Multi-client agency architecture — infrastructure, client isolation, onboarding
/sales-mailshake — Mailshake platform help (if using Mailshake instead of Smartlead)
/sales-apollo — Apollo.io platform help (if using Apollo instead of Smartlead)
/sales-salesloft — Salesloft platform help (if using Salesloft instead of Smartlead)
/sales-do — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill.

Examples

Example 1: Campaign setup with warmup

User says: "How do I set up a new campaign in Smartlead with 10 mailboxes?" Skill does:

Walks through creating a campaign with email steps and time delays
Explains connecting 10 sender accounts via SmartSenders (OAuth or SMTP)
Stresses enabling Ultra Premium Warmup on all 10 mailboxes immediately — minimum 2-3 weeks before campaign launch
Configures daily limits (30-50/mailbox), rotation, and scheduling
Recommends running SmartDelivery inbox placement test before going live Result: User has a campaign ready to launch after warmup period with proper mailbox rotation

Example 2: SmartSenders provisioning 20 mailboxes

User says: "I need to set up 20 new mailboxes for outbound in Smartlead" Skill does:

Recommends domain strategy — 1 domain per 3-5 mailboxes, dedicated outbound domains
Walks through bulk Gmail/Outlook OAuth connection via SmartSenders
Configures per-mailbox daily limits (30-50 each = 600-1,000 total daily capacity)
Enables Ultra Premium Warmup on all 20 with staggered start dates
Advises on SmartInfra evaluation at this volume — 20 mailboxes may benefit from dedicated IPs Result: User has 20 mailboxes provisioned with warmup plan and capacity planning

Example 3: API lead import

User says: "I want to use the Smartlead API to add leads from our CRM to a campaign" Skill does:

Points to references/smartlead-api-reference.md for full API docs
Explains the POST /campaigns/{id}/leads endpoint — email required, custom_fields for merge variables
Shows authentication method (api_key query parameter)
Recommends batching for large imports and monitoring rate limits
Suggests setting up webhooks for LEAD_REPLIED and LEAD_INTERESTED to sync back to CRM Result: User knows the endpoint, auth method, required fields, and how to build a bidirectional sync

Troubleshooting

Low open rates

Symptom: Campaign open rates below 30% Cause: Insufficient warmup, missing domain authentication, poor sender reputation, or weak subject lines Solution: Check warmup status on all sender accounts — reputation should be 80+ before campaign sends. Verify SPF/DKIM/DMARC (SmartInfra auto-configures these, but verify in DNS). Run SmartDelivery inbox placement test. A/B test subject lines across variants. See /sales-deliverability for a full diagnosis framework.

SmartAgent personalization quality

Symptom: SmartAgent-generated content is generic or inaccurate Cause: Poorly configured prompts, insufficient data sources, or using SmartAgents for simple personalization Solution: Refine the SmartAgent prompt with specific instructions (what to research, what angles to find). Add more data sources (LinkedIn, company website, news). Review a sample of 10 outputs before launching at scale. If personalization needs are simple (name, company), skip SmartAgents and use standard merge fields.

Warmup stalling

Symptom: Sender reputation not increasing after 2+ weeks of warmup Cause: DNS misconfiguration, mailbox connectivity issues, or daily volume set too low Solution: Verify DNS records (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) are correct. Check mailbox connectivity — re-authenticate OAuth if needed. Ensure warmup daily volume is at least 20-30 emails. Check if the mailbox is also being used for non-warmup sends that could hurt reputation.

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