The recommended sequence

One good first email, at most two follow-ups a week apart, and every reply handed to a human. It's simple on purpose: most replies come from a thoughtful first email and one well-timed follow-up, and every extra email costs goodwill and deliverability.

Contact enrolled
  → First email (template, or AI-written for this person)
  → Wait up to 7 days for a reply
      replied → Hand off to you
      no reply → Follow-up 1 (new angle, 2–3 sentences)
        → Wait up to 7 days for a reply
            replied → Hand off to you
            no reply → Follow-up 2 (short, close the loop)
              → Wait up to 7 days for a reply
                  replied → Hand off to you
                  no reply → Stage: Ignored (never replied) → End

Every reply — even "not now" — reaches you (or your AI agent) instead of an automated branch, so no conversation gets a canned response. Follow-ups go in the same thread from the same mailbox; see how sequences work.

Plan it with Claude (recommended)

The messaging matters more than the mechanics, so plan it in a conversation. With Claude connected, ask something like:

Claude will:

1. Learn your context — asks about your offer, who it's for and your tone; reads your setup (get_setup_overview) and a few contacts' products and launches (get_contact_launches) to see what it can personalise with.
2. Propose the messaging — the first email (as a template with {{firstName}} / {{productName}}, or an AI instruction that writes each email from the contact's launch), and two follow-ups that each add something new.
3. Build it once you agree — create_sequence with start_from: "recommended", then update_sequence_step for each email. New sequences start disabled.
4. Check it — simulate_sequence shows when each email would go out; get_template previews an email for a real contact.
5. Turn it on when you say so — enable it and, if you like, make it the default for new launches.

Or build it yourself

In Outreach → Sequences → New, connect: Email → Wait for reply (168 hours) → on timeout, Email → Wait for reply (168 h) → on timeout, Email → Wait for reply (168 h) → on timeout, Set stage Ignored (never replied) → End. Connect every replied path to one Hand off to human step.

Writing the emails

First email — template or AI?

• A template gives you exact control and consistent quality. Personalise with {{firstName | there}} and {{productName}}, and contact variables.
• An AI email writes each message from the contact's launch and your instruction — more personal, needs an AI key (Settings → AI for replies). Keep the instruction specific: length, tone, what to mention, what never to say.

Follow-ups should stand on their own: one new, useful angle each time (a relevant example, a resource, a sharper question), 2–3 sentences, and never "just bumping this". The last one politely closes the loop — it often gets the most replies.

Keep them short, plain text, and link-light. One link at most; none in the first email is better.

When someone replies

The reply shows up in Inbox → To do, the contact moves to Engaged (active), and the sequence stops for them. Answer it yourself, or ask Claude:

Everything Claude sends is labelled "Claude · AI agent" in the conversation and logged in Agent activity.

Good defaults

• Send window: Tuesday–Thursday mornings in your contacts' main timezone.
• Volume: start small — FounderDB warms mailboxes up for you — and add mailboxes rather than pushing one harder.
• Watch deliverability: Reports → Accounts shows bounce and spam rates per mailbox; keep bounces under 2%. Claude can check with get_account_report.