# Sequences

Multi-step automated outreach campaigns with email and LinkedIn.

Sequences let you run multi-step outreach campaigns that automatically send follow-ups over time. Each sequence consists of ordered steps with delays between them, and every message is drafted ahead of time for your review.

## Creating a Sequence

1. Select leads and click **Draft Messages with AI** to open the Outbound builder

2. Write a brief describing the goal of the campaign

3. Pick a **send shape** — the shape defines the steps, channels, and timing of the sequence

4. Preview the drafts for each recipient, then approve to schedule the campaign

## Quality Review

Every preview is scored by an independent AI reviewer before you see it. The reviewer checks that claims are grounded in your brief and product (no invented statistics), that the tone reads human rather than templated, and that each touch in a sequence adds something new instead of restating an earlier one. Messages that fall short are automatically revised once, and each draft carries a quality badge — **ready** means it passed review; anything else is worth a read before approving. Nothing is ever sent without your approval.

## Send Shapes

Starlight ships with four stock send shapes, each tuned for a different play:

| Shape | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Cold email — one angle, one ask** | A single cold email with one job: earn a reply |
| **Email sequence — new angle each touch** | A short email cadence where every follow-up takes a genuinely new angle |
| **Email → LinkedIn multichannel** | Email first, then a LinkedIn connection request and a follow-up message |
| **LinkedIn connection note** | A LinkedIn connection request note that reads like a peer, not a pitch |

## Per-Lead Channel Cadence

Multichannel campaigns adapt to each contact. If a contact has a LinkedIn profile but no email address, they get a LinkedIn-only cadence instead of being dropped from the send. LinkedIn follow-up messages wait for the prospect to accept your connection request — these show up under **Waiting on connections** in [Tasks](/docs/features/tasks).

## Delays and Timing

Delays between steps are counted in business days — weekends, off-hours, and national holidays in the recipient's country are skipped automatically. Sends land during [business hours](/docs/features/messages#scheduled-sending) in each recipient's timezone and are staggered so messages don't all go out simultaneously.

## Monitoring Progress

Track each sequence from the **Scheduled** tab in Messages:

- Which contacts are enrolled and which step each one is on
- The full campaign rendered as a connected timeline with numbered steps and wait connectors
- Replies, which automatically stop the remaining steps for that contact

## Credit Costs

| Action | Credits |
| --- | --- |
| Draft with AI (per message) | 4 |
| Sequence email send | 2 |
| LinkedIn connection request | 2 |
| LinkedIn message | 2 |