---
title: "FirstSales Tutorials — Set Up Cold Email That Lands"
description: "Step-by-step guides for FirstSales: warm up your domain, authenticate your mailbox, launch campaigns, and hit 87% inbox placement."
canonical: "https://firstsales.io/tutorial/"
---

[Home](/)/Tutorials

Guides & tutorials

# Set up cold email that actually lands

Step-by-step FirstSales guides — warm up your domain, authenticate your mailbox, launch campaigns, and hit 87% inbox placement.

[Email Warm-upHow to Set Up Email Warm-up in FirstSalesTurn on AI warm-up for a new mailbox so your cold-email domain builds sender reputation before you send real campaigns.8 min·Beginner](/tutorial/email-warmup-setup/)

[CampaignsHow to Create an Autopilot Meeting Campaign in FirstSalesLaunch an Autopilot campaign with the Meeting goal — the AI finds contacts and writes every email to book calls. Covers all seven builder tabs.9 min·Beginner](/tutorial/create-autopilot-meeting-campaign/)

[CampaignsHow to Create an Autopilot Get-Reply Campaign in FirstSalesLaunch an Autopilot campaign with the Get Reply goal — the AI finds contacts and writes every email to start conversations. No calendar needed.8 min·Beginner](/tutorial/create-autopilot-reply-campaign/)

[CampaignsHow to Create a Template Get-Reply Campaign in FirstSalesLaunch a Template campaign — you write the email sequence and bring your own contacts. Covers all six builder tabs and how it differs from Autopilot.8 min·Beginner](/tutorial/create-template-reply-campaign/)

[CampaignsHow to Create a Maps Scraper Based Campaign in FirstSalesSource local businesses from Google Maps with the Maps Scraper harvester tool. Covers search terms, locations, email enrichment, and saving to a list.8 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/create-maps-scraper-campaign/)

[CampaignsHow to Build a Campaign Email Sequence in FirstSalesBuild the email sequence for a campaign — initial email plus follow-ups, delays between steps, merge tags, and A/B variants in the Workflow builder.7 min·Beginner](/tutorial/campaign-sequence-steps/)

[MailboxesHow to Connect a Mailbox in FirstSalesConnect a sending mailbox via Google, Microsoft, or SMTP/IMAP, authenticate the domain, and turn on warm-up before your first send.7 min·Beginner](/tutorial/connect-mailbox/)

[MailboxesHow to Add Multiple Mailboxes in FirstSalesAdd several mailboxes and let campaigns rotate sends across them at modest daily limits so volume scales without torching sender reputation.7 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/add-unlimited-mailboxes/)

[Email Warm-upHow to Troubleshoot a Low Warm-up Score in FirstSalesDiagnose a stuck or falling Warmup Score — authentication gaps, over-sending, and reputation damage — and get a mailbox back to Healthy.8 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/warmup-troubleshooting/)

[DeliverabilityHow to Set Up SPF, DKIM & DMARC in FirstSalesAuthenticate your sending domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC so your cold email is trusted, reaches the inbox, and isn't rejected as spoofed.8 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/domain-authentication-spf-dkim-dmarc/)

[DeliverabilityHow to Improve Inbox Placement in FirstSalesLand in the inbox, not spam — domain auth, warm-up, Sender Health, contact cleaning, and content that doesn't trip filters, in one playbook.9 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/improve-inbox-placement/)

[DeliverabilityHow to Set Up Bounce Protection in FirstSalesStop bounces before they hurt your reputation — turn on contact cleaning, re-clean old lists, and read soft/hard/blocked bounces in the inbox.8 min·Beginner](/tutorial/bounce-protection-setup/)

[PersonalizationHow to Use Personalization Variables in FirstSalesUse {{merge tags}} with fallbacks, standard and custom fields, and know when to reach for Autopilot AI writing instead of templated tokens.7 min·Beginner](/tutorial/ai-personalization-variables/)

[List ManagementHow to Clean & Verify Your Contact List in FirstSalesVerify addresses before you send — turn on contact cleaning, understand the five checks and the per-contact cost, and re-clean older lists.7 min·Beginner](/tutorial/clean-contact-list/)

[IntegrationsHow to Set Up Integrations in FirstSalesConnect email, calendar, LinkedIn, and Telegram from the Connectors page — plus what's coming soon and how to automate with the REST API.6 min·Beginner](/tutorial/integrations-setup/)

[AnalyticsHow to Read Campaign Analytics in FirstSalesRead the Engagement strip, Sender Health, and per-contact journey — and know why reply rate beats open rate for judging a cold campaign.8 min·Beginner](/tutorial/read-campaign-analytics/)

[Developer & CLIFirstSales API QuickstartGenerate an API key and make your first calls — create contacts, enroll them in campaigns, and pull replies from the inbox over the REST API.9 min·Advanced](/tutorial/api-quickstart/)

[CampaignsHow to Use AI Leads to Source Contacts in FirstSalesDescribe your ideal customer in plain language and let the AI Leads harvester find matching people with work emails, on a recurring schedule, into a list.9 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/create-ai-leads-campaign/)

[Developer & CLIFirstSales CLI QuickstartInstall the FirstSales CLI, authenticate with an API key, and run your first safe commands — whoami, org/workspace discovery, dry-run, and idempotency.8 min·Advanced](/tutorial/firstsales-cli-quickstart/)

[Developer & CLIUsing FirstSales with Claude CodeDrive FirstSales from Claude Code through the CLI — install, authenticate, inspect before mutating, and never expose your API key in the agent's output.8 min·Advanced](/tutorial/firstsales-with-claude-code/)

[Developer & CLIUsing FirstSales with CodexConnect Codex to FirstSales over the REST API (or CLI in a shell) — first whoami call, scoped keys, idempotent writes, and stopping on unsupported operations.8 min·Advanced](/tutorial/firstsales-with-codex/)

[Developer & CLIUsing FirstSales with GeminiWire Gemini to FirstSales via the REST API with narrow function tools — read before write, per-tool scopes, and safe, verifiable mutations.8 min·Advanced](/tutorial/firstsales-with-gemini/)

[Developer & CLIUsing FirstSales in CI/CD & ScriptsRun the FirstSales CLI in pipelines — masked secrets, fail-fast auth, dry-run on PRs and apply on main, idempotent steps, and guarded destructive actions.8 min·Advanced](/tutorial/firstsales-in-ci-cd/)

[Developer & CLIManage Contacts with the FirstSales CLICRUD contacts, lists, and tags from the command line — idempotent creates, bulk imports, exports, and deliberate deletes scoped to an org and workspace.8 min·Advanced](/tutorial/manage-contacts-via-cli/)

[Team & WorkspaceHow to Invite & Manage Team Members in FirstSalesInvite teammates with the right role and workspace access, track and cancel pending invites, and onboard whole companies with invite links or domain allowlists.7 min·Beginner](/tutorial/invite-team-members/)

[Team & WorkspaceHow to Use Roles & Permission Groups in FirstSalesUnderstand the five built-in roles, build custom permission groups from the resource matrix, respect the creator ceiling, and scope access per workspace.7 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/permission-groups-and-roles/)

[Team & WorkspaceHow to Manage Organizations & Workspaces in FirstSalesSwitch, create, and configure organizations and workspaces — when to split into a new workspace vs. a new org, and how member access is scoped.7 min·Beginner](/tutorial/manage-workspaces-and-orgs/)

[Developer & CLIHow to Create & Manage Developer API Keys in FirstSalesMint least-privilege API keys with per-resource scopes, use them with the CLI and REST API, and rotate or revoke them safely without an outage.7 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/create-developer-api-keys/)

[Billing & CreditsHow Credits, Plans & Billing Work in FirstSalesUnderstand credit costs per action, the four plans, buying top-ups via Dodo, reading usage history, and why there's no surprise auto-recharge.8 min·Beginner](/tutorial/understand-credits-and-billing/)

[CampaignsHow to Build a Knowledge Base for AI Drafts in FirstSalesCreate a Knowledge Base, crawl your site, add sources and uploaded documents, and attach it to a campaign so AI drafts are grounded in real product facts.8 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/create-knowledge-base/)

[CampaignsHow to Create Offerings the AI Pitches in FirstSalesDefine a product or service — name, description, detailed pitch, key benefits, and URL — and attach it so the AI drafter promotes exactly what you sell.6 min·Beginner](/tutorial/create-offerings/)

[CRM & PipelineHow to Use FirstSales as a Lightweight CRMRun a pipeline from Contacts, Lists, Tags, and journey status — track stages and replies without a deal board, and know when to reach for a full CRM.8 min·Beginner](/tutorial/using-firstsales-as-crm/)

[DeliverabilityRecover from a bounce spikeYour bounce rate crossed the line and a campaign auto-paused. Diagnose the cause, clean the list, throttle down, and re-warm before you resume.8 min·Advanced](/tutorial/recover-from-high-bounce/)

[DeliverabilityEmails landing in spam — the checklistLow opens and replies going quiet usually mean the spam folder. Work this checklist: authenticate your domain, add a tracking domain, warm up, and fix the content.9 min·Advanced](/tutorial/fix-emails-going-to-spam/)

[Email Warm-upWarm-up score stuck or blockedYour warmup score won't climb, or the mailbox shows Blocked/Paused. Read the phase, give it time, fix the mailbox connection and DNS, and let the ramp finish.6 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/warmup-score-stuck-low/)

[CampaignsMy campaign isn't sending — diagnose itCampaign is Active but nothing goes out. Walk the four-point checklist: sender connected, schedule window open, credits available, and the approval queue not holding drafts.7 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/campaign-not-sending/)

[AnalyticsLow reply rate? Tune the SDR & sequenceSends land fine but nobody replies. Read the analytics, tune the AI SDR's tone and structure, A/B test your templates, and tighten targeting until replies come back.8 min·Advanced](/tutorial/low-reply-rate-playbook/)

[Billing & CreditsOut of credits mid-campaign — what happens & how to fix itYou hit zero credits and operations start getting skipped. See exactly what pauses, what each action costs, and how to top up and get running again.4 min·Beginner](/tutorial/ran-out-of-credits/)

[DeliverabilityAdd SPF, DKIM & DMARC on GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare & Route 53The DNS records FirstSales gives you are the same everywhere — only the registrar's UI differs. Cloudflare is one-click; here's where the TXT/CNAME fields live on each of the big four.8 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/dns-across-registrars/)

[List ManagementAvoid double-touching & suppress bad contactsStop emailing the same person twice — or emailing people who bounced or opted out. Dedupe on import, exclude with segmentation, and let bounce/unsubscribe statuses suppress automatically.6 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/dedupe-and-suppress/)

[Getting StartedSolo-founder playbook: founder-led outbound on autopilotOne founder, one or two mailboxes: warm up, ground the AI in your product, launch an AI-drafted campaign to a small ICP list, triage replies, and book meetings — with the app doing the heavy lifting.12 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/playbook-solo-founder/)

[Getting StartedAgency playbook: run many clients with workspaces, roles & per-client reportingGive each client its own workspace and mailboxes, scope your team with roles and permission groups, run separate campaigns per client, and report per client — all under one organization.14 min·Advanced](/tutorial/playbook-agency-multi-client/)

[Getting StartedSDR-team playbook: shared workspace, roles, sender pool & approval workflowRun an SDR team in one workspace: managers and members, a per-rep sender pool, a content-approval workflow so drafts get a human yes before sending, and a shared inbox worked toward booked meetings.12 min·Advanced](/tutorial/playbook-sdr-team/)

[Getting StartedLocal-business playbook: build a local list with the Maps Scraper and get repliesSource a local ICP from Google Maps by trade and city, enrich and verify the contacts, run a simple campaign, and work the replies — the practical path for local and brick-and-mortar outreach.12 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/playbook-local-business-leadgen/)

[Getting StartedRevOps playbook: automate outbound with API keys, the CLI & CSVMint scoped API keys, import and sync contacts programmatically, drive campaigns from the CLI, wire it into CI/CD, and monitor key usage and credit runway — using the REST API and CSV, the surface that's live today.14 min·Advanced](/tutorial/playbook-revops-automation/)

[Getting StartedRecruiter playbook: source candidates, personalize with AI, schedule interviewsBuild a candidate ICP by title and seniority, personalize outreach with the AI SDR, work replies in the inbox, and schedule interviews with a Meeting-goal campaign and a connected calendar.12 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/playbook-recruiter-outreach/)

[Getting StartedHow to migrate from Instantly to FirstSalesMove your contacts, mailboxes, and sequences off Instantly and into FirstSales with a clean CSV import, reconnected inboxes, and a fresh warm-up.10 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/migrate-from-instantly/)

[Getting StartedHow to migrate from Smartlead to FirstSalesMove your leads, mailboxes, and sequences off Smartlead into FirstSales with a clean CSV import, reconnected inboxes, and a fresh warm-up.10 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/migrate-from-smartlead/)

[Getting StartedHow to migrate from Apollo to FirstSalesBring your Apollo contact lists into FirstSales with a clean CSV import, then send and warm up from your own mailboxes.10 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/migrate-from-apollo/)

[Getting StartedHow to migrate from lemlist to FirstSalesMove your leads, custom variables, mailboxes, and sequences off lemlist into FirstSales with a clean CSV import, reconnected inboxes, and a fresh warm-up.10 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/migrate-from-lemlist/)

[IntegrationsGet alerts in TelegramConnect Telegram to receive campaign approval prompts and account alerts on your phone.5 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/telegram-alerts/)

[DeliverabilityMonitor sender health & bounce ratesRead the per-mailbox health cards in campaign analytics — warmup score and bounce rate — and know when a sender is at risk.6 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/sender-health-monitoring/)

[DeliverabilityUnsubscribe & opt-out handlingHow FirstSales adds an unsubscribe link to every email, tracks opt-outs, and marks unsubscribed contacts so you stay compliant.6 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/unsubscribe-and-compliance/)

[Billing & CreditsDelete your data: contacts, workspace & orgSelf-serve data deletion — bulk-delete contacts, or schedule workspace/organization deletion with OTP verification and a 72-hour grace window.5 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/gdpr-data-deletion/)

[Team & WorkspaceSecure your account: password, roles & API key scopesThe real security controls: change your password with email-OTP verification, apply least-privilege roles, scope API keys narrowly, and suspend or remove members.5 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/secure-your-account/)

[Developer & CLIMonitor API keys: logs & usageInspect Developer API request logs and usage stats — per-key and per-route request counts, error rates, and latency — to debug integrations and spot abuse.6 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/api-logs-and-usage/)

[List ManagementImport contacts from CSV (column mapping)Upload a CSV, map its columns to FirstSales fields, and bulk-import contacts into a list — with automatic email cleaning.6 min·Beginner](/tutorial/import-contacts-csv/)

[List ManagementOrganize contacts with Lists & TagsUse lists and tags to segment contacts, bulk-tag in one action, rename or merge tags, and move contacts between lists — safely, without accidental campaign enrolment.6 min·Beginner](/tutorial/organize-lists-and-tags/)

[List ManagementExport & move contacts between listsExport your contacts to CSV and move or copy contacts between lists using the Transfer flow.4 min·Beginner](/tutorial/export-and-transfer-contacts/)

[List ManagementConfigure contact verification checksTurn on automatic email cleaning, understand the five deliverability checks, read a contact's clean/risky/dirty status, and re-test contacts on demand.6 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/contact-verification-settings/)

[Inbox & RepliesTriage replies in the Inbox (Unibox)Work every reply from one shared inbox: filter by tab, read the row status pills, and understand each contact's journey status.7 min·Beginner](/tutorial/triage-replies-in-unibox/)

[Inbox & RepliesHandle out-of-office & auto-resumeTurn on out-of-office detection so a contact's sequence pauses when they auto-reply away and resumes when they're back — a Template-mode reply-handling setting.5 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/handle-out-of-office/)

[Inbox & RepliesStop-on-reply & automatic opt-out handlingStop a sequence the moment a contact replies, and let FirstSales classify opt-out language as an unsubscribe so those contacts drop out automatically.5 min·Beginner](/tutorial/stop-on-reply-and-optout/)

[Inbox & RepliesAuto-pause unengaged contactsAutomatically pause a contact's sequence after a set number of emails with no opens, clicks, or replies — so you stop spending sends on cold contacts.5 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/auto-pause-unengaged/)

[Inbox & RepliesWork the draft approval queueWhen a campaign requires approval, review AI drafts in the Inbox's Needs Approval tab and approve, edit, or reject each one — from the app or the CLI.6 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/approval-queue-workflow/)

[CampaignsHow to tune the AI SDR in FirstSalesSet the AI SDR's tone, writing style, email structure, follow-up strategy and CTA so drafted emails match your sales voice.8 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/tune-ai-sdr-instructions/)

[CampaignsHow to review or auto-send campaign emails in FirstSalesChoose whether AI-drafted emails send automatically, require your approval, or auto-send if you don't respond — and route approval prompts to Telegram.6 min·Beginner](/tutorial/content-approval-modes/)

[CampaignsHow to set a campaign's sending schedule in FirstSalesSet the fallback timezone and sending days for a campaign, and let smart scheduling pick optimal send times.6 min·Beginner](/tutorial/campaign-sending-schedule/)

[CampaignsHow to assign mailboxes and signatures to a campaign in FirstSalesSelect which email accounts send a campaign and control the signature per sender, so mail rotates across your verified mailboxes.6 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/assign-senders-and-signatures/)

[CampaignsHow to add CC and BCC to campaign emails in FirstSalesAdd CC and BCC addresses that are copied on every email a campaign sends.4 min·Beginner](/tutorial/cc-bcc-recipients/)

[CampaignsHow to segment and exclude contacts in a FirstSales campaignChoose which lists a campaign targets and exclude contacts by list, campaign, tag, or active/completed enrollment so you never double-touch a prospect.7 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/contact-segmentation-exclusions/)

[CampaignsHow to use Quality Filter and If/Else branching in FirstSalesRoute contacts by a minimum quality score or by field conditions so only the right prospects continue down each branch of your campaign.8 min·Advanced](/tutorial/quality-filter-and-conditions/)

[Getting StartedGetting Started: Your First-Run ChecklistGo from empty workspace to a live campaign — set up your org, connect a mailbox, warm it up, add offerings and a knowledge base, then launch.8 min·Beginner](/tutorial/getting-started-checklist/)

[Getting StartedYour First Campaign in 15 MinutesThe fast path: source an audience with AI Leads, set your goal and content source, assign a sender, approve, and launch — a live autopilot campaign in one sitting.8 min·Beginner](/tutorial/first-campaign-in-15-min/)

[Billing & CreditsBuy Credits: One-Off Top-UpsAdd credits on demand without changing your plan — pick an amount, get 100 credits per $1, and check out in a couple of clicks.4 min·Beginner](/tutorial/top-up-credits/)

[Billing & CreditsApply a Promo Code & Request a RefundRedeem a promo code from the billing page, and understand how refunds work — self-serve for stray payments, and how to reach support for the rest.5 min·Beginner](/tutorial/request-refund-and-promo/)

[Billing & CreditsManage Your Subscription: Change Plan, Auto-Renew & CancelUpgrade, downgrade, switch to annual, toggle auto-renewal, and cancel — all from the Billing Plan tab, plus what grace periods mean when you stop.5 min·Beginner](/tutorial/manage-subscription/)

[AnalyticsRead Your Credit Runway & Usage HistorySee how long your credits will last, what's consuming them, and per-campaign and per-workspace usage — plus export the full history to CSV.5 min·Beginner](/tutorial/credit-runway-and-usage/)

[IntegrationsStay Ahead of Problems with the Alert CenterThe Alert Center flags disconnected mailboxes, low credits, past-due billing, and missing email authentication — with one-click fixes, snooze, and resolve.6 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/alerts-center/)

[MailboxesConnect any inbox via SMTP/IMAPAdd a non-Google/Microsoft mailbox with server credentials — test the connection, then send and read replies through it.7 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/connect-smtp-imap-mailbox/)

[MailboxesBulk-add mailboxes via CSVUpload a CSV to add many SMTP/IMAP mailboxes at once, with column mapping and per-row validation before import.6 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/bulk-import-smtp-mailboxes/)

[MailboxesSet daily send limits & auto-adjust per mailboxControl how many emails each mailbox sends per day — set a fixed limit, let auto-adjust manage it nightly, or cap it with a send ceiling.6 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/per-mailbox-sending-limits/)

[MailboxesFix a disconnected mailboxReconnect a Google or Microsoft mailbox when its authorization lapses, or re-test a credential mailbox — so sending never silently stops.4 min·Beginner](/tutorial/reconnect-a-mailbox/)

[IntegrationsConnect Google or Outlook CalendarConnect a calendar via OAuth so meeting-booking campaigns can put times on your real calendar — with auto-provisioned Teams links on Outlook.5 min·Beginner](/tutorial/connect-calendar-google-outlook/)

[DeliverabilitySet up a custom tracking domain (CNAME)Point a subdomain at FirstSales with one CNAME record so open, click and unsubscribe tracking runs on your own domain — with SSL provisioned automatically.8 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/setup-custom-tracking-domain/)

[DeliverabilityTurn on Managed DKIM for a mailboxLet FirstSales generate and rotate DKIM keys for you — add one CNAME record and it handles the rest. Available for SMTP/IMAP and relay mailboxes.6 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/managed-dkim-setup/)

[DeliverabilityApply email DNS to Cloudflare in one clickIf your domain is on Cloudflare, FirstSales can add your SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for you with a scoped API token — no copy-pasting into your DNS panel.6 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/cloudflare-one-click-dns/)

[DeliverabilityAuto-pause a campaign when delivery degradesSet bounce and spam-complaint thresholds so a campaign pauses itself before a bad sender reputation spreads — your deliverability safety net.7 min·Advanced](/tutorial/delivery-protection-autopause/)

[DeliverabilityScale your sending volume safelyGrow daily send volume without burning domains: add more mailboxes to the sender pool, let auto-adjust and warm-up ramp each one, and keep delivery protection armed.10 min·Advanced](/tutorial/scale-sending-safely/)

[CampaignsAdd wait/delay steps between emailsInsert a Wait/Delay node to space out follow-ups by a set number of days.4 min·Beginner](/tutorial/wait-delay-steps/)

[CampaignsLaunch readiness: required vs optional componentsThe six components a campaign must have before it can launch, plus the optional ones worth adding.5 min·Beginner](/tutorial/launch-preflight-checklist/)

[CampaignsSend a test email before you launchPreview merge tags and send a real test email to yourself from a campaign template before going live.4 min·Beginner](/tutorial/test-workflow-before-launch/)

[CampaignsPause, resume & complete a campaignHow the campaign action button changes with status — Save, Test, Launch, Pause, Resume — and what each does.4 min·Beginner](/tutorial/pause-resume-campaign/)

[CampaignsBook meetings: connect a calendar to a campaignSet a campaign goal to Meeting and attach a Google or Outlook calendar so the AI can offer real booking slots.6 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/meeting-goal-calendar-setup/)

[CampaignsA/B test subject lines & bodies (Template mode)Create multiple email variants in a Template-mode campaign and compare their performance in analytics.7 min·Intermediate](/tutorial/template-ab-testing/)