--- title: "How to Create a Template Get-Reply Campaign in FirstSales | FirstSales" description: "Launch a Template campaign — you write the email sequence and bring your own contacts. Covers all six builder tabs and how it differs from Autopilot." canonical: "https://firstsales.io/tutorial/create-template-reply-campaign/" --- [Home](/)/[Tutorials](/tutorial/)/How to Create a Template Get-Reply Campaign in FirstSales Campaigns # How to Create a Template Get-Reply Campaign in FirstSales Launch 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 read·Beginner·6 steps 1. 1 ## Choose Outreach → Template → Get Reply Open **Campaigns** → **Create Campaign**. Set **Campaign Type** to **Outreach** and **Campaign Mode** to **Template**. Template mode is the opposite of Autopilot: _you write the emails yourself_ and bring your own contacts — the AI doesn't source or draft for you. For **Campaign Goal**, pick **Get Reply**. Note the **Meeting** goal is disabled in Template mode — meeting booking is an Autopilot-only feature. Template setup is a **single step**: there's no Contact Search Criteria screen, because you're not asking the AI to find anyone. Name it and click **Create Campaign**. Remember: **mode can't be changed after creation**. ![Choose Outreach → Template → Get Reply](/tutorials/template-reply-01-mode-goal.webp) 2. 2 ## Meet the builder tabs (six, not seven) A Template campaign opens with **six** tabs — one fewer than Autopilot, because there's **no AI Instructions** tab (you write the copy, so there's nothing to instruct the AI to write): * **Info** — name, description, goal, status. * **Settings** — sending mailbox (connector), daily limits, schedule. * **Contacts** — the _Contact Lists_ you bring in (no AI harvest). * **Email Templates** — your sequence of hand-written emails. * **Analytics** — sent, opened, replied. * **Logs** — a record of every send. The two tabs you'll actually build in are **Contacts** and **Email Templates**. ![Meet the builder tabs (six, not seven)](/tutorials/autopilot-meeting-03-builder-tabs.webp) 3. 3 ## Bring your own contacts Open **Contacts**. Unlike Autopilot, a Template campaign doesn't harvest anyone — you supply the list. Add a **Contact List** (import a CSV or pick an existing list). Each contact carries the fields your templates will personalize with, such as _first name_ and _company_. Because you own the list, you also own its quality. Clean, verified emails are what keep a Template campaign out of spam folders — there's no AI filtering step to catch a bad address for you. 4. 4 ## Write the email sequence Open **Email Templates** — this is the heart of a Template campaign. Add your first email, then follow-ups, each with a **delay** before it sends (e.g. 2 days after the previous step). A typical Get-Reply sequence is a short opener plus two or three polite nudges. * Use **personalization variables** like `{{first_name}}` and `{{company}}` so each send reads one-to-one. * Keep the ask soft — one easy question — since the goal is **Get Reply**, not a booked call. * Save shapes you like to the **template library** to reuse across campaigns. What you write is exactly what goes out — there's no AI drafting layer, so proofread every template. ![Write the email sequence](/tutorials/template-reply-02-sequence.webp) 5. 5 ## Set the mailbox and schedule Open **Settings**. Pick the **connector** (a warmed-up mailbox) the campaign sends from, and set the **daily limit** and sending window. Template campaigns send on a fixed cadence from your sequence delays, so the daily limit is your main throttle for staying under provider send limits. Warm the mailbox first — a Template campaign has no AI approval gate softening your first sends, so deliverability rests entirely on sender reputation and list quality. 6. 6 ## Launch and track replies Set the campaign **Active** and it starts working through your list on the schedule you set. Because there's no Content Approval step, sending begins immediately — so make sure the first template is right before you flip it live. * **Analytics** — sent, opened, replied. Judge it on replies. * **Contacts** — who's moved through the sequence. * **Inbox** — the conversations, where you take over. If a template underperforms, edit it directly — in Template mode you change the copy yourself rather than re-steering an AI. ## Pro tips Hard-won shortcuts that keep warm-up on track. 1 ### Template mode = full control, full responsibility You write every email and bring every contact, so quality is entirely on you. There's no AI drafting or harvesting to lean on — great when you have proven copy, more work when you don't. 2 ### No Meeting goal here The Meeting goal is disabled in Template mode — it's an Autopilot-only feature. If a booked call is the real aim, use an Autopilot Meeting campaign instead. 3 ### Personalize with variables, not by hand Use {{first\_name}} and {{company}} in every template so each send reads one-to-one without editing each email. Save the shapes that work to the template library for the next campaign. 4 ### List quality does the deliverability work There's no AI approval gate in a Template campaign, so clean, verified contacts and a warmed mailbox are what keep you out of spam. Clean the list before you launch. ## Frequently asked questions How is a Template campaign different from an Autopilot campaign? **Template** is a one-step setup where _you_ write the emails and bring your own contacts — no AI sourcing, no AI drafting, and no AI Instructions tab (six tabs instead of seven). **Autopilot** finds contacts and writes every email for you. Choose Template when you already have copy and a list you trust. Why can't I pick the Meeting goal? The **Meeting** goal is disabled in Template mode — meeting booking is an Autopilot-only feature. In a Template campaign you can use **Get Reply**. If you need calls booked, create an Autopilot Meeting campaign instead. Where do the contacts come from? From a **Contact List** you supply on the Contacts tab — a CSV import or an existing list. A Template campaign never harvests contacts, so the list quality (and deliverability) is entirely yours to manage. How do I personalize a template email? Use **personalization variables** like `{{first_name}}` and `{{company}}` in the template body. They're filled per contact from your Contact List fields at send time, so each email reads one-to-one. How do follow-ups work? In **Email Templates** you add a sequence of emails, each with a **delay** before it sends (for example two days after the previous step). The campaign advances a contact through the sequence until they reply or the sequence ends. Is there an approval step before emails send? No. The **Content Approval** gate belongs to Autopilot, where an AI writes the emails. In a Template campaign you wrote the emails yourself, so they send on schedule as soon as the campaign is Active — proofread before you launch. Can I reuse my templates across campaigns? Yes — save the shapes that work to the **template library** and pull them into future campaigns instead of rewriting from scratch. Can I switch a Template campaign to Autopilot later? No. **Campaign mode cannot be changed after creation.** If you want AI sourcing and drafting, create a new Autopilot campaign — it only takes a minute. ## Ready to put this into practice? Start your FirstSales trial and launch a warmed, authenticated mailbox in minutes. [Start for $1](https://app.firstsales.io) [All tutorials](/tutorial/)