Skip to content
NewSee how

How to tune the AI SDR in FirstSales

Set the AI SDR's tone, writing style, email structure, follow-up strategy and CTA so drafted emails match your sales voice.

Tutorials
Campaigns
min read
8 min
steps
8 · Intermediate

  1. Open the SDR Config tab

    In the campaign builder, click the Email Drafter step, then open the SDR Config tab. This is where the AI agent's writing behavior is set: the callout at the top says it plainly: “Configure the SDR persona and email drafting preferences. The AI agent uses these settings to craft emails that match your sales style.”

  2. Write SDR Setup Instructions

    Fill in the SDR Setup Instructions textarea with your SDR's role, target audience, value proposition, and any specific instructions for outreach. This box is applied as top-priority guidance before every structured setting below it: it's the one place a single rule overrides everything else.

    Write SDR Setup Instructions

  3. Pick a Quick Preset (optional)

    Choose a starting point from Quick Preset (Custom, Consultative SDR, Direct Closer, Friendly Networker, or Technical Advisor) then click Apply. A preset pre-fills every field below; all of them stay editable afterward.

  4. Set Persona & Voice

    Under Persona & Voice, choose a Tone (Professional, Friendly, Casual, Consultative, Authoritative) and a Writing Style (Concise, Detailed, Story-driven, Data-driven). Use the Custom Instructions textarea for persona or style nuances that don't fit a dropdown.

  5. Shape Email Structure

    In Email Structure, pick an Email Length (Short (2–3 sentences), Medium (1 paragraph), or Long (2–3 paragraphs)) and toggle the checkboxes that control what each email contains: Ask questions in emails, Include statistics / data points, Reference case studies, and Include a P.S. line.

  6. Configure Follow-Up Strategy

    Under Follow-Up Strategy, choose a Follow-Up Approach (New angle, Build on previous, or Urgency escalation) and decide whether to Rotate value proposition each follow-up and Reference the previous email as the sequence progresses.

  7. Choose a CTA Style

    In CTA Preferences, set the CTA Style (Question-based, Direct ask, or Soft suggestion) to match how hard the close should push for this audience.

  8. Apply and verify

    These settings persist to the campaign automatically. Send a test draft or launch the campaign to see the AI apply your tuned tone, structure, follow-up strategy, and CTA to real emails.

Pro tips

  • Presets are starting points, not locks

    Apply loads values then leaves every field editable: treat a preset as a fast baseline, not a final answer.

  • Setup Instructions beat field toggles

    The top textarea is applied as top-priority context ahead of every structured setting: put your one non-negotiable rule there.

  • Two instruction boxes, two jobs

    SDR Setup Instructions carries strategy and context; Custom Instructions carries persona and style. Don't duplicate the same guidance in both.

  • Match structure to list temperature

    Short length with questions works for cold outreach; longer length with statistics and case studies works better once a prospect is warm.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between SDR Setup Instructions and Custom Instructions?

SDR Setup Instructions is top-priority context: role, audience, value prop, applied before every other setting. Custom Instructions lives under Persona & Voice and adds finer style or tone notes on top of Tone and Writing Style.

Do presets overwrite my custom fields permanently?

No. Clicking Apply on a preset pre-fills the fields, but every field remains editable afterward: you can change anything a preset set.

Which tone should I pick for cold outbound?

There's no single right answer in the product: pick the Tone that matches how your team actually talks to strangers. Professional or Consultative are common starting points for B2B cold email.

How do I make emails shorter?

Set Email Length to Short (2-3 sentences) under Email Structure. Turning off Include statistics / data points and Reference case studies keeps them tighter too.

Can I stop the AI from asking questions in every email?

Yes: uncheck Ask questions in emails under Email Structure.

How does “Rotate value proposition each follow-up” change my sequence?

With it on, each follow-up in the sequence leads with a different value proposition instead of repeating the same one, keeping the thread from feeling repetitive.

What does CTA Style actually change in the email?

It changes how the ask is phrased: Question-based ends with a question, Direct ask states the request plainly, and Soft suggestion proposes the next step without pressure.

Is this the same as the campaign “Instructions”/Learning tab?

No. SDR Config is the GA tuning surface documented here. The Learning/Instructions tab is a separate Beta feature: don't confuse the two.

Campaigns

Outreach that keeps going after you log off.Leads, emails, follow-ups and replies, handled.

Connect unlimited mailboxes and let AI agents find leads, write each email and follow up. Or send your own templates in manual mode. From $29/mo.

Start your $1 trial See pricing

$1 for 3 days · Cancel anytime · No contract

Install with AI

Your coding agent sets up the FirstSales CLI and skills for you.

Prompt for Claude Code

I'm setting up FirstSales (https://firstsales.io), an AI outbound sales platform: campaigns, contacts, a reply inbox, deliverability and lead signals. Help me get my workspace sending real, good emails end to end, from Claude Code.

Read these first so you know how FirstSales works:
- Developer docs and API: https://developer.firstsales.io
- CLI: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@firstsales.io/cli
- Skills for coding agents: https://github.com/firstsalesio/firstsales-skills (read README.md and GUIDE.md)

Setup
1. Install the CLI: npm install -g @firstsales.io/cli
2. Install the FirstSales skills:
   claude plugin marketplace add firstsalesio/firstsales-skills
   claude plugin install firstsales@firstsales
3. Ask me if I already have a FirstSales account. If not, send me to https://app.firstsales.io to sign up.
4. Ask me to create an API key under Settings → API → API Keys, with only the scopes we need.
   Never ask me to paste the key into this chat. Tell me to run this in my own terminal, so the key stays hidden:
   read -rs FS_KEY && firstsales auth login --api-key "$FS_KEY"; unset FS_KEY
5. Run `firstsales whoami` and tell me which workspace and organisation we are connected to.

Then ask me about my business: what I sell, who I sell to (roles, company size, countries), my best customers, and what I use today for outbound (tools, lists, mailboxes). Walk me through:
1. Teaching FirstSales my business: website, offer, proof points and case studies in the knowledge base, so the AI writes like someone who knows the product.
2. Connecting my sending mailboxes and checking my sending domain: SPF, DKIM, DMARC and warm-up. If anything is unhealthy, tell me the exact DNS record to add.
3. Bringing in contacts: import my CSV or CRM export into a clean list, remove duplicates and bad emails, and block domains I must never email (customers, competitors, my own).
4. Building my first campaign: the right list, senders, steps and timing. Write the sequence with me, show me the drafts, and do not launch until I say yes.
5. Setting up Signals if it fits: find people engaging with LinkedIn posts about topics my buyers care about, and turn them into leads.
6. Inviting my team and giving each person the right access.

Once campaigns run, show me how to work the reply inbox from here: which replies need an answer, draft responses in my voice, and move good conversations into deals. If I use Cal.com, connect it so follow-ups can offer my booking link (not the first email).

Throughout, as you learn about my business, proactively suggest and help create:
- Reply templates for the questions and objections my prospects are likely to raise, based on my product, site and codebase if you can see them.
- Campaign ideas and segments worth testing, with the reason for each.

Safety rules:
- Show every change as a dry run (--dry-run) first and wait for my yes. Never send emails, launch campaigns or delete anything without my yes.
- Tell me before anything that spends credits, and how many.

Be opinionated. If the docs give a sensible default, just use it. Don't make me choose between five options.
Developer docs ↗npm: @firstsales.io/cli ↗GitHub: firstsales-skills ↗