How To Use Outreach? Simplified Guide for First-Time Users

If you’re just starting with Outreach and trying to figure out how to use it effectively, take a deep breath and relax. 

Setting it up can seem a bit complicated, especially if you’ve never used it before.

The thing is, learning how to use Outreach goes beyond just sending emails or organizing tasks. 

It’s about making your outreach smarter, more efficient, and ultimately helping you close more deals with less effort.

Here’s a quick idea of what’s inside this guide:

• Setting up your account and email integration.
• Building sequences and automating outreach.
• Using tools like Kaia and Outreach Voice to save time.
• Tracking and improving your performance with data.

Stick with me, and by the end, you’ll know exactly how to use Outreach to make your sales efforts faster and more effective.

Let’s get started!

Getting Started with Outreach

If you're new to Outreach, getting everything set up might feel overwhelming, but trust me, it's simpler than it seems.

Let’s break it down step by step to help you get started quickly and efficiently.

Signing Up and Choosing the Right Plan

The first step is creating your account and choosing the right plan. 

Head to the Outreach website, click on "Sign Up," and follow the instructions to set up your account. 

Be sure to select a plan that fits your needs—whether you’re an individual user or part of a team. The right plan will ensure you have access to all the features you’ll need to grow your outreach efforts.

Once your account is ready, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the dashboard. It’s designed to be intuitive, so you’ll quickly find your way around.

Connecting Your Email

Next, connect your email account to Outreach. This is a crucial step because it allows you to send and track emails directly from the platform. Outreach supports email providers like Gmail and Outlook, and the setup is simple.

Here’s how to connect your email:

1. Log in to your Outreach account.

2. Click on your user initials in the bottom-left corner and go to Personal Settings.

3. Under Mailboxes, select the mailbox you want to connect.
4. In the Email Provider dropdown menu, choose your email provider (e.g., Gmail API or Office 365 OAuth).
5. Click Connect and follow the on-screen instructions to grant permissions.

6. Optionally, add your email signature and adjust advanced settings like sending and sync preferences by clicking Show Advanced.

If you encounter an "Unauthorized Request" error, double-check your login credentials. For more complex issues, like missing EWS Endpoints for Exchange servers, contact your network administrator for help.

Once your email is connected, you’re ready to manage all your communication from Outreach, making it easier to track engagement and stay organized.

Importing Contacts and Data

Now it’s time to add your contacts to Outreach. You can do this in two ways:

• Upload a File: If your contacts are stored in a spreadsheet (CSV file), simply upload it into Outreach using the import tool.
• Sync with Your CRM: Outreach integrates seamlessly with CRMs like Salesforce. By syncing your CRM, you can automatically import your contacts and keep all your data updated.

Once your contacts are in Outreach, organize them into groups. This will help you send personalized messages and build effective campaigns that resonate with your audience.

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Configuring Your Outreach Account

Getting your Outreach account set up correctly is the first step to making it work well for you and your team. 

Here’s how to do it in a simple and organized way.

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1. Personalizing Your Account Settings

Personalizing your account settings makes your experience smoother and more professional. Here’s what to do:

• Add Your Email Signature: Ensure all your emails look professional by setting up a default signature.
• Set Your Time Zone: This helps you schedule emails and meetings at the right time.
• Adjust Notifications: Choose how and when Outreach alerts you about important updates, like prospect replies or tasks.

By customizing these settings, you can work more efficiently and avoid common mistakes, like missed responses or scheduling errors.

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2. Adding Your Team and Setting Roles

If you work in a team, adding users and managing permissions is key. Follow these steps:

• Invite Team Members: Go to the "Users" section and add your colleagues by email.
• Assign Roles and Permissions: Decide what each team member can do in Outreach. For example:some text
  • Sales reps can manage sequences and prospects.
  • Managers can oversee team activities and reports.
• Limit Access to Sensitive Data: Keep your data safe by giving access only to those who need it.

This helps everyone know their role, keeps the account secure, and ensures a smooth workflow for the entire team.

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3. Setting Up Rules and Schedules

Governance profiles are like rules that keep everything organized and consistent across your team. Here’s why they matter and how to set them up:

• Control Messaging: Approve email templates and sequences to ensure everyone uses the same tone and information.
• Schedule Smartly: Set rules to prevent emails from being sent at odd hours, maintaining professionalism.
• Onboard New Members Faster: Provide clear guidelines for new users so they know how to start using Outreach right away.

These profiles help avoid confusion, mistakes, and inconsistent messaging while making sure your team stays on-brand.

Download Email Deliverability Guide

Building Effective Outreach Sequences

Creating effective sequences in Outreach doesn’t have to be complicated. If you’re new to this, I’ll walk you through the basics in a simple way to help you get started.

Planning Your Sequence Flow

Before you start, think about the steps you’ll take to engage your prospects. Each step should have a clear goal. For example:

• Start with a friendly email introducing yourself and your offer.
• Send a LinkedIn connection request to keep the conversation going.
• Follow up with a phone call to discuss their needs.
  
  

Writing Personalized Email Templates

Nobody likes a generic message. Take the time to personalize your emails and calls. Here’s how:

• Use the prospect’s name and mention their company.
• Reference something specific, like their industry challenges or recent achievements.
• Highlight how your solution can help them solve their problems.
  Personalized messages show you’ve done your homework and make prospects more likely to respond.

Use Automation to Save Time

Outreach’s automation tools can help you stay organized and consistent. Here’s what you can do:

• Schedule emails to be sent at the best time for your prospects, especially if they’re in a different time zone.
• Set up automated reminders for follow-ups so you never miss a chance to connect.
• Add prospects to sequences, letting the system send emails and tasks for you. 

Automation helps you focus on building relationships while Outreach handles repetitive tasks.

Track Results and Improve

Once your sequence is running, use Outreach’s analytics to see what’s working. Look at:

• Open rates: Are your emails catching attention?
• Reply rates: Are prospects engaging with your messages?
• Conversion rates: Are you turning conversations into opportunities?

Use this data to improve your sequences.

For example, if an email isn’t getting replies, tweak the subject line or message content to make it more engaging.

By planning, personalizing, automating, and analyzing your outreach sequences, you can connect with prospects in a meaningful way.

Building Effective Outreach Sequences

Creating effective outreach sequences is key to engaging prospects and driving sales. If you’re new to Outreach, here’s how you can build sequences that deliver results:

Start with a Solid Sequence Structure

Think of your sequence as a roadmap for engaging prospects. Plan the steps in advance:

• Begin with an introductory email.
• Follow up with a call after a few days.
• Add a LinkedIn connection request or task.

This mix of emails, calls, and tasks keeps the conversation flowing without overwhelming the prospect.

Write Personalized Email Templates

Personalized emails stand out and make a stronger impact. Focus on:

• Subject lines: Make them clear and interesting to grab attention.
• Body text: Address the prospect’s challenges or needs.

For example, instead of saying, “I’m following up,” try, “I noticed your team is growing—here’s how we can help.” Keep it relevant and easy to understand.

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Use Snippets and Variables for Quick Personalization

Snippets and variables in Outreach help you save time while keeping your emails personalized:

• Snippets: Pre-written text blocks, like answers to common questions, can be added easily.
• Variables: Automatically fill in details like the recipient’s name, company, or job title.

For example, “Hi {{FirstName}}, I noticed {{CompanyName}} is expanding in [industry]” feels personal without extra effort.

Automate and Schedule for Efficiency

Automation makes managing sequences simple:

• Plan each step in advance.
• Schedule emails to go out at the best time for your prospect’s time zone.

This ensures consistent communication and gives you more time to focus on meaningful conversations.

By following these steps, you’ll create sequences that engage prospects, save time, and deliver results. 

Managing Tasks and Meetings

Keeping your sequences organized is just one part of the sales process.

To stay on top of your interactions and make the most of your efforts, managing tasks and scheduling meetings in Outreach.io is just as important. 

These features help you stay organized and make sure you don’t miss any follow-ups or meetings with your prospects.

Managing Your Tasks with Ease

Outreach.io makes it easy to manage your tasks so you can focus on selling. Here’s how:

• Add Tasks: Create tasks directly in Outreach for follow-ups, calls, or email reminders.
• Set Deadlines: Assign due dates to tasks to prioritize your activities.
• Link Tasks to Prospects: Connect tasks to specific leads or sequences to keep everything in one place.
• Automatic Updates: When tasks are completed, Outreach updates your records automatically, saving you time.

By organizing your tasks, you’ll ensure no important steps are missed while keeping your workflow smooth.

Easily Schedule Meetings

Once you’ve engaged a prospect, the next step is often to schedule a meeting. Outreach.io simplifies this process:

• Propose Times: Share your availability with prospects to book meetings quickly and easily.
• Sync Your Calendar: Outreach connects with your calendar, helping you avoid double bookings and showing your availability clearly.
• Track Meetings: Every scheduled meeting is linked to your prospect’s profile, giving you a complete view of your interactions.

These features make it easy to schedule and manage meetings without unnecessary back-and-forth.

Using Outreach Voice for Calls

Emails are just one part of the equation—your voice plays a crucial role in building trust and closing deals.

Outreach Voice makes handling calls simple and efficient. Whether you are making calls to prospects or receiving them, this tool helps you stay organized and productive. Let’s go step by step.

Making and Receiving Calls

Outreach Voice allows you to make and take calls directly from the platform. This means you don’t have to switch between devices or tools. 

For example, if you’ve just emailed a prospect, you can call them immediately by clicking on their number in Outreach. Everything stays in one place, making it easier for you to focus on your conversations.

Tracking Call Outcomes

After each call, Outreach Voice lets you label the outcome, like “Left Voicemail” or “Meeting Scheduled.” You can also record the purpose of the call, such as “Follow-Up” or “Introduction.” These features help you:

• Keep track of every interaction.
• Understand which calls are leading to results.
• Improve your future approach based on what works.

Setting Up Call Dispositions and Purposes

To make the most of Outreach Voice, you need to set up call dispositions and purposes. Go to your Outreach settings and customize these options to match your sales process. 

For example, you can add labels like “No Answer” or “Qualified Lead” to organize your pipeline better.

If you’re learning how to use Outreach, starting with Outreach Voice is a great way to make your outreach more effective and organized.

Getting the Most Out of Outreach Kaia

By now, you’ve seen how Outreach streamlines email workflows and sequences. But what about your meetings and calls?

For new users and admins looking to get the most out of their Outreach setup, Kaia offers real-time support during calls and actionable insights afterward. 

Let’s dive into how you can start using Outreach Kaia to make your meetings more productive and impactful. But let’s first understand what is Kaia.

What is Outreach Kaia?

Kaia, Outreach’s AI-powered meeting assistant, integrates seamlessly into your calls to provide real-time insights, live transcriptions, and actionable recommendations. 

How to Get Started with Outreach Kaia

Setting up Kaia is straightforward. First, ensure your Outreach account has Kaia enabled. From there:

1. Go to your Settings and locate the Kaia configuration options.
2. Enable Kaia for your calls and integrate it with your preferred video conferencing tool.
3. Customize Kaia’s settings to align with your workflow, such as enabling automatic transcription or content cards for common questions.

Using Real-Time Features During Calls

During a call, Kaia enhances your interaction by:

• Providing Content Cards: These cards surface key information, such as product details or FAQs, so you can answer questions without skipping a beat.
• Highlighting Action Items: Kaia detects and tracks action items, ensuring you never miss an important follow-up task.
• Live Transcriptions: With real-time transcription, you don’t need to worry about taking notes—Kaia captures everything for you.

These features let you stay fully present in the conversation while Kaia handles the background work.

Post-Call Insights for Smarter Follow-Ups

After your meeting, Kaia provides a detailed summary with:

• A list of action items to follow up on.
• Insights into key points discussed during the call.
• Transcription highlights for quick reference.

These insights help you craft more targeted follow-ups and collaborate effectively with your team.

🔥 2X Your Outreach Pipeline Now!

Tracking and Improving Your Campaigns

A well-designed sequence is only as effective as the insights you gather from it. 

Let’s explore how you can use Outreach.io to analyze your campaigns, identify areas for improvement, and optimize your approach to get even better results.

Understanding the Analytics Dashboard

The analytics dashboard in Outreach.io is your starting point. It shows how your campaigns are doing by tracking numbers like open rates, reply rates, and conversions. 

Think of it as a report card for your emails. Spend some time exploring it to see what’s working well and what needs fixing.

Focus on Key Metrics 

Not every number is important. Focus on the ones that match your goals. For example:

• If you want more meetings, track meeting bookings.
• If you want replies, watch the response rate.

By keeping an eye on the right numbers, you can make better decisions and know you’re moving in the right direction.

Try A/B Testing to See What Works

A/B testing is like running an experiment. You try two versions of the same email with small changes, like the subject line or the way it ends. Outreach.io makes it easy to set this up. After testing, stick with the version that gets better results.

Use Data to Make Smarter Changes

Once you know what’s working, use that information to improve your outreach. For example:

• If shorter emails get more replies, stick with shorter ones.
• If follow-ups work better on certain days, schedule emails for those days.

Making small, data-driven changes like these helps you get better over time.

Download Email Deliverability Guide

Wrapping Up: Your Outreach Journey Starts Here

This guide has shown you how to start using Outreach, from creating an account to building sequences, managing tasks, and using tools like Outreach Voice and Kaia. 

Now you’re ready to set up and use Outreach to improve your sales outreach.

But many users face one big problem: emails not reaching the inbox. 

SendSure is the only solution that supports domain rotation within Outreach.io and SalesLoft. 

Look at this Outreach user review about email deliverability:

If your emails don’t get delivered, your hard work is wasted. 

Why SendSure is Must Have for Outreach Users

Outreach helps you send emails, but SendSure makes sure those emails get delivered.

• Domain Rotation: Keeps your emails from being marked as spam by changing the domains you send from.
• Email Verification: Checks that email addresses are active before you send messages.

Improve your Outreach campaigns with SendSure. Start your free trial today and make sure every email reaches the right inbox!