# Create a sequence

> Build a sequence in the Reply app — creation options, step types, delays, variables, A/B variants, and the Settings tab with accounts, schedule, and replies handling.

**On the Sequences page choose From Template, From Scratch, From Magic, or Jason AI SDR. Add contacts, then build steps: email, call, SMS, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Zapier, task, or condition, each with its own delay. Finish in the Settings tab with email accounts, general limits, a schedule, and replies handling, then save or launch.**

_Status: Reviewed — human-edited, facts not yet confirmed against the product._

## Goal

A sequence with steps, delays, an assigned email account, and a schedule — ready to
launch.

## Preconditions

- A connected email account is mandatory for launching email campaigns, though not for creating the sequence — see [Connect a mailbox](/how-to/connect-a-mailbox).
- Contacts to enroll, or a plan to add them later — see [Import contacts](/how-to/import-contacts). Call and SMS steps need valid phone numbers; LinkedIn steps need the contact's LinkedIn URL.

## Required permission

A workspace user who can create sequences. Exact roles: [Permissions](/reference/permissions).

## Steps

1. Open the **Sequences** tab and create a new sequence. Four options: **From Template** (Reply's and your team's templates), **From Scratch** (complete control), **From Magic** (AI shapes the sequence from your prompt), or **Jason AI SDR** (AI builds the campaign from your business and offer — available on AI SDR plans; see [AI SDR](/capabilities/ai-sdr)).
2. Add contacts: **Import from CSV**, **Add from existing**, **Create manually**, or **Set up integration** to bring contacts in from your CRM or other tools.
3. Add steps in any combination: Email (automatic and manual), Call, SMS, WhatsApp, LinkedIn (automatic and manual), Zapier, Task, or Condition — plus **Action (Move to sequence)** to route contacts to another sequence and **Merge** to join a branch back to a chosen step. Steps can be reordered by drag-and-drop, cloned, or deleted.
4. For Email steps, set a subject line on Step 1 and leave the subject empty from Step 2 onward to keep all emails in the same thread.
5. Set step delays: on the **Steps** tab, click the arrow near the step, edit the Days/hours/minutes values, and save. One day of delay equals 24 hours, and weekends are included in the count. New steps come pre-filled with a default delay based on their position — 0, 2, 4, 7, 9, then 11 days.
6. Personalize with variables such as {{FirstName}} or {{Company}}: click the Variables icon in the step editor, choose the variable type, and insert it. If the sequence has no contacts yet, the preview is populated with the first contact from the People page (alphabetically).
7. Add A/B variants where useful: on the **Steps** tab, click **Add Variant**, paste the alternative subject or body, and save. Distribution between variants is random, and variants can be cloned, edited, paused, resumed, or removed.
8. Finish in the **Settings** tab: connect mailboxes (and a LinkedIn account) in the Account section, set the general limits — see [Configure sending limits](/how-to/configure-sending-limits) — pick or create a [schedule](/specifications/schedules), and choose replies handling: **Mark as finished** stops follow-ups after a reply, **Continue sending emails** sends the remaining follow-ups.
9. Save the changes, or launch the campaign right away. A saved, unlaunched sequence shows a gray (Inactive) toggle and sends nothing.

> Deliverability defaults for new sequences: plain text mode is enabled, removing HTML
> formatting, images, and tracking links; opens tracking and link tracking are disabled
> until you turn them on.

## Expected result

The sequence appears in the sequence list with a gray Inactive toggle and the configured
steps, delays, and settings.

## Verification

Open the sequence: every step shows its content and delay, the email account is attached
in Settings, and the schedule is selected. Preview a message to confirm variables resolve
with real contact data.

## What happens next

Enroll contacts and launch — see [Launch a sequence](/how-to/launch-a-sequence); sending
follows [Sequence execution](/behavior/sequence-execution). If the sequence performs well,
save it for reuse: on the Sequences page, open the sequence's three-dot menu, click
**Save as template**, and name it — it appears later under **From Template** in Team
templates.

## Common mistakes

- Filling in the subject line on follow-up steps — that starts a new thread; leave it empty from Step 2 onward.
- Editing a step delay and expecting contacts already on that step to pick it up — they ignore the new delay.
- On an active sequence with contacts in progress, trying to add a step before Step 1 — only appending steps at the end is available.

## Related

- [Sequences](/specifications/sequences)
- [Sequence steps](/specifications/sequence-steps)
- [Launch a sequence](/how-to/launch-a-sequence)
- [Launch an outbound campaign](/workflows/launch-an-outbound-campaign)

## Build with Reply

- REST API: [docs.reply.io](https://docs.reply.io/api-reference/introduction) — create sequences programmatically
- MCP: [agents.reply.io/mcp](https://agents.reply.io/mcp) — agents create and configure sequences
- CLI: [agents.reply.io/cli](https://agents.reply.io/cli)
- Agent skills: [agents.reply.io/skills](https://agents.reply.io/skills) — the launch-outreach skill wraps this flow