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Creating a Campaign

Campaigns are created through a multi-step wizard that guides you through setting up your campaign name, delivery channel, contacts, and message template. This page walks through each step in detail.

Who Can Create Campaigns​

Users with the Campaigner or Org Admin role can create campaigns. At least one delivery channel must be configured before campaigns can be created.

Opening the Wizard​

  1. Navigate to Outreach → Campaigns in the sidebar.
  2. Click Create Campaign.
  3. The campaign wizard opens.

Step 1: Overview​

The overview step displays a checklist summarising what you should have prepared before continuing. This includes items such as:

  • A CSV file with your recipient data
  • Your message content
  • Required compliance text (opt-out for SMS, unsubscribe link for Email)
  • Sender details (for Email campaigns)

Review the checklist, then click Next to continue.

Step 2: Basics​

On the basics step, provide the foundational campaign information:

  1. Campaign Name: a descriptive name for the campaign (e.g. "April Payment Reminders").
  2. Description (optional): additional context about the campaign's purpose.
  3. Delivery Channel: select SMS or Email.

Delivery Channel Availability​

The channel options shown depend on what has been configured in Outreach Settings:

ChannelAvailable when
SMSA valid Twilio Auth Token is saved
EmailA valid SendGrid API Key is saved

If a channel is unavailable, it appears disabled with an explanation. Contact your Org Admin to configure the missing channel.

warning

The delivery channel cannot be changed after the campaign is created. If you need to change the channel, you must create a new campaign.

Step 3: Add Contacts​

On the contacts step, upload and configure your recipient data.

Uploading a CSV​

  1. Click the upload area or drag and drop a .csv file.
  2. Only .csv format files are accepted.
  3. Maximum file size: 50 MB. Maximum rows: 300,000.

Before the upload begins, you are asked to confirm that you have obtained explicit consent from all contacts for communication. You must accept this confirmation to proceed.

Mapping Columns​

After upload, Outreach displays your CSV columns and asks you to map them:

  • Destination: select exactly one column as the recipient field:
    • For SMS: the column containing phone numbers (must be in E.164 format)
    • For Email: the column containing email addresses
  • Custom Variables: optionally select columns to use as personalisation variables in your template
  • Do not import: columns you do not want to include

You cannot map multiple columns to the Destination field.

Validation​

After mapping, Outreach validates the recipient column:

  • Invalid contacts are counted and displayed. These are rows with missing values in mapped fields or invalid recipient data (malformed phone numbers or email addresses).
  • Invalid rows are automatically skipped and will not be included as sendable messages.
  • If you change which column is mapped to the recipient field, validation re-runs automatically (you will see a loading indicator while this happens).

Contact Summary​

The summary shows:

  • Total contacts that will be imported
  • Number of invalid contacts that will be skipped

Step 4: Message Template​

The template step differs depending on your delivery channel.

SMS​

  1. Write your message in the text editor.
  2. A character count is displayed. You cannot exceed the character limit.
  3. Insert variables using the toolbar. These correspond to the custom variable columns you mapped from the CSV.
  4. Use Quick Insert to add pre-written compliant text, such as opt-out instructions.
  5. The phone preview panel shows a live preview of your message. Enter example values for variables to see how they render.

Email​

  1. Choose your editor experience:
  2. Build your email content.
  3. Configure Sender Settings (From, Reply-to, Subject).
  4. Add an unsubscribe link (required).
  5. Optionally add Attachments (up to 20 MB total).
  6. Use Test Data to preview variable values.
  7. Optionally send a test email to up to 10 recipients.

See the Email Templates section for detailed guidance on all email template features.

Finishing the Campaign​

When you click Finish:

SMS​

The campaign saves immediately and moves to a Ready status.

Email​

A checklist is evaluated before saving:

CheckRequired?What happens if incomplete
From Email setYesWizard is blocked; you must set a From Email
Reply-to Email setYesWizard is blocked; you must set a Reply-to Email
Unsubscribe link presentYesWizard is blocked; you must add an unsubscribe link
Subject setNoWarning shown, but you can continue
Test email sentNoWarning shown, but you can continue

If all required checks pass (or only optional checks are incomplete), the campaign is saved with a Ready status.

Next Steps​