# How email follow-ups and send timing work in Swashi

> Learn how Swashi's 4-step email sequence works: Initial Touch, two follow-ups and a Breakup on day 0, +3, +6 and +9, and stopping as soon as the lead replies.

Source: https://swashi.io/docs/outreach/follow-ups-and-timing
Section: Email Outreach
Last updated: 2026-10-10

Every Swashi email campaign is a four-step sequence: an **Initial Touch** on day 0, **Follow-up 1** on day 3, **Follow-up 2** on day 6 and a **Breakup** email on day 9. Follow-ups only go out if the lead has not replied, so nobody who answers you gets chased. This page explains what each step is for, how timing is decided and how personalization variables work.

## Before you start

You write and review the sequence in [Email Studio](https://swashi.io/docs/outreach/email-studio), in the **Message** step. Click **Write All 4 Steps** and Copy Intelligence writes all four emails at once, using the offer, angle and tone you chose.

## The four steps

Each email has its own job. The app labels them like this:

![Sequence step tabs highlighted in Email Studio: Initial Touch, Follow-up 1, Follow-up 2 and Breakup](https://swashi.io/docs/img/ep7-message-steps.webp "Four emails, four jobs.")

| Step | Label in the app | Its job | When it sends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | **Initial Touch** | First contact — build curiosity. The first cold email, with no prior contact. | Day 0 |
| 2 | **Follow-up 1** | Gentle reminder + new hook, for a lead who received the email but didn't reply. | +3 days |
| 3 | **Follow-up 2** | Value-first, low pressure. A second follow-up with an angle switch. | +6 days |
| 4 | **Breakup** | Respectful final close. The last email before the sequence ends. | +9 days |

In some places the same steps appear as **Cold Intro (Step 1)**, **Follow-up 1 (Step 2)**, **Follow-up 2 (Step 3)** and **Closing (Step 4)**. They are the same four emails.

> **Note:** The Breakup is the last email. After it, the sequence ends for that lead.

## How timing works

The cadence bar in Email Studio shows **Day 0 · +3d · +6d · +9d**. On top of that, three things decide the exact moment an email is sent:

![Cadence bar highlighted below the email preview showing Day 0, +3d, +6d and +9d](https://swashi.io/docs/img/ep7-message-cadence.webp "The cadence bar shows when each step sends.")

- **Your schedule.** Emails go out only inside your **Send window (local time)** and on the days you chose under **Send on**. Where the recipient's country has a single timezone, sends are gated by the recipient's local business hours.
- **Pacing.** Every send waits a random 30–120 seconds after the last one. Swashi never sends a whole batch at once.
- **Safe daily limits.** Sending stays within the campaign's **Daily Cap** and each mailbox's warm-up limit. See [Deliverability and warm-up](https://swashi.io/docs/outreach/deliverability-and-warmup).

Swashi also applies a **72-hour cooldown**: a lead never receives another email within 72 hours of the last one. You cannot override this setting.

## Stopping on reply

The sequence is reply-first. A reply or a booked meeting stops further steps to that person. Their message lands in your [Unified Inbox](https://swashi.io/docs/outreach/unified-inbox), where you can answer from your own mailbox.

> **Note:** Replies are detected on mailbox providers that support inbound monitoring. SendGrid is a sending-only service, so reply monitoring is not available for SendGrid accounts.

## Personalization variables

Under the email body, the app lists the variables you can use:

| Variable | Filled with |
|---|---|
| `{first_name}` | The lead's first name |
| `{business_name}` | The lead's business name |
| `{city}` | The lead's city |
| `{niche}` | The lead's niche or industry |
| `{sender_name}` | Your name as the sender |

Example subject line from the app: `Quick question about {business_name}`.

To check how a lead will see an email, look at **PREVIEW — HOW RECIPIENTS SEE IT**. Variables appear there filled in.

![Preview - How recipients see it panel highlighted, with variables replaced by a sample lead's details](https://swashi.io/docs/img/ep7-message-body.webp "Check the preview to see what the lead receives.")

> **Important:** Type variables exactly as listed, with curly braces. At the final step before sending, Swashi removes any merge token it cannot fill, so no email ever ships with a raw `{token}` in it.

## Editing a step

1. In the **Message** step, use **Sequence step** to open the step you want.
2. Edit the **Subject line** or **Email body**, or click **Regenerate** to get a new version.
3. Check the preview, then move on to **Schedule**.

## Troubleshooting

| What you see | Why |
|---|---|
| A follow-up did not go out on day 3 | The lead replied, today is outside your send window or sending days, or the daily cap was reached. |
| "No eligible leads left today — resumes at your next scheduled run." | Every lead due today has been handled. The campaign continues on its next run. |
| "Monthly send limit reached — resumes on the 1st." | Your plan's monthly outreach quota is used up. |

## Next steps

- [Build your campaign in Email Studio](https://swashi.io/docs/outreach/email-studio)
- [Read and answer replies](https://swashi.io/docs/outreach/unified-inbox)
- [Keep your sending healthy](https://swashi.io/docs/outreach/deliverability-and-warmup)

## Frequently asked questions

**When do follow-up emails go out?**

The first email goes out on day 0, then follow-ups on day 3, day 6 and day 9, unless the lead replies. Each send also falls inside the send window and sending days you set.

**Does Swashi keep emailing someone who replied?**

No. A reply or a booked meeting stops further steps to that person, and the reply lands in your Unified Inbox.

**Which personalization variables can I use?**

The app lists {business_name}, {first_name}, {city}, {niche} and {sender_name}. They are filled in for each lead, and the preview shows what the recipient sees.

**Can a lead get two emails in one day?**

No. Swashi applies a 72-hour cooldown between emails to the same lead, and this setting cannot be overridden.

**What if a variable can't be filled for a lead?**

Swashi checks every email at the last step before sending, so no email ever ships with an unfilled merge token.