Building a sequence is only half the work. The other half is publishing, enrolling contacts, and managing the campaign as it runs.

This article covers the full lifecycle: from Draft to Published, enrolling leads, managing the Leads tab, monitoring execution, pausing/disabling and resuming campaigns, and updating sequences with proper change management.

Sequence Status: draft vs. published

Every sequence has a status that controls whether it can send messages.

Draft status

A sequence is Draft when you're still building it.

In Draft, sequences:

• Don't send any messages

• Can be freely edited (add/remove steps, change conditions, update settings)

• Don't appear in the Leads tab

• Show a "Draft" badge in the sequence list

When to use Draft:

• Building new sequences

• Testing flow and messaging

• Making major changes

• Preparing sequences for future launch

Publishing a Draft:

When you're ready to activate a sequence:

1. Go to the sequence editor

2. Click Publish button (top right)

3. Confirm the action

The sequence moves to Published status and can now send messages.

Published Status

A sequence is Published when it's active and sending messages.

In Published, sequences:

• Send messages to enrolled contacts on schedule

• Show a "Published" badge

• Appear in the Leads tab with enrolled contacts

• Run analytics and track executions

• Cannot be edited directly (protected from accidental changes)

Making changes to published sequences

If you need to make changes to a Published sequence:

1. Click Disable Sequence button (temporarily stops all sends)

2. The sequence pauses immediately (no new messages send)

3. All enrolled contacts pause at their current step

4. You can now edit the sequence:

   • Update message content

   • Modify step timing

   • Add or remove steps

   • Change conditions

   • Update senders

   • Modify any settings

5. After making changes, click Publish to republish

6. The sequence resumes sending

7. Contacts continue from where they paused

Important: While disabled, no messages send to any contacts, both existing and new enrollments are paused.

Example:

• Sequence published, 50 contacts enrolled

• You notice a typo in an email

• Click Disable Sequence

• All sends stop; 50 contacts pause mid-sequence

• Edit the email to fix the typo

• Click Enable Sequence

• Sequence republishes and resumes

• The 50 contacts continue from their current step with the corrected email

Protecting active campaigns

Because sequences require disabling to edit, this prevents accidental changes that would break active campaigns.

If you want to test changes or improve messaging without disrupting active sequences:

• Create a new sequence with the improved messaging

• Enroll new contacts in the new sequence

• Keep the original sequence running for existing contacts

This way, existing contacts finish their original journey while new contacts benefit from improvements.

Publishing your sequence

Here's the step-by-step process to take your sequence from Draft to Published.

Step 1: Complete your sequence

Before publishing, ensure:

• All steps configured – No empty or incomplete steps

• All senders selected – At least one sender per communication step

• Timing configured – Immediately or wait X duration

• Messages composed – Subject lines, body copy, merge tags

• Conditions logic tested – Flow makes sense

Step 2: Preview everything

Click the Preview tab to review the entire sequence:

1. Preview the flow – See the complete visual layout

   • All steps visible

   • All conditions and branches clear

   • Logic flow makes sense

2. Preview individual steps – Click each step to see:

   • Email subject and body (with merge tags populated for sample contact)

   • Message content for LinkedIn/WhatsApp

   • Timing and sender info

3. Trace multiple paths – Mentally walk through different contact scenarios:

   • What happens if they have a LinkedIn URL?

   • What happens if they don't?

   • What happens if they open the email?

   • What happens if they reply?

4. Check for errors – Look for:

   • Typos in subject lines or copy

   • Broken merge tags (showing {{undefined}})

   • Missing senders

   • Incomplete step configurations

Step 3: Review sequence settings

Click the Settings tab to verify global configurations:

General Settings

• Sequence name is clear and descriptive

• Description explains the sequence purpose

Priority & Owner Logic

• "Priority for Owner" toggle matches your preference

• If enabled, Owner assignments will control who sends messages

Channel Rate Limits

Check these are appropriate for your team:

• Email: 50 per 24 hours (default)

• LinkedIn connections: 20 per 24 hours

• LinkedIn messages: 30 per 24 hours

• WhatsApp: 20 per 24 hours

If you're planning to enroll many contacts, ensure rate limits won't cause bottlenecks.

Message Behavior

• "Single thread emails" – If enabled, all emails go to same thread (for follow-ups)

• "Stop campaign on reply" – If enabled, sequence pauses when contact replies

Choose based on your campaign strategy.

Schedule & Launch

• Auto-launch: Enable if you want new enrollments to start immediately

• Timezone: Set to your team's timezone

• Send days: Typically Monday–Friday (respects contact availability)

• Send hours: Typically 9 AM–6 PM (business hours)

Individual steps respect these global settings.

Step 4: Final review & publish

Once everything is verified:

1. Click Publish button (top right of editor)

2. A confirmation dialog appears asking: "Publish this sequence?"

3. Click Confirm Publish

4. Sequence status changes to Published

5. You can now enroll contacts

The sequence is now live and ready to send.

Enrolling contacts in sequences

Publishing is just the first step. Now you need to enroll contacts (add leads to the sequence).

Dalil supports three enrollment methods.

Method 1: From the leads tab

The Leads tab inside your sequence is the primary enrollment location.

Step 1: Open leads tab

In a Published sequence, click the Leads tab.

You see:

• Enrolled contacts with their status

• Contact name, company, email

• Current step in sequence

• Last action and timestamp

• Remove buttons for individual contacts

Step 2: Add leads

Click Add Leads button (top of the Leads tab).

A modal appears with two options:

Option A: Import from People Database

1. Click Import from People

2. A list of all contacts in your CRM appears

3. Select individual contacts or use bulk select (checkbox to select all visible)

4. Click Add Selected to enroll them

This is useful for:

• Small targeted campaigns (adding 10-50 specific contacts)

• Enrolling hand-picked prospects

• Testing the sequence with a small group first

Option B: Import from Pipeline

1. Click Import from Pipeline

2. Select a specific pipeline or view from your CRM

3. All contacts in that pipeline/view are listed

4. Use filters to narrow (e.g., show only Stage = "Qualified")

5. Select contacts (or bulk select all)

6. Click Add Selected to enroll

This is useful for:

• Large campaigns (hundreds of contacts)

• Enrolling entire sales pipeline segments

• Automating enrollment by stage

Step 3: Verify & confirm

After selecting:

1. Review the count: "Adding X contacts"

2. Verify no duplicates are being added (Dalil shows if contact already enrolled)

3. Click Confirm Enrollment

Contacts are now enrolled. If auto-launch is enabled, they start the sequence immediately.

Method 2: Bulk action from CRM records

Enroll contacts directly from your CRM table view.

Step 1: Select contacts in CRM

1. Open your CRM People or Records table

2. Use checkboxes to select multiple contacts

3. Select as many as you want to enroll

Step 2: Choose sequence from bulk actions

1. Click Bulk Actions menu (appears when contacts are selected)

2. Select Add to Sequence

3. A dropdown shows all Published sequences

4. Choose the sequence to enroll them in

Step 3: Confirm

Click Confirm. Contacts are immediately enrolled and will start the sequence.

Why use this method:

• Fastest way to enroll large groups

• Works from your main CRM workflow

• No need to navigate into the sequence itself

Method 3: Automated via workflows

Automate enrollment using Dalil Workflows.

Create a workflow trigger that automatically enrolls contacts in a sequence based on conditions.

Example workflow:

Trigger: New contact created in CRM

Condition: Industry = "Manufacturing"

Action: Add to Sequence "Manufacturing Outreach"

Now every new contact in Manufacturing automatically enrolls.

Another example:

Trigger: Contact moved to Stage = "Qualified"

Condition: None

Action: Add to Sequence "Enterprise Sales Sequence"

Whenever a prospect reaches "Qualified," they're automatically enrolled.

This is useful for:

• Automatic nurturing of new leads

• Stage-based sequences

• Eliminating manual enrollment

For detailed workflow setup, see the Workflows section of the Knowledge Base.

Managing the Leads Tab

Once contacts are enrolled, the Leads tab shows their progress through the sequence.

Understanding lead status

Each enrolled contact shows:

Viewing contact progress

Click a contact's row to see:

• Current step in the sequence

• Messages already sent

• Engagement (opens, clicks, replies)

• Last action and timestamp

• Condition outcomes (if applicable)

Removing contacts

To remove a contact from the sequence:

1. Click the Remove button next to their name

2. Confirm: "Remove this contact?"

3. Contact is immediately removed and won't receive further messages

Use this when:

• Contact unsubscribes (respect their preference)

• Contact replies and you want to pause sequences

• Contact is no longer a prospect

Pausing individual contacts

To pause a contact temporarily:

1. Click the Pause button

2. Contact pauses at current step

3. Messages don't send until resumed

Use when:

• Contact is out of office

• You want to manually engage before automating again

• Testing or debugging

Bulk actions on leads

To manage multiple contacts at once:

1. Select contacts using checkboxes

2. Click Bulk Actions

3. Options appear:

   • Remove Selected

   • Pause Selected

   • Resume Selected

This speeds up management of large groups.

Monitoring Execution & Analytics

Once contacts are enrolled and messages start sending, monitor results in the Executions and Analytics tabs.

Executions Tab

Shows real-time message sends and status.

Use for:

• Debugging failed sends

• Checking that messages actually went out

Troubleshooting failed sends:

If messages show "Failed":

1. Click the failed message

2. See error reason (e.g., "Invalid email address", "No WhatsApp number")

3. Fix the contact's data and retry if needed

Analytics tab

Shows high-level campaign performance.

Overview funnel:

See how many contacts moved through each stage:

• Contacted (sent at least one message)

• Opened (opened at least one email/message)

• Interactions (clicked, replied, or engaged)

• Answered (replied to a message)

• Interrupted (stopped sequence or exited)

Step-by-step metrics:

For each step, see:

• How many contacts reached that step (IN)

• How many completed/moved past it (OUT)

• Open rates and click rates (for emails)

• Individual contact tracking with SUCCESS status

Filters:

• Filter by sender

• Filter by channel (Email, LinkedIn, WhatsApp)

• Filter by date range

Use for:

• Measuring campaign success

• Comparing step performance

• Identifying bottlenecks (where contacts drop off)

• Proving ROI (replies, meetings booked)

Archiving sequences

When a sequence is complete and you don't need it anymore:

1. Go to the sequence

2. Click Archive button

3. Sequence moves to Archives view

4. It's hidden from active sequences but data is preserved

Use for:

• Cleaning up old campaigns

• Keeping a clean active sequence list

• Preserving historical data

You can unarchive sequences later if needed.

Best Practices for publishing & managing

Preview Everything

Before publishing, always use the Preview tab to trace the full flow and check every message.

Start Small

For new sequences, enroll 10-50 contacts first. Monitor results. If analytics look good, scale up to larger enrollments.

Monitor Execution

Check the Executions tab regularly, especially in the first week. Look for failed sends and fix underlying data issues.

Document Your Changes

Keep notes on what changed between versions and why. This helps you remember what worked and what didn't.

Test Unpublished

If you're unsure about a sequence, keep it in Draft mode and test preview thoroughly before publishing.

Honor Unsubscribes

Always respect opt-outs. If "Stop campaign on reply" is enabled, watch for replies and honor them.

Regular Analytics Review

Every 3-5 days, check Analytics tab. Are open rates declining? Are replies happening? Adjust future enrollments based on data.

Why this matters

Publishing and managing sequences is where all your careful configuration becomes real-world action.

A well-built sequence that never publishes helps nobody. A published sequence with clear enrollment, active monitoring, and responsive management drives results.

By mastering the publishing process, enrollment methods, version management, and analytics, you transform sequences from theoretical into operational—delivering messages, getting responses, and building relationships at scale.

Key outcome

Publishing a sequence takes it from Draft (no sends) to Published (active messaging).

Enrolling contacts happens via the Leads tab, bulk actions from your CRM, or automated workflows.

Managing sequences means monitoring execution, reviewing analytics, pausing/resuming as needed, and updating carefully to protect ongoing campaigns.

By following publishing best practices and staying engaged with your active sequences, you'll maximize results and ensure your automation delivers consistent, measurable outcomes.