sales-skills/sales-instantly

Instantly Platform Help

Step 1 — Gather context

If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.

1. What are you trying to do?

   • A) Build an API/webhook integration — push leads into a campaign, sync reply/opportunity events out
   • B) Fix deliverability — warmup looks healthy but emails land in spam, inbox placement, secondary domains
   • C) Configure a module — campaigns/sequences, email accounts/warmup, Unibox, Lead Finder, CRM
   • D) Understand cost — the $47 headline vs the real stack (Credits + CRM as separate paid products)
   • E) Generate a v2 API key (v1 keys don't work on v2) or pick a plan
   • F) Fix a problem — DFY domains arriving burned, support delays, buried settings

2. API or strategy? A concrete Instantly API/webhook/config task → stay here. A cross-tool strategy question (deliverability, sequence copy, list building) → route in Step 2.

Skip-ahead rule: if the user's prompt already provides enough context, skip to Step 2.

Step 2 — Route or answer directly

| If the question is about... | Route to... | |---|---| | Cold-email deliverability / warmup / inbox placement strategy across tools | /sales-deliverability {question} | | Outbound sequence design / copywriting / cadence across tools | /sales-cadence {question} | | Building/sourcing a prospect list across tools | /sales-prospect-list {question} | | Contact enrichment / verification strategy | /sales-enrich {question} | | Connecting Instantly to a CRM/other tools generically (iPaaS) | /sales-integration {question} |

When routing, give the exact command, e.g. "This is a deliverability question — run: /sales-deliverability my warmup score is green but I'm landing in spam".

Step 3 — Instantly platform reference

Read references/platform-guide.md for the full reference — the module map (what's API vs webhook vs UI-only), the pricing model (warmup free on all plans; Lead Finder Credits and CRM are separate paid products; Unibox is Hyper-Growth+), the data model with JSON shapes, and quick-start recipes (push leads to a campaign; react to replies via webhook; nightly analytics export).

Read references/instantly-api-reference.md for the integration surface — base https://api.instantly.ai/api/v2, Bearer-token auth (scoped, revocable; generate a new v2 key), cursor pagination (starting_after+limit), the endpoint list (campaigns, leads, lead-lists, accounts, analytics, emails, inbox-placement-tests, webhooks, api-keys), the OpenAPI spec URL, and the webhook event types + setup.

Answer using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.

Step 4 — Actionable guidance

Focus on the user's specific situation:

• Trust seed tests, not the heat score. Instantly's warmup pool creates synthetic engagement; a green warmup score can coexist with real campaigns landing in spam. Validate with inbox-placement (seed-list) tests before scaling volume, and treat deliverability strategy as /sales-deliverability.
• API is v2 + Bearer. Generate a new v2 key (v1 keys are incompatible), call https://api.instantly.ai/api/v2 with Authorization: Bearer, and import the OpenAPI spec for exact schemas. API is on all Outreach plans.
• Webhooks over polling. Subscribe to reply_received / status events (meeting booked, not interested) and make your endpoint idempotent with retries; don't poll /emails. Webhooks may need a higher tier.
• Model the true cost. The Outreach seat price excludes Lead Finder (Credits) and CRM — both separate paid products. The real Growth stack is ≈$118/mo, not $47.
• Vet DFY infrastructure. Done-for-you pre-warmed domains/inboxes sometimes arrive with poor reputation (or get provider-disabled). Run your own placement test on them before trusting the heat score.
• Spread the sending. Many low-volume inboxes across secondary domains beat blasting one; SISR rotates IPs/servers but per-account daily caps still apply.

If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in references/learnings.md, append it there.

Gotchas

Best-effort from research (2026-06) — review these, especially pricing and plan-gated features, which change.

1. Warmup score ≠ real inbox placement. The #1 complaint: green heat scores while live emails hit spam. The warmup pool's synthetic engagement doesn't guarantee placement with real prospects — verify with seed tests.
2. The $47 price is not the real cost. Lead Finder (Credits) and CRM are separate paid products; a functional stack is ~$118/mo on Growth. Budget accordingly.
3. API v2 is incompatible with v1. You must generate a brand-new v2 key; v1 keys and payloads won't work on v2 endpoints.
4. DFY pre-warmed domains can arrive burned. A frequently-cited issue — heat scores read 90+ while real placement collapses; some Google accounts get disabled. Test before sending at volume.
5. Unibox and (likely) webhooks are tier-gated. Unibox is Hyper-Growth+; webhook access is reported to need a higher tier than the entry plan — verify on your plan before building.
6. Support and UX friction. Slow support and settings buried across panels are common review themes; budget time for setup and don't expect fast ticket resolution.
7. Pagination is cursor-based. Use starting_after+limit, not page numbers; back off on 429.
8. Custom variables drive personalization. Put merge data in custom_variables on the lead so sequence merge tags resolve — missing variables send blank or fallback text.

Related skills

• /sales-deliverability — Cold-email deliverability, warmup, and inbox-placement strategy across tools (Instantly's biggest strength and its #1 pain point)
• /sales-cadence — Outbound sequence design, multichannel cadences, and copywriting across tools
• /sales-prospect-list — Building and sourcing prospect lists (Instantly's Lead Finder is one source)
• /sales-enrich — Contact enrichment and email verification
• /sales-integration — Connecting Instantly to a CRM/other tools via webhooks/Zapier
• /sales-do — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do -a claude-code

Examples

Example 1: Push leads into a campaign and react to replies (developer/automation)

User says: "When someone downloads my lead magnet, add them to my Instantly campaign and notify me when they reply." Skill does: Walks Recipe 1 — POST /api/v2/leads with email + custom_variables + the campaign id, authed with Authorization: Bearer (a v2 key). Then Recipe 2 — register a reply_received webhook (Settings → Integrations → Webhooks) that posts to Slack/creates a CRM task, with idempotent handling. Notes v1 keys won't work and webhooks may need a higher tier. Result: Leads flow into the campaign and replies trigger real-time follow-up.

Example 2: Warmup is green but I'm landing in spam

User says: "Instantly says my warmup health is 95% but my campaign still goes to spam." Skill does: Explains the warmup pool generates synthetic engagement that doesn't equal real-prospect placement — the platform's most-reported gap. Recommends running an inbox-placement (seed-list) test, checking SPF/DKIM/DMARC + custom tracking domain, lowering per-inbox volume, and spreading across secondary domains. Routes the deeper playbook: "run: /sales-deliverability warmup is green but I'm in spam on Instantly." Result: User stops trusting the heat score alone and gets a real placement-diagnosis path.

Example 3: Is the $47 plan really $47?

User says: "Growth is $47/mo — is that all I'll pay to run cold email?" Skill does: Clarifies that warmup is free, but the Lead Finder (Credits) and CRM are separate paid products, so a working stack is ~$118/mo on Growth. Breaks down what each add-on buys, notes Unibox is Hyper-Growth+, and frames pricing as best-effort to verify on the live page. Result: User budgets the true cost instead of the headline.

Troubleshooting

My API calls return 401/unauthorized

Symptom: Every request is rejected. Cause: Using a v1 key on v2 (they're incompatible), a missing Authorization: Bearer header, or a key without the needed scope. Solution: Generate a fresh v2 key in-app with the right scopes, send it as Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY against https://api.instantly.ai/api/v2, and confirm API access is enabled on your Outreach plan. Import the OpenAPI spec to match request shapes.

My emails land in spam despite a healthy warmup score

Symptom: Warmup dashboard is green; real campaigns hit spam. Cause: The warmup pool's engagement is synthetic and doesn't guarantee placement with actual prospects; auth records, sending volume, or a burned domain can still tank you. Solution: Run an inbox-placement seed test, verify SPF/DKIM/DMARC + a custom tracking domain, reduce per-inbox daily volume, warm new domains longer, and spread across secondary domains. For the full diagnosis, use /sales-deliverability.

My webhook isn't firing / I can't find it

Symptom: No events arrive, or there's no webhook option. Cause: Webhook access may be gated to a higher Outreach tier, the endpoint isn't public HTTPS, or no events were selected for the campaign scope. Solution: Confirm your plan includes webhooks, add the webhook under Settings → Integrations → Webhooks (or POST /api/v2/webhooks) with an HTTPS endpoint and the right event types, send a test, and implement retries + idempotency on your side so transient failures don't drop events.