AI Column Workflow Templates let you save a set of AI columns from one campaign and import them into another campaign in one click. This is ideal when you want to reuse the same prompts, models, temperatures, and “waterfall” (dependency) logic across multiple campaigns, without rebuilding everything manually.

Learning Objective

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll know how to import an existing AI workflow template into a campaign, preview and validate required inputs, run generation, and make edits to imported AI columns when needed.

Why This Matters

Reusable AI column workflows help you scale proven enrichment and personalization setups across campaigns, standardize best practices within your team, and reduce errors in complex “waterfall” workflows where one AI column depends on another.

Prerequisites

You have access to a campaign and can open its Lead list (Leads table).
You already know how to create AI columns in a campaign (prompt + model + settings).
To save a workflow template, your campaign should contain at least 2 AI columns (workflow templates support 2–20 columns).

Core Lesson — Step-by-Step Workflow

Phase 1: Understand what gets saved (and what doesn’t)

Know what templates include.
Importing a template copies the AI column configuration: column names, prompts (including variable references), selected AI model, temperature, and any preserved dependencies.
Know what templates don’t include.
Templates do not copy lead data or generated outputs. After import, your new AI columns will be empty until you run generation.
Know the editing limitation.
Workflow templates can’t be edited after creation. If you need changes later, you’ll delete and recreate the template.

Phase 2: Import an existing workflow template into a campaign

Open the campaign you want to add AI columns to.
Go to Campaigns, then open the campaign you want to update.
Open the template browser from your campaign Lead list.
Open the Lead list tab, then open the Create AI Columns dropdown and select Create AI columns to open the template browser.
Switch to AI Column workflow templates.
In the template browser, select AI Columns Workflow to view workflow templates (multi-column templates).
Pick a workflow template to preview.
Select a template from the left panel to preview it (for example, Competitor Takedown).
Preview what the workflow will create.
Before importing, review:
- AI columns in this table (the columns that will be created)
- Required input columns (the existing lead fields the prompts depend on)
(Optional but recommended) Inspect column-level details before importing.
Click a specific AI column inside the template (for example, uspStatement) to understand what it generates and how it depends on other AI columns.
Confirm the prompt logic and dependencies.
In Column details, review the prompt text (including references to other AI columns like {{competitorTool}} and {{competitorWeakness}}). You can also see if the AI variable requires you to add additional data additionaly instead of a placeholder. For example, [My Product] is a placeholder you'll need to add in order for it to generate accurate output.
Validate required inputs before importing.
Check the Required input columns for this template section to confirm your Lead list already contains those fields (for example, {{companyName}} and {{firstName}}).
Import the workflow template.
Click Use this template to add the workflow’s AI columns to your campaign, then return to your Lead list.
Confirm the new AI columns appear in your Lead list.
After import, you should see the newly added AI columns as new fields/columns in your Lead list table.

After you import (recommended checklist)

Verify variable availability.
If prompts reference variables your campaign doesn’t have (e.g., {{companyDescription}}), you’ll need to add those fields to your lead data or update prompts to use available variables.
Review any renamed columns.
If your campaign already had a column with the same name, the system auto-renames imported columns to avoid conflicts (example: companySize → companySize_1). Prompt references are updated automatically, but it’s still good practice to spot-check critical prompts.
Run AI generation.
Imported columns don’t auto-run. Trigger generation to populate values for your leads.

Phase 3: Run generation on imported AI columns

Start generation from an AI column header.
On the AI column you want to generate, click the play icon in the column header.
Choose how to generate rows.
Select whether to Generate all rows or Generate empty rows only.
Edit an AI column if your inputs or goal changed.
Open the AI column header menu, then click Edit AI column.
Update the prompt (and any placeholders) to match your use case.
In the editor, adjust the Task (or other prompt sections) so the AI generates the exact output you need.
Generate the AI column.
When you’re ready, click Generate AI column to run it for your leads.
Monitor generation progress.
While generation runs, you’ll see an in-progress status in the Lead list.
Review the results in the table.
Once completed, the AI column cells populate with outputs that you can use in your messaging or segmentation.

Phase 4: Save AI columns as a workflow template (2–20 columns)

Open the “Save AI columns as template” flow.
From the campaign Lead list, open the Create AI Columns dropdown and choose Save AI columns as template.
Note: If your campaign has 0 AI columns, this option is disabled. Create AI columns first, then return to save.
Name your template (and optionally describe it).
Use a clear, reusable name like “High-Value Lead Qualification Workflow”. Add a description explaining when to use it (industry, persona, or campaign type).
Select the AI columns to include.
All columns are selected by default. Use checkboxes to include only what you want saved in the template.
- Minimum: 2 columns
- Maximum: 20 columns
- Dependencies preserved: If column B uses column A output, that “waterfall” relationship is kept in the template.
Save the template.
Click Save template. Once saved, it becomes visible to all members of your team in the template browser under Team templates.

Phase 5: Save a single AI column (not a workflow template)

Workflow templates require at least 2 columns. If you only want to save 1 AI column, use the product’s individual AI variable template flow.

Practical Application — Common Workflows (2–5 steps each)

Example 1: Standardize cold outreach personalization across campaigns

Create AI columns that generate a pain point, a personalized opener, and a CTA suggestion (waterfall: opener uses pain point).
Save those columns as a workflow template named after the use case (e.g., “Cold email personalization — SaaS”).
Import the template into new campaigns and verify required variables (e.g., {{jobTitle}}, {{companyName}}).
Run AI generation for your leads.

Example 2: Reuse a lead qualification scoring workflow

Build AI columns that assess ICP fit, urgency, and produce a score + reasoning.
Save as a template so your team uses the same scoring logic in every campaign.
Import into campaigns and confirm the prompts reference fields you actually collect.
Generate outputs, then filter/sort leads by score.

Example 3: Package enrichment as a reusable “research bundle”

Create AI columns that produce company summary, recent news angle, and talking points.
Save them as a workflow template (2–20 columns) for consistent research depth.
Import into any campaign; if name conflicts occur, review the auto-renamed columns.
Run AI generation and spot-check a few leads before scaling.

Best Practices

Name templates by outcome. Example: “Objection handling angles (B2B IT)” is easier to reuse than “Template v3”.
Keep dependencies intentional. If you use a waterfall pattern, ensure every downstream column’s upstream inputs are included in the same template.
Preview required inputs before import. Most “it doesn’t work” issues come from missing lead variables.
Treat lemlist templates as starters. Refine prompts with your offer context, formatting constraints, and a few examples for production-grade results.

Troubleshooting & Pitfalls

Issue: “Save AI columns as template” is disabled

Root cause: The campaign has no AI columns configured.
Fix: Create at least one AI column in the campaign first. Then return to the dropdown. (Reminder: saving a workflow template still requires selecting at least 2 columns.)

Issue: “At least 2 columns are required”

Root cause: You selected fewer than 2 columns in the save modal.
Fix: Select 2+ columns, or use the Save as individual template option to save a single AI column.

Issue: “Maximum 20 columns allowed”

Root cause: More than 20 AI columns were selected for the template.
Fix: Deselect columns to get to 20 or fewer, or split the workflow into multiple templates.

Issue: “Campaign column limit reached” during import

Root cause: Importing would exceed the campaign’s allowed number of AI columns.
Fix: Remove existing AI columns from the campaign or choose a smaller template.

Issue: Columns were renamed after import

Root cause: Name conflicts with existing campaign columns (case-insensitive detection).
What happens: The system appends a suffix (_1, _2, …) and updates prompt references automatically (e.g., {{companySize}} → {{companySize_1}}).
Fix: Review the info notification, then spot-check prompts and lead data to ensure the referenced variables exist and match your campaign fields.

Issue: Import partially failed (“Failed to clone template”)

Root cause: An error occurred while cloning one of the columns/templates.
What to expect: Columns created before the error remain in the campaign (no automatic rollback).
Fix: Try importing again. If it persists, remove any partially created columns and contact support/engineering with details.

Issue: Imported prompts reference variables that don’t exist

Root cause: The template was created using fields not present in your target campaign.
Fix options:
- Add the missing fields to your lead data (CSV import, enrichment, manual fields).
- Edit prompts to use variables your campaign already contains.
- Create an upstream AI column that generates the missing data, then update downstream prompts to reference it.