TL;DR
Pause leads who are actively in your campaign to temporarily stop their sequence. Paused leads retain their position and resume from where they left off when un-paused. Use for out-of-office replies, timing issues, or manual follow-up needs. Takes 30 seconds.
Who Should Use This
Sales reps managing active campaigns who receive out-of-office replies
Teams needing to manually follow up before continuing automation
Anyone who needs to temporarily stop a lead's sequence without removing them
Why This Matters
Pausing gives you precise control over individual leads mid-campaign. When someone replies "I'm out until next month" or "Call me next week," you don't want automated follow-ups sending while they're unavailable. Pausing stops their sequence immediately while preserving their exact position, so they continue naturally when un-paused.
Before You Start
Pause vs. Skip difference:
Pause: For leads already in your campaign who've received emails
Skip: For leads in Launch section who haven't been contacted yet
You can only pause leads who are "In Progress" (already launched and receiving emails).
Step-by-Step Guide
Pause a Lead
Step 1: Open the campaign
Go to Campaigns, then click the campaign you want to manage.
Step 2: Pause the lead
From the campaign’s Lead list, click the lead you want to pause to open their details panel. In the lead’s campaign card, click the three-dot menu (⋮) and select Pause lead.
Step 3: Confirm the pause
A success message appears confirming the lead was paused.
The lead's status changes to Paused.
✅ Verify: The lead no longer progresses in the sequence while paused.
What Happens When You Pause
Immediate effects:
All scheduled emails stop for this lead
Their current position in the sequence is preserved
Delays freeze at their current countdown
No steps send until you un-pause them
Example:
Lead is in a 4-day delay before Step 3
You pause them on Day 2 of that delay
When un-paused, they resume with 2 days remaining before Step 3
Un-pause a Lead
Step 4: Filter to find paused leads
In the campaign’s Lead list, click the filter icon, select Paused under Status, then click Apply.
Step 5: Resume the lead
Click the paused lead to open their details panel. In the lead’s campaign card, click the three-dot menu (⋮) and select Resume lead. The lead’s status returns to In Progress and their sequence resumes.
✅ Verify: The lead will continue from the same position in the sequence.
💡 Set a reminder: When pausing for a specific duration (out-of-office, callback date), set a calendar reminder to un-pause them at the right time.
How You'll Know It Worked
✅ Lead status shows "Paused"
✅ No more emails send to this lead
✅ Lead position preserved (visible in lead details)
✅ After un-pausing, sequence resumes from same position
Common Use Cases
Out-of-office replies:
Lead replies "Out until June 15"
Pause immediately
Set reminder for June 15
Un-pause when they're back
Manual follow-up needed:
Lead requests a call
Pause to stop automated emails
Have the call
Un-pause if they're still interested, or stop if deal closes
Timing conflicts:
Lead mentions "busy with Q4 close"
Pause until Q1
Resume outreach when timing is better
Research required:
Lead asks specific technical question
Pause while you prepare detailed response
Send manual email with answer
Un-pause to continue sequence or stop if resolved
Event-based pausing:
Lead is attending your webinar next week
Pause automated outreach
Let them experience the event
Follow up manually post-event, then un-pause or stop
Troubleshooting
Issue: Can't find Pause option
Fix: Pause only works for leads already launched and in progress. Check the lead is in "In Progress" status, not "Launch" or "Completed". For leads in Launch, use Skip instead.
Issue: Lead still received an email after pausing
Fix: If an email was already queued to send within minutes, it may send before the pause takes effect. Pause as soon as you see the need. Future emails will definitely stop.
Issue: Un-paused lead isn't receiving emails
Fix:
Check campaign isn't paused at the campaign level (not just the lead level)
Verify the sender account is still connected
Check if the lead hit a stop condition (replied, clicked) before pausing
Make sure you didn't change the original sender (changing the sender in the middle of an active campaign will result in leads being paused)
Ensure you're within the campaign sending window hours
Issue: Forgot which leads are paused
Fix: Go to the campaign Lead list → Filter by Status: Paused. Review the list regularly and unpause or stop leads as appropriate.
Issue: Lost track of why the lead was paused
Fix: Add a note or tag when pausing (if your interface supports it) to document the reason and target un-pause date. This helps when managing many paused leads.
Pause vs. Stop vs. Skip
Pause (temporary hold):
Use when: Need to stop the sequence temporarily, but will resume
Effect: Freezes sequence, resumes from the same position
Best for: Out-of-office, manual follow-up needed, timing issues
Stop (end sequence):
Use when: Lead should permanently exit the campaign
Effect: Ends sequence, won't resume automatically
Best for: Replied, booked meeting, not interested, deal closed
Skip (prevent from starting):
Use when: Lead hasn't been contacted yet and shouldn't start
Effect: Stays in campaign but never enters sequence
Best for: Before launch only, wrong target, missing data
💡 Quick rule: Pause = temporary stop during campaign. Stop = permanent end. Skip = never start.
Tips for Optimization
Pause immediately on out-of-office - Set up a filter in your inbox to flag OOO replies and pause those leads the same day.
Set calendar reminders - When pausing for a specific date ("back on Jan 15"), create a reminder to un-pause them that day.
Review paused leads weekly - Check your paused list every Monday. Un-pause those ready to resume, stop those no longer relevant.
Use pause for high-value leads - When a VIP prospect needs special attention, pause automated outreach and handle manually.
Combine with notes - Document why you paused and when to resume so you or teammates remember the context.
Don't pause indefinitely - If a lead is paused for 30+ days with no clear resume date, consider stopping them instead to keep your list clean.
Bulk pause for events - If running a conference or webinar, bulk pause all attendees until after the event, then unpause for continued nurture.