Learning Objective

By the end of this guide, you'll know how to set delays between sequence steps, understand how delays interact with your campaign schedule, and configure timing that creates natural, effective outreach rhythms without appearing pushy or automated.

Why This Matters

Timing is everything in outreach. Send follow-ups too quickly and you appear aggressive. Wait too long and prospects forget about you. Delays give you precise control over your campaign pace, ensuring each touchpoint feels intentional and natural.

Proper delay configuration:

Prevents email fatigue by spacing touchpoints appropriately
Respects your sending schedule
Maintains consistent outreach cadence across all leads
Adapts automatically when leads enter your campaign on different days

Getting delays right increases reply rates and keeps your outreach professional.

Prerequisites

Before configuring delays, make sure you have:

A campaign created with at least two sequence steps (email, LinkedIn, task, etc.)
Your campaign schedule is configured (which days/times steps can run)
Understanding of your outreach strategy (how many days should pass between touchpoints)

What Is a Delay?

A delay is the amount of time lemlist waits before executing the next step in your sequence.

In the Sequence builder, delays are shown as Wait for X days steps.

Delays are measured in scheduled sending days, meaning they only count the days you've selected in your campaign schedule. If you only send Monday through Friday, weekends don't count toward your delay.

Example:

You set a 2-day delay between Step 1 and Step 2
Your campaign sends only on weekdays
If Step 1 sends on Thursday, Step 2 sends on Monday (skipping Saturday and Sunday)

This ensures your outreach follows your intended rhythm, not the calendar.

Core Lesson: Step-by-Step Workflow

Phase 1: Access Your Campaign Sequence

Step 1: Open your campaign

Go to Campaigns, then select the campaign you want to edit.

Step 2: Open the Sequence tab

In your campaign, click the Sequence tab to access the sequence builder (this is where you configure steps and delays).

Phase 2: Configure Delays Between Steps

Step 3: Review your existing steps and delays

In the sequence builder, review the flow of steps (emails, LinkedIn actions, tasks) and the Wait for X days delay steps between them.

Step 4: Edit a delay (Wait step)

Find the Wait for X days step you want to change, click the edit (pencil) icon, then set the number of days (for example, 2 days).

Common delay patterns:

2-3 days for follow-up emails (gives prospects time to see and respond to the first email)
1 day for LinkedIn actions after email (keeps momentum without overwhelming)
4-5 days after LinkedIn invites (wait for acceptance before messaging)
7 days for final follow-up attempts (last chance before closing sequence)

💡 Best practice: Start with 2-3 day delays for most email follow-ups. You can always adjust based on reply rates.

Step 5: Set delays for remaining steps

Move through your sequence and edit each Wait step to match your desired cadence.

Think about your overall sequence timing:

How long should the entire sequence take from start to finish?
When do most prospects typically respond?
How many touchpoints do you want per week?

Example sequence timing:

Step 1 (Email) → 2 days → Step 2 (Follow-up email)
Step 2 → 3 days → Step 3 (LinkedIn visit)
Step 3 → 2 days → Step 4 (LinkedIn invite)
Step 4 → 5 days → Step 5 (LinkedIn message if accepted)
Step 5 → 4 days → Step 6 (Final email)

Total sequence duration: ~16 scheduled sending days

Step 6: Save your changes

Changes are saved automatically as you edit steps and waits.

Phase 3: Understand How Delays Respect Your Schedule

Step 7: Open your campaign schedule settings

In your campaign, click the Settings (gear) icon, then select Schedules & launch.

Step 8: Review your campaign schedules

Under Your campaign schedules, review which days/times your campaign is allowed to run steps. This schedule is what lemlist uses to calculate delays (scheduled sending days).

💡 Critical understanding: Delays count only these scheduled days. If you're not sending on weekends, a 2-day delay on Friday means the next step sends on the next available scheduled days (not Saturday/Sunday).

How Delays Work with Your Schedule

Delays are calculated based on scheduled sending days, not calendar days. Here's how it works:

Your schedule determines which days count

If your campaign sends Monday through Friday only:

Saturdays and Sundays are not counted in delays
A "2-day delay" means 2 weekdays, not 2 calendar days

If your campaign sends Tuesday and Thursday only:

Only Tuesdays and Thursdays count toward delays
A "2-day delay" means 2 sending days (could be 6-8 calendar days)

lemlist automatically adjusts for your schedule

You don't need to calculate calendar days manually. Set your delay as "X sending days" and lemlist handles the rest.

Practical Application / Real-Life Examples

Example 1: Weekday-Only Campaign

Your schedule: Emails send Tuesday and Thursday only

Your sequence:

Step 1 (Initial email) → 2-day delay → Step 2 (Follow-up)

What happens:

Lead receives Step 1 on Thursday
Delay = 2 scheduled sending days
Next sending days are: Tuesday (day 1), Thursday (day 2)
Step 2 sends on Thursday (6 calendar days later, but only 2 sending days)

Key insight: The 2-day delay spans a full week because you only send twice per week.

Example 2: Weekdays Only (Monday-Friday)

Your schedule: Emails send Monday to Friday (no weekends)

Your sequence:

Step 1 → 1-day delay → Step 2

What happens:

Lead receives Step 1 on Friday
Delay = 1 scheduled sending day
Saturday and Sunday are skipped (not in schedule)
Step 2 sends on Monday

Key insight: Even a 1-day delay can span a weekend if you don't send on Saturday/Sunday.

Choosing the Right Delays for Your Campaign Type

Cold outreach campaigns:

First follow-up: 2-3 days (gives time to see initial email)
Second follow-up: 3-4 days (increases spacing)
Final follow-up: 5-7 days (last attempt before closing)

Warm lead nurture campaigns:

Between emails: 5-7 days (less aggressive, relationship-building)
Between content offers: 7-10 days (give time to consume content)

Event invitation campaigns:

First reminder: 3-5 days before event
Second reminder: 1 day before event

Re-engagement campaigns:

Between attempts: 7-14 days (longer spacing for inactive leads)

💡 General rule: Colder audiences need longer delays. Warmer, more engaged audiences can handle shorter delays.

Troubleshooting & Pitfalls

Issue: My follow-up emails are sending too close together

Root cause: Your schedule includes too many sending days per week, making delays shorter in calendar time than expected

Fix:

Review your schedule in Settings → Schedules & launch
If sending daily or 6 days/week, increase your delay numbers
Aim for 2-3 calendar days minimum between touchpoints for cold outreach
Example: If sending Monday-Saturday, use 3-day delays to get proper spacing

Issue: My sequence is taking too long to complete

Root cause: Your schedule is too limited (e.g., only 2 days/week) or your delays are too long

Fix:

Increase your sending days per week (e.g., change from Tue/Thu to Mon/Wed/Fri)
Reduce delay durations (change 5-day delays to 3-day delays)
Estimate total duration using scheduled sending days (sum of all waits), then translate into calendar time based on how many days/week you send

Issue: Steps are sending on unexpected days

Root cause: Not accounting for how your schedule interacts with delays

Fix:

Remember: delays count only scheduled sending days, not calendar days
If you send Mon/Wed/Fri, a 2-day delay from Monday sends on Friday (Wed = day 1, Fri = day 2)
Use the examples in this guide to calculate when steps will actually send
Test with a small lead list first to verify timing

Issue: Weekend emails are being skipped

Root cause: Your schedule doesn't include Saturday/Sunday, but you expected steps to run then

Fix:

This is expected behavior if weekends aren't in your schedule
To send on weekends, add Saturday/Sunday in Schedules & launch
Note: B2B campaigns typically perform worse on weekends. Weekday-only is usually better

Issue: I want different delays for different types of steps

Root cause: You're trying to use the same delay logic for email vs. LinkedIn vs. tasks

Fix:

You can set different waits between each step
Example: 2-day delay after emails, 1-day delay before LinkedIn actions, 4-day delay after LinkedIn invites
Customize each transition based on what makes sense for that specific action type

Optimization Tips

Test different delay patterns: Run small test campaigns (100-200 leads) with different delay structures. Track reply rates and adjust.

Shorter delays for engaged leads: If a lead opens multiple emails but doesn't reply, you can shorten the next wait to maintain momentum.

Account for time zones: If targeting global audiences, consider that your "Tuesday" might be their "Wednesday." Delays help smooth out timezone differences.

Use longer delays at sequence end: Early follow-ups can be 2-3 days apart. Final follow-ups should be 5-7 days to avoid appearing desperate.

Match delays to your industry pace: Fast-moving industries (tech startups) can handle shorter delays. Traditional industries (enterprise, government) need longer spacing.

Consider your sending volume: If sending to large lists, shorter delays mean more emails per day. Make sure your daily sending limits can handle it.

Align with business days: For B2B, weekday-only sending (Mon-Fri) with 2-3 day delays creates a natural weekly rhythm that feels professional.

Review and adjust based on data: Check your campaign analytics after 2-3 weeks. If reply rates drop after certain steps, increase the delay before that step.