By the end of this guide, you'll know how to add manual tasks to your campaign sequence, manage them in the Tasks section, and use them to build effective multichannel outreach strategies.

Automated emails and LinkedIn messages aren't enough. To stand out, you need to diversify your outreach with actions lemlist can't automate, like commenting on a LinkedIn post or making a phone call.

Using manual tasks helps you:

A manual task is a custom action you add to your campaign sequence that lemlist cannot automate. When a lead reaches a manual task step, lemlist creates a reminder for you to complete the action.

Examples of manual tasks:

1. Assign the task: Choose the teammate who should complete it.

2. Set the priority: Choose None, Low priority, Medium priority, or High priority.

3. Title the task: Give it a clear title (for example, “Comment on LinkedIn post” or “Call prospect”).

4. Add instructions: Use the task description to explain exactly what needs to be done.

When you open a manual task, you can choose one of these actions:

1. Mark as done ✅ The task is complete and the sequence continues to the next step. If the task is the last step of the sequence, the campaign ends for that lead.

Example: You called the lead but they didn't answer. Mark the task as done so the next step can continue.

2. Reschedule 📅 Move the task to a later due date when you can't complete it now.

3. Ignore 🚫 You don't want to complete this task. When you ignore it, choose what happens to the lead:

Example: You decided not to review this LinkedIn profile but still want the next automated step to go out. Ignore the task and choose Continue sequence.

4. Create follow-up task ➕ Create a new task for the same lead, for example to call them again later.

You can use custom variables to personalize each task.

Example:

Task title: "Comment on {{firstName}}'s LinkedIn post"Instructions: "Find {{firstName}}'s most recent post and leave a thoughtful comment."URL:{{linkedinUrl}}

When the task is created, lemlist replaces variables with actual data:

Task title: "Comment on Jack's LinkedIn post"URL:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackdoe

Day 1: LinkedIn profile visit (automated)

Day 2: LinkedIn message (automated)

Day 4: 1st email (automated)

Day 5: Comment on LinkedIn post (manual task)

Day 7: Call (manual task)

Day 9: 2nd email (automated)

This sequence mixes automated and manual actions to create multiple touchpoints across channels.

✓ Manual task appears in the sequence after you add it

✓ Task reminders appear in the Tasks section when leads reach that step

✓ You can open a task and mark it as done, reschedule it, ignore it, or create a follow-up task

✓ Sequence continues after you mark a task as done

✓ Reply rates increase as you engage prospects on multiple channels

Issue: Manual task not appearing in Tasks section

Fix: Check the lead's status. They may not have reached that step yet. Verify the delay before the manual task step.

Issue: Task URL shortcut not working

Fix: Ensure the variable (e.g., {{linkedinUrl}}) is populated for that lead. Use enrichment to find missing data.

Issue: Sequence stopped after completing task

Fix: Check how the task was handled. Ignoring a task with Stop sequence ends the campaign for the lead. Marking the task as done also ends the campaign if it was the last step of the sequence. To keep the lead moving, mark the task as done or ignore it with Continue sequence.

Limit manual tasks to 1–2 per sequence: Too many slow you down and reduce efficiency.

Use URL shortcuts with variables: Add {{linkedinUrl}} or {{companyWebsite}} to make tasks faster to complete.

Check Tasks section daily: Set a reminder to complete manual tasks every morning to keep campaigns moving.

Combine manual tasks with automated steps: Use automated emails to warm up leads before manual tasks (calls, comments).

Use manual tasks strategically: Add them at critical moments (e.g., after a lead clicks a link or opens multiple emails).