Want your follow-up emails to appear in the same email thread as your first message?
This guide shows you exactly how to set up your sequence so recipients see one clean conversation in their inbox.
Learning Objective
By the end of this tutorial, you’ll know how to keep follow-up emails threaded with your first email by configuring subject lines correctly in your lemlist sequence.
Why This Matters
Threaded follow-ups look more natural, reduce inbox clutter, and make it easier for prospects to understand the context. In many inboxes, this can also improve engagement because the conversation history stays in one place.
Prerequisites
You already have a sequence with at least two Email steps.
Your sending email account is connected (or you know which sender you’ll use for the sequence).
Core Lesson — Step-by-Step Workflow
Phase 1: Set the threading rule (subject lines)
Add a subject line only to Email Step 1.
Your first email subject becomes the “parent” subject that follow-ups can reuse for threading.
For every follow-up Email step (Step 2, Step 3, etc.), leave the subject line completely empty.
When the subject field is blank, lemlist automatically reuses the previous email’s subject so replies stay grouped in a single thread in the recipient’s inbox.
Phase 2: Confirm the key settings that can break threading
Use the same sender for the full thread.
If you switch senders between steps, some email providers may treat follow-ups as a separate conversation.
Avoid adding CC/BCC on threaded sequences.
In some providers (like Gmail or Outlook), adding CCs or BCCs can cause the follow-up to split into a new thread.
Practical Application / Real-Life Example
Here’s a simple 2-step example that stays threaded:
Email Step 1: Subject = “Quick question about
{{companyName}}Email Step 2 (follow-up): Subject = (leave blank)
Result: recipients typically see Email Step 2 as part of the same conversation with Email Step 1.
Troubleshooting & Pitfalls
Issue: Follow-ups appear as separate threads in the recipient’s inbox
Root cause: The follow-up step has a subject line filled in.
Fix: Remove the subject from Email Step 2+ and leave it fully empty.
Issue: Some follow-ups thread, but others don’t
Root cause: Sender changes between steps or CC/BCC is used on certain steps.
Fix: Keep the same sender on all steps and remove CC/BCC for that sequence.
Issue: Messages look separate in lemlist (Outbox / dashboard)
Root cause: lemlist may display steps as separate sends for tracking and reporting.
Fix: Check your inbox view (recipient side). Recipients usually still see one threaded conversation when the follow-up subject is blank.
Knowledge Check
Did you set a subject on Step 1 only?
Are all follow-up subjects (Step 2+) completely empty?
Did you keep the same sender across the sequence and avoid CC/BCC?