How to Use Smartlead for Cold Email: Complete 2026 Agency Tutorial

By Puzzle Inbox Team · May 20, 2026 · 9 min read

Smartlead tutorial covering agency-focused features, multi-client workspaces, white-label setup, and cold email sequence execution.

Smartlead Tutorial Overview

Smartlead is the agency-focused cold email sending platform with white-label client portals and per-client workspaces. This tutorial covers Smartlead workflow specifically optimized for agencies running cold email for multiple clients.

Step 1: Sign Up for Smartlead

Visit smartlead.ai. Choose plan based on scale:

• Basic ($33/month): For solo operators or single-client agencies
• Pro ($94/month): Mid-size agencies
• Custom: Large agencies with 50+ clients

Step 2: Set Up Workspaces

Smartlead's key advantage: per-client workspaces. Settings → Workspaces → Create Workspace per client.

Each workspace has separate:

• Email inboxes
• Prospect lists
• Campaigns
• Reply management
• White-label client reporting

Step 3: Connect Inboxes per Workspace

Per workspace → Email Accounts → Add. OAuth or SMTP/IMAP. Connect 10-30 inboxes per client based on volume needs.

Pre-warmed inboxes from Puzzle Inbox connect within minutes via OAuth.

Step 4: Configure White-Label Client Reports

Settings → Reports → Configure white-label branding:

• Upload client logo
• Custom domain (reports.clientname.com)
• Custom email templates
• Branded PDF reports

Step 5: Build Per-Client Prospect Lists

Each client workspace has separate prospect database. Upload from Apollo, Clay, or other data sources. Verify emails per workspace.

Step 6: Create Campaigns per Client

Campaigns → New Campaign within client workspace. Same sequence structure as other platforms but isolated to single client's inboxes and lists.

Step 7: Use Smart Sender Rotation

Smartlead's rotation algorithm intelligently distributes sends across inboxes based on health, recency, and capacity. Configure per workspace.

Step 8: Master Inbox for Reply Management

Smartlead Master Inbox aggregates replies across all client workspaces. Single dashboard for reply ops specialist managing multiple clients. Filter by client, route to per-client teams.

Step 9: Configure Reply Routing

Per workspace, set up:

• AI reply classification
• Forwarding rules to client team emails
• Out-of-office handling
• Unsubscribe automation

Step 10: Client Reporting Setup

Schedule weekly automated reports per client:

• Campaigns sent
• Replies received
• Meetings booked
• White-labeled with client branding

Smartlead vs Instantly for Agencies

Smartlead + Puzzle Inbox for Agency Stack

Recommended agency stack:

• Smartlead Pro: $94/month (sending platform)
• Puzzle Inbox: $20-100/month (50-200 inboxes)
• Apollo seats: $99-297/month (per agency size)
• Total: $200-500/month for full agency cold email operation

Common Smartlead Mistakes

• Not using workspaces (defeats purpose vs Instantly)
• Skipping white-label setup (lose differentiation)
• Not training reply ops on Master Inbox workflow
• Mixing client inboxes across workspaces