> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: /help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Smartlead

> Send your LinkedIn contacts to a Smartlead campaign for cold email, and pause them there.

> [!NOTE]
>
> **Pro plan.** Smartlead works through a connection and HTTP steps, which are part of Pro and Agency (and the free trial). Anything you already have keeps working on every plan. See [Plans and billing](/help/account/billing.md).

With Smartlead connected, a campaign step adds the contact to one of your Smartlead campaigns. Smartlead sends the emails, with its own inboxes and warm-up. Another step pauses the contact in Smartlead, so they don't get another cold email.

**1. Connect Smartlead**

In Smartlead, open **Settings** and copy your **API Key**. In Kerux, go to **Integrations > Connections**, click **Connect** on the **Smartlead** row (under **Email and calendar**), paste the key in **Smartlead API key** and click **Save**. The panel then shows your Smartlead connection: click **Test connection**. One Smartlead connection serves both Smartlead steps.

**2. Add the contact to a Smartlead campaign**

In your campaign, click **+**, open the **Automations** tab of **Add a step** and choose **Smartlead: add the contact to a campaign**. In its panel, pick your Smartlead connection in **Account**, then the **Smartlead campaign** from the list. The contact's email, first and last name, company, title and LinkedIn profile go with it.

**3. Pause the contact in Smartlead**

Add **Smartlead: pause the contact** where the contact should stop getting Smartlead emails, and pick the same Smartlead campaign. Kerux finds the contact in Smartlead by email and pauses their emails there.

> [!TIP]
>
> A common flow: invitation and LinkedIn messages first; if they don't accept or don't answer, add them to Smartlead with **Smartlead: add the contact to a campaign** so they get your email sequence.

> [!NOTE]
>
> When a contact replies on LinkedIn, the campaign stops for them (the **When the contact replies** box), so a pause step later in the flow isn't reached. That box can't pause them in Smartlead, so if they are in a Smartlead campaign, pause them in Smartlead yourself.

## Common problems

> [accordion] The contact has no email
>
> Smartlead needs an email. A contact without one waits with **Paused: this step needs data the contact doesn't have** instead of being sent. Add the email (or find it with enrichment) and the contact continues.

> [accordion] Smartlead says the plan expired or the key is wrong
>
> The contact waits with **Paused: the other service rejected the key**, and the connection shows Smartlead's words (for example "HTTP 401: Plan expired!"). Renew the plan or paste a new key, click **Test connection**, and waiting contacts continue within 15 minutes. **Test connection** only reads your campaign list, which can still work while the plan is expired, so renew the plan first.

> [accordion] The contact was already in that Smartlead campaign
>
> Smartlead skips a contact it already has in the campaign (or one on its block list or unsubscribed). The step still succeeds; nothing is sent twice.


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