Who this is for: Recruiters deciding which email step type to use when building a sequence.
The one-line version
Use Automated Email for most outreach. Use Manual Email when the message is sensitive enough to need a human eye before it sends. Use Marketing Email for bulk announcements where individual replies aren't expected.
How they're different
| Automated Email | Manual Email | Marketing Email |
Who sends it | Recruiterflow sends automatically | You review and send manually | Recruiterflow sends via a marketing email provider |
Send as Reply | ✓ (from Step 2) | ✓ (from Step 2) | ✗ |
Requires human action | No | Yes, pauses sequence until sent | No |
Sequence paused while waiting? | No | Yes - recipient in Pending Action | No |
Integration required | Gmail or Outlook | Gmail or Outlook | Marketing email integration |
Best for | Most outreach: sourcing, follow-ups, BD | High-stakes sends: key clients, sensitive candidates | Job alerts, newsletters, broad announcements |
Automated Email — use this most of the time
Automated Email is the default workhorse of any sequence. Recruiterflow sends it on the sender's behalf at the scheduled time, with no human involvement required. It scales - you can run it across hundreds of recipients simultaneously without touching each one individually.
Use Automated Email when:
The message is a standard outreach email, follow-up, or nurture touch
The content is personalised via tokens - it doesn't need a human to review each recipient's version
You want the sequence to keep moving without waiting for recruiter action
You're running a high-volume sourcing or BD campaign
Manual Email — use this when the stakes are high
Manual Email generates the content exactly like an Automated Email but holds the email in your Manual Emails tab for you to review before it goes out. The sequence pauses for that recipient until you take action.
The sequence pausing is the key difference. A recipient sits in Pending Action status, waiting on you. If you don't action the email, the sequence stalls for that person.
Use Manual Email when:
The recipient is a high-value client or a candidate you're handling personally you want to read and personalize the email before it sends
The email contains context - a nuanced pitch, a sensitive situation, a referral
The content varies significantly per recipient and you want to make edits before each send
You're in a regulated industry where recruiter sign-off on outreach is required
What to watch out for: Manual Email steps create a bottleneck. If your team doesn't stay on top of the Manual Emails tab, recipients pile up in Pending Action and the sequence effectively stops for them.
Common use cases: A tailored pitch to a shortlisted passive candidate, a follow-up to a warm BD lead after a call, a personalised outreach to a senior hire.
Marketing Email — use this for broadcast, not conversation
Marketing Email sends through a connected marketing email delivery provider rather than through your personal Gmail or Outlook inbox. This means it can handle much higher volumes without hitting personal inbox limits, but it's transactional in tone and not designed for two-way conversation.
Use Marketing Email when:
You're sending a job alert, newsletter, or announcement to a large list - hundreds or thousands of contacts
The email is informational rather than conversational. You're not expecting a direct reply
You need to send at a volume that personal inbox limits can't accommodate
What to watch out for:
Requires a marketing email delivery provider to be connected in Settings → Automation settings. Without this, the step will block at launch.
Marketing Email does not support Send as Reply. Each marketing email always starts a new thread.
Response rates are typically lower than Automated or Manual Email, recipients know it's a broadcast.
Common use cases: Monthly job alert to a candidate talent pool, a market update newsletter to BD contacts, an announcement about a new service or team.
Mixing step types in one sequence
You can, and often should mix email step types within a single sequence. A common structure:
Step 1 — Manual Email: a genuinely personalised "first touch" that you write yourself before sending
Step 2 — Automated Email: follow-up threaded as a reply (Send as Reply ON)
Step 3 — LinkedIn Connection Request: expand the channel
This keeps the sequence mostly automatic while reserving human effort for the highest-leverage touchpoint.
Quick decision guide
Situation | Use this |
Standard sourcing or BD outreach at scale | Automated Email |
Follow-up threaded onto a previous email | Automated Email (Send as Reply ON) |
High-value candidate or client - I want to hyper-personalize it first | Manual Email |
Referral or sensitive situation - content needs personal review | Manual Email |
Job alert or newsletter to 500+ contacts | Marketing Email |
Announcement, no reply expected | Marketing Email |
I'm hitting my personal inbox send limit | Marketing Email (if broadcast) or add more Automated Email senders |