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  2. Workflows
  3. Workflows Overview

Create a Workflow

Article author
Apollo Team
Updated

Overview

Workflows help you automate actions in Apollo that would otherwise require manual clicks, like adding contacts to sequences and lists, or scheduling tasks for your reps.

 
It's in the Plan

Access to workflows depends on your Apollo plan. If you need access, upgrade your plan. If you have questions about upgrading, Apollo sales can help.

Check out the following sections to create and use a workflow.

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Create a Workflow

 
Permission Required

Workflows are private by default. Workflow owners can share a workflow.

Non-Admin Non-admin can only:
  • View, edit, or clone workflows they own or that have been shared with them.
  • Use triggers and actions for contacts, sequences, and lists they own or create.
  • Send workflow notifications to their own email or Slack channels they can access.
  • Create tasks only for themselves — they can't assign tasks to teammates.
Admin Admin on Apollo can view and edit all workflows created by their team, including private workflows, as well as all related sequences and lists.

Admin can grant non-admin permission profiles Workflows super admin access to let them view and edit all workflows.

To create a workflow:

  1. Launch Apollo and click Workflows.
  2. Click Create a workflow.
  3. You can create a workflow with the AI assistant, from a template, or from scratch:

To build a workflow with the AI Assistant:

  1. Describe the workflow you want to create in plain language, like:
Find rapidly growing companies and add them to a list.
  1. The assistant either creates your workflow or asks clarifying questions to understand your goal. The assistant asks you before activating the workflow.
 
Smarter Selling with AI

Learn more about using the AI Assistant on Apollo.

Pre-built templates constructed by Apollo and the Apollo community help you spin up workflows that work in just a few clicks.

  1. Click Explore all templates.
Explore all templates
  1. Click Preview template beside a template.
  2. Apollo shows the workflow.
  3. Click Use template.
Use template
  1. Personalize the template with your customer's pain points and your product's value proposition. Tailor these details to the specific persona that you're targeting with the workflow. If your workflow targets companies, you also need to provide relevant buying intent topics for your product.
  2. Add a meeting link from Apollo, or alternatively, add a link to any calendar or video conferencing platform you use. Apollo uses the meeting link in workflow emails.
  3. Click Save & continue.
Personalize language for the workflow.
  1. (Optional) Edit the workflow by adjusting the triggers or actions.
  2. (Optional) If your workflow uses a sequence, Apollo automatically activates it when the workflow runs for the first time. To preview the emails in the sequence, click Edit beside the sequence and select a contact. Apollo generates an email preview with the contact.
Preview the workflow.
  1. (Optional) Click Settings to rename the workflow, add a description, or organize the workflow in a saved folder. You can also configure these additional settings:
    • Enrollment approval: You can automatically approve people who meet the workflow's enrollment criteria, or let Apollo create tasks for manual review before workflow enrollment or actions can begin.
    • Limit records processed: You can limit how many people are processed each time the workflow runs, or how often the same person should be added to the workflow.
    • Re-enrollment: You can choose how often the same person should be added to the workflow, either every time the workflow runs, only once, or once per selected timeframe.
    • Custom table layout: Select a custom table layout for workflow views, as well as default sort and sort order.
    • Enrollment notifications: Check to get notifications when people meet enrollment criteria.
Activate the workflow.

You have successfully created a new workflow from a template.

To create a workflow from scratch:

  1. Click Start from scratch.
  2. Choose when to run a workflow, either based on a schedule or based on a trigger event.
Based on a date or schedule
  1. Select your target: People, Companies, or Deals.
  2. Toggle whether the workflow should start immediately or on a specific date and time. The start time for the workflow is based on your device's timezone and not the timezone of the people or companies added to the workflow.
  3. Set a frequency. You can run the workflow only once, or repeatedly on a cadence.
  4. (Optional) Check to set an end date. If you don't set an end date, the workflow keeps running.
Based on a trigger event
  1. Select your target: People, Companies, or Deals.
  2. Select a trigger event that will add the target to your workflow. Some events are customizable — like Contact updated which allows you to select specific contact fields for the trigger.
  3. To add additional triggers, click Add event. With multiple triggers, the workflow triggers when any one of the events occurs.
Example workflow settings
  1. Next, click Edit filters to set the enrollment criteria for your workflow. If you don't apply filters, your workflow targets all people, companies, or deals.
  2. Add search filters to refine your results, then click Save filters.
Choose enrollment criteria.
  1. Click Done.
  2. Next, click and drag a rule, agent, or action.
Rule

Rules let you create branches based on conditional logic and help you build more complex, nuanced workflows. You can use the following rules:

True-false branch

Branch the workflow based on whether a target matches the filters you choose.

  1. Click and drag True / false branch.
  2. Click Add configuration.
  3. (Optional) Enter a name for the branch.
  4. Click Add filters. People, companies, or deals that match the filters are moved through the True branch.
  5. When finished, click Save filters.
  6. Click Done.

Multi-split branch

Branch your workflow by applying different filters to each path. A multi-split branch allows more than two outcomes, unlike a simple true/false split.

  1. Click and drag Multi-split branch.
  2. Click Add configuration.
  3. (Optional) Enter a name for the branch and the specific branches.
  4. (Optional) Click Add Branch to add more branches.
  5. Click Add filters for each of the branches. People, companies, or deals that match the filters are processed through that branch.
  6. Targets that don't match the filters for any of the branches will be processed through a default Else branch that's automatically added by Apollo.
  7. When finished, click Done.

Delay

Pause time before the next action is taken in the workflow with a delay. You can delay workflow actions by minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months.

  1. Click and drag Delay.
  2. Click Add configuration.
  3. Enter a wait time.

Exit

Add an exit to any conditional branch on your workflow. People, companies, or deals that filter to the exit are removed from the workflow.

  1. Click and drag Exit.
  2. The exit block must be placed at the end of an existing conditional branch.
Agent

Use Apollo AI to research or qualify people or companies.

You can use the following agents:

Research with AI

Use Apollo AI to research contacts or companies based on your configuration.

  1. Click and drag Research with AI.
  2. Click Add configuration.
  3. When finished, click Save > Done.

Qualify records

Use Apollo AI to research contacts and companies, qualify them using conditions and filters, and take action based on the qualification results.

  1. Click and drag Qualify Records.
  2. Click Create new > Start with a template to use an AI research template or click Run custom AI prompt to enter your own AI prompt.
  3. Choose a Qualification logic: Use true / false branch or multi-split branch.
  4. When finished, click Save > Done.
Action

Actions are automations that run when the branch is triggered.

  1. Drag and drop the action on a workflow branch.
  2. Click Add configuration.

You can add the following actions:

Integrations

Integrate workflows with a third-party app and automate actions.

  1. Click and drag Integrations.
  2. Click Setup.
  3. Select an app and click Connect to log in.
  4. Next, select an available action.
 
Plug It In

Is your favorite app or action missing? Let Apollo know which third-party integrations you'd like to see available in workflows.

Manage sequences

Manage contacts on sequences.

  1. Click and drag Manage sequences.
  2. Click Add configuration.
  3. Select how you want to manage sequences:
    • Add contacts to a sequence: Choose the sequence and the linked mailbox you want to use. Check Rotate mailboxes to cycle outbound emails between multiple mailboxes.
    • Remove contacts from a sequence: Choose to remove contacts from all sequences or specific ones.
    • Mark contacts as finished within sequences: Choose to mark contacts as finished in all sequences or specific ones.

Manage lists

Automatically add and remove contacts or accounts from lists.

  1. Click and drag Manage lists.
  2. Click Add configuration.
    • Add to lists: Select one or more lists.
    • Remove from lists: Select one or more lists.

Manage deals

Automatically create or update deals.

  1. Click and drag Manage deals.
  2. Click Add configuration.
    • Update deal: Select a deal field and value to update.
    • Create deal: Choose the pipeline and deal stage, then assign a deal owner. Check Allow duplicates to allow the creation of duplicate deals for the same account.
    • Link contacts or accounts to deals: Select whether the action should be exclusive to deals in specific stages and assign a contact role.

Enrich data

Automatically add or update people's email addresses, phone numbers, or job changes when data is missing or inaccurate.

  1. Click and drag Enrich data.
  2. Click Add configuration.
  3. Choose which data you want to enrich:
    • Enrich emails
    • Enrich phone numbers
    • Enrich contacts with job changes: Select whether to update existing contacts or create new contacts. For new contacts, choose ownership and the action for existing contacts.

(Optional) Toggle Find data via waterfall to use waterfall enrichment for emails or phone numbers.

 
Credit Where It's Due

Data enrichment costs credits. You can view your credit usage on Apollo.

Assign manual tasks

Assign tasks to yourself or teammates.

  1. Click and drag Assign manual tasks.
  2. Click Add configuration.
  3. Select the type of task you want to create:
    • Create contact task
    • Create account task
    • Create deal task
  4. Select the task type, assignee, and priority level. Then set a due date.
  5. (Optional) Add notes to describe the goal.

Update contact or account

Update a contact or account field.

  1. Click and drag Update contact / account.
  2. Click Add configuration.
  3. Choose whether to update a contact or account field.
  4. Select the field, then enter the new value.
  5. (Optional) Select to update the deal contact role.

Send notifications

Automatically send workflow notifications via email or Slack to inform teammates when they need to take manual actions. Apollo sends the notification each time the workflow is triggered. This action isn't available when you add a rule to create branches in your workflow.

  1. Click and drag Send notifications.
  2. Click Add configuration.
  3. Toggle Slack or Email.
  4. (Slack) Choose the users or channels you want to notify.
  5. (Email)
    6. Select yourself or teammates to receive email notifications, then edit the message.
  1. (Optional) Next, click Settings to rename the workflow, add a description, or organize the workflow in a saved folder. You can also configure these additional settings:
    • Enrollment approval: You can automatically approve people who meet the workflow's enrollment criteria, or let Apollo create tasks for manual review before workflow enrollment or actions can begin.
    • Limit records processed: You can limit many people are processed each time the workflow runs, or how often the same person should be added to the workflow.
    • Re-enrollment: You can choose how often the same person should be added to the workflow, either every time the workflow runs, only once, or once per selected timeframe.
    • Custom table layout: Select a custom table layout for workflows views, as well as default sort and sort order.
    • Enrollment notifications: Check to get notifications when people meet enrollment criteria.
  2. When finished, click Launch workflow to begin the workflow.
  3. (Optional) To run a live trial of your workflow, choose the number of records that you want to process during the trial, then manually approve or reject the targets. You can remove pending approvals in the Enrollment tab.
  4. Check Keep workflow active if you want the workflow to continue to run after the trial.
Activate the workflow.

You have now created a workflow from scratch.

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Edit a Workflow

To edit a workflow:

  1. Launch Apollo and click Workflows.
  2. Select a workflow.
  3. Click Edit workflow to add or edit actions or branches.
  4. Click ... to clone, move, or archive the workflow.
  5. Click Deactivate to turn the workflow off.

Edit a workflow.

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Share a Workflow

You can share workflows with your team or externally via social media to accelerate collaboration and promote best practices for sales automation.

To share a workflow:

  1. Launch Apollo and click Workflows.
  2. Select a workflow, then click Share.

Share a workflow.

  1. Select a workflow access setting:
    • Restricted: Apollo restricts access to your workflows by default. Use this setting to keep your workflow private to you or to share this workflow with select teammates only.
    • Everyone at company: Make your workflow visible to everyone on your team.

Share a workflow.

  1. (Optional) Give specific users or teams access to your workflow. Click a user's email or team name.
  2. Next, set permissions:
    • Can view: People can view your workflow but can't edit or share it with others.
    • Can edit: People can view and edit your workflow but can't share it with others.
    • Full access: People have full access to view, edit, and share your workflow.
    • Remove: Remove a user's access to your workflow.
  3. Click Publish after sharing your workflow to publish it externally.
  4. Toggle Make workflow public as a template to make the workflow viewable to anyone.
  5. Click Post on LinkedIn or Post on X to share your workflow in a post.
  6. Click Copy link.
  7. When finished, click Done.

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Privacy Matters

When you publish your workflow, anyone with the link can view or copy your template. Apollo shares your workflow's overall structure but keeps your individual sequence steps and lists private.

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Next Steps

Want to go further with automations? Here's a few solid next steps to build smarter, faster workflows in Apollo.

Workflows Overview Get to know workflows and learn how to automate outreach and admin steps to cut manual clicks and scale repeatable motions.
Use the Outbound Copilot Help your team move faster by using Outbound Copilot to draft targeted outreach, personalize messages, and propose next steps so you can launch high-quality sequences in minutes.
Use the Slack Integration Keep everyone in the loop by connecting Slack and configuring workflow notifications to alert your team when a manual assist or milestone hits.
Automate Your Sales Process Level up your team by taking the Apollo Academy course to design smarter workflows and ship automations with confidence.

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