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Smelt is Stage 3 in the cold email workflow. Here’s how it fits with your other tools.

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The 4-Stage Workflow

┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐
│  STAGE 1    │    │  STAGE 2    │    │  STAGE 3    │    │  STAGE 4    │
│  Find Leads │ → │ Enrich Data │ → │   Generate  │ → │ Send Emails │
│             │    │             │    │    Copy     │    │             │
└─────────────┘    └─────────────┘    └─────────────┘    └─────────────┘
     Apollo            Clay              SMELT            Instantly
     ListKit           Clearbit          ← YOU ARE        Lemlist
     ZoomInfo          Apollo             HERE            Smartlead
     LinkedIn          enrichment

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Stage-by-Stage

1

Stage 1: Find Leads

Build your lead list with contact data.Tools: Apollo, ListKit, ZoomInfo, LinkedIn Sales NavigatorOutput: CSV with names, emails, companies, titles
2

Stage 2: Enrich Data

Add more data points to your leads.Tools: Clay, Clearbit, Apollo enrichmentOutput: CSV with additional fields (industry, revenue, tech stack, funding, etc.)
3

Stage 3: Generate Copy (Smelt)

Turn your enriched data into personalized copy.Tool: SmeltOutput: CSV with new AI-generated columns (hooks, pain points, CTAs)
4

Stage 4: Send Emails

Import your personalized CSV and send.Tools: Instantly, Lemlist, Smartlead, Apollo sequencesOutput: Emails in inboxes → Replies → Revenue

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Integration Examples

Simple flow without enrichment:
  1. Export leads from Apollo as CSV
  2. Upload to Smelt
  3. Generate personalized hooks and pain points
  4. Export from Smelt
  5. Import to Instantly with personalization columns
  6. Send campaigns

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CSV Column Mapping

Your sending tool uses Smelt’s output columns as personalization variables:
Smelt Output ColumnIn InstantlyIn LemlistIn Smartlead
Hook{{Hook}}{{Hook}}{{Hook}}
Pain_Point{{Pain_Point}}{{Pain_Point}}{{Pain_Point}}
CTA{{CTA}}{{CTA}}{{CTA}}
First_Line{{First_Line}}{{First_Line}}{{First_Line}}
Name your output columns clearly—they become the personalization variables in your sending tool!

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Why Smelt vs. Built-In AI?

Many sending tools have built-in AI personalization. Here’s why Smelt is different:
FeatureSmeltBuilt-in AI (Instantly, Lemlist)
PricingBYOK (10-50x cheaper)Per-credit
Custom promptsFully customizableLimited options
Quality scoring11 quality flags + auto-fixBasic or none
Template chaining✅ Multi-step workflows❌
Template library17 pre-built templatesVaries
Batch testing✅ Before full runsLimited
Works with any sender✅ CSV exportLocked into platform
Cost transparencySee exact API costsHidden in credits

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The Cost Advantage

Example: 50,000 leads/month with 2 templates = 100,000 AI generations
MethodCost
Clay AI credits2,000−2,000 - 10,000
Instantly AI credits500−500 - 2,000
Smelt BYOK100−100 - 200
Smelt isn’t replacing your sending tool—it’s giving you better personalization before you send.

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What If I Don’t Have Enriched Data?

Smelt works with whatever data you have:
Your DataWhat Smelt Can Do
Just name, email, companyGenerate basic personalization
+ Job title, industryGenerate role-specific messaging
+ Location, company sizeAdd regional/scale context
+ Tech stack, fundingDeep personalization with specifics
More data = better personalization. But even basic fields (name, company, title) create significantly better results than generic templates.

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Budget-Friendly

Apollo (find + light enrich) → Smelt (generate) → Instantly (send)

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High Volume

ListKit (find) → Clay (enrich) → Smelt (generate) → Smartlead (send)

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Enterprise

ZoomInfo (find + enrich) → Smelt (generate) → Outreach/Salesloft (send)