Skip to main contentHow to set up Instantly
Authentication
Instantly uses API key authentication:
- Log in to your Instantly account
- Navigate to Settings → API
- Generate or copy your API key
- Paste the API key in Cargo when connecting
Instantly actions
Create lead
Add a new lead to an Instantly campaign.
Required fields:
- Email: Lead’s email address
Optional fields:
- Campaign: Select campaign to add lead to
- List: Select lead list to add to
- Assigned to: Assign to team member
Standard fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|
| first_name | Lead’s first name |
| last_name | Lead’s last name |
| company_name | Company name |
| personalization | Personalization text |
| phone | Phone number |
| website | Company website |
- Skip if in workspace: Prevent adding duplicates in workspace
- Skip if in campaign: Prevent adding to same campaign twice
- Skip if in list: Prevent adding to same list twice
Update lead
Modify an existing lead’s information.
Required fields:
- Lead ID: The lead’s unique identifier
Optional fields: Same as create lead (all standard and custom fields).
Delete lead
Remove a lead from Instantly.
Required fields:
- Lead ID: The lead’s unique identifier
Instantly data models
Fetch leads
Pull all leads from Instantly into Cargo.
Features:
- Syncs all leads from your workspace
- 30-minute minimum sync interval
- Unifies contacts by email
Listen events
Receive real-time events from Instantly.
Event types:
- Email sent
- Email opened
- Link clicked
- Reply received
- Bounced
- Unsubscribed
Features:
- Auto-ingests events as they occur
- Real-time webhook processing
Rate limits
Instantly API has a rate limit of 10 requests per second. Cargo handles rate limiting automatically.
Best practices
- Use custom variables for personalized outreach
- Enable duplicate skip options to avoid re-adding leads
- Leverage events for real-time engagement tracking
- Assign leads to team members for follow-up
- Use lead lists for organization
