Skip to main contentHow to set up Smartlead.ai
Authentication
Smartlead uses API key authentication:
- Log in to your Smartlead.ai account
- Navigate to Settings → API
- Generate or copy your API key
- Paste the API key in Cargo when connecting
Smartlead actions
Add lead
Add a new lead to a Smartlead campaign.
Required fields:
- Campaign ID: The ID of the campaign to add the lead to
- Email: Lead’s email address
Optional fields:
- Mappings: Map standard lead fields:
- First name
- Last name
- Phone number
- Company name
- Website
- Location
- LinkedIn profile
- Company URL
- Custom mappings: Map custom fields for personalization
Use cases:
- Automatically enroll qualified leads into cold email campaigns
- Sync leads from your CRM to Smartlead campaigns
- Add leads based on scoring or segmentation criteria
Pause lead
Temporarily pause a lead in a campaign.
Required fields:
- Campaign ID: The campaign the lead is in
- Lead ID: The Smartlead lead ID
Use case: Pause outreach when a lead shows engagement or requests to be contacted later.
Resume lead
Resume a paused lead in a campaign.
Required fields:
- Campaign ID: The campaign the lead is in
- Lead ID: The Smartlead lead ID
Use case: Resume outreach after a specified time or based on a trigger.
Remove lead
Remove a lead from a campaign entirely.
Required fields:
- Campaign ID: The campaign the lead is in
- Lead ID: The Smartlead lead ID
Use case: Remove leads who have converted, unsubscribed, or no longer match your criteria.
Field mappings
When adding leads, you can map these standard fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|
| first_name | Contact’s first name |
| last_name | Contact’s last name |
| phone_number | Phone number |
| company_name | Company name |
| website | Company website |
| location | Geographic location |
| linkedin_profile | LinkedIn profile URL |
| company_url | Company website URL |
Rate limits
Smartlead API has a rate limit of 60 requests per minute. Cargo automatically handles rate limiting to ensure reliable delivery. 
