multi-channel lead nurture system with n8n + Instantly.ai (part 4 of 4)

Turn Your Hottest Leads Into Active Conversations Across LinkedIn AND Email

Jun 02, 2025

You've enriched 500 leads. Scored them from 0-100. Started LinkedIn outreach. But here's the thing — single-channel outreach is leaving money on the table.

The best B2B deals happen when you're everywhere your prospect is. LinkedIn in the morning. Email by lunch. That's how you 3x your reply rates.

This is Part 4 of our Lead Generation Series, where we activate your highest-scoring leads across multiple channels simultaneously.

Check out the previous steps to follow along:

Step 1 - Lead Enrichment with n8n + Apollo.io
Step 2 - AI-Powered Lead Scoring with n8n + Apollo.io
Step 3 - Semi-Automated LinkedIn Outreach with Phantom Buster

By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a multi-channel nurture system that:

✅ Reads your scored leads from Step 2's Google Sheet

✅ Filters for only your hottest prospects (80+ scores)

✅ Automatically adds them to Instantly.ai campaigns

✅ Triggers email sequences while LinkedIn runs in parallel

✅ Notifies you when leads are loaded and ready

Download the complete n8n template: instantly-multi-channel.json

Why Multi-Channel Changes Everything

I tracked 1,000 B2B outreach attempts last quarter. The results? Eye-opening.

Single-channel reply rates:

LinkedIn only: 12%
Email only: 8%

Multi-channel reply rates:

LinkedIn + Email: 31%
All three channels: 47%

The math is simple. More touchpoints = more conversations = more deals.

But here's the catch — managing multiple channels manually? That's a 40-hour/week job. This automation cuts it to 10 minutes.

What You'll Need

Building on our previous steps:

n8n (self-hosted or cloud)
Your Step 2 Google Sheet (with lead scores)
Instantly.ai account with API access
Active campaign in Instantly
10 minutes to connect everything

Setup time: 10 minutes
Cost: ~$0.02 per lead added to Instantly

Step 1: Create Your Form Trigger

Unlike previous workflows, this one starts with a form. Why? Because you might run this multiple times with different sheets or campaigns.

Add a Form Trigger node with these fields:

Form Title: Email Outreach Automation
Description: Filter and add high-scoring leads to Instantly campaigns

Fields:
- Run Name (text)
- Google Sheet URL (text)

This gives you a clean interface to launch campaigns without touching the workflow.

Step 2: Connect Your Scored Leads

Time to pull in those beautifully scored leads from Step 2.

Configure the Google Sheets node:

Document ID: {{ $json['Google Sheet URL'] }}
Sheet Name: Sheet1
Operation: Read all rows

The workflow automatically detects your column structure from Step 2, including those crucial lead scores.

Step 3: Filter for Gold (80+ Scores Only)

Remember our scoring system? 80+ means hot leads. Those are the only ones worth your time right now.

Add a Filter node:

Condition: total_score >= 80
Type: Number comparison

Why 80+? Because these leads have:

Perfect industry fit
Budget for your services
Clear pain points
Decision-making authority

Everyone else can wait for a nurture campaign later.

Step 4: Format for Instantly

Instantly's API is picky about data format. We need to map our fields correctly.

Configure the Edit Fields node:

{
  "email": "{{ $json.email }}",
  "first_name": "{{ $json.first_name }}",
  "last_name": "{{ $json.last_name }}",
  "company_name": "{{ $json.organization_name }}"
}

Notice we're using organization_name from Apollo but calling it company_name for Instantly. Small details matter.

Step 5: Send to Instantly Campaign

This is where the magic happens — your leads flow directly into active email sequences.

We will use Instantly’s API endpoint for lead creation.

Set up the HTTP Request node:

Method: POST
URL: https://api.instantly.ai/api/v2/leads
Authentication: Bearer Token

Body Parameters:
- campaign: YOUR_CAMPAIGN_ID
- email: {{ $json.email }}
- first_name: {{ $json.first_name }}
- last_name: {{ $json.last_name }}
- company_name: {{ $json.company_name }}

Pro tip: Find your campaign ID in Instantly by clicking the three dots next to your campaign name or by getting it from the URL.

Step 6: Success Notification

Never wonder if your automation worked. Get instant confirmation.

Add a Gmail node:

To: Your email
Subject: Leads Added to Instantly
Message: List of leads + total count

This peace of mind is worth the extra node.

Testing Your Multi-Channel Machine

Follow this sequence exactly:

Create a test sheet - Copy 5 leads from your Step 2 results
Run the form - Submit with your test sheet URL
Check Instantly - Verify leads appear in your campaign
Monitor first sends - Ensure emails go out properly
Scale to full list - Run with your complete 80+ score sheet

Advanced Orchestration

Level up your multi-channel game:

📊 Channel Analytics

Track which channel drives more replies per industry

⏰ Time Zone Optimization

Send emails when they're actually awake

Troubleshooting

"Invalid API key" error:

Check your Instantly API key in credentials
Ensure it's set as Bearer Token, not API Key

Leads not appearing in campaign:

Verify campaign ID is correct
Check that email addresses are valid
Ensure no duplicates (Instantly rejects them)

Gmail not sending notifications:

Re-authenticate your Google account
Check Gmail API is enabled

✅ Your Complete System

You now have:

500 enriched leads with personalized icebreakers
AI-powered scoring from 0-100
LinkedIn automation running safely
Email sequences for your best prospects

All working together. Automatically.

Real results from last month:

487 LinkedIn invites → 183 connections
156 emails sent → 22 replies

Download the Template

Ready to activate multi-channel nurturing? Download the complete workflow and start doubling your reply rates.

Download instantly-multi-channel.json

The template includes:

✅ Form interface for easy launches
✅ Automatic 80+ score filtering
✅ Instantly API integration
✅ Email confirmation system

What's Next: From Automation to Innovation

You've built the machine. Now it's time to build the product.

In the next article, we're switching gears completely. I'll show you how to use Cursor AI to prototype MVPs. We're talking:

Full-stack apps with zero coding experience
Deployment strategies that don't break the bank
The exact setup I use to ship MVPs

Because automation saves you time. But what you build with that time? That's what changes everything.

Coming next: The Complete Guide to MVP Development with Cursor AI

Ready to transform your entire agency operations? This lead enrichment system is just one of 5 core automations we implement for agencies. Book a free Agency Ops Audit to see how automation could save your team 20+ hours per week.