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How to connect Google Workspace inboxes to Smartlead, Lemlist or Instantly

By InboxesNow team. Published . 6 min read.

Connecting a Google Workspace inbox to a sequencer takes a few minutes once you know which method to use and have the right details to hand. This guide covers the two connection methods, what you need before you start, notes for Instantly, Smartlead and Lemlist, how InboxesNow inboxes are delivered, what to do when a sign-in fails, and what to set up once the inbox is connected.

Sequencer screens change often, so the steps below are described in general terms. For the exact clicks, your sequencer's own help docs are the reference.

Two ways to connect a Google account

Most sequencers offer two routes for a Gmail or Google Workspace inbox.

Google sign-in (OAuth)

You choose the Google option in your sequencer and sign in on Google's own sign-in page. Google then asks you to approve the access the sequencer is requesting. Once you approve, the sequencer receives a token for that access instead of your password. You can revoke that access later from the Google account without changing the password.

SMTP and IMAP with an app password

You enter the mail server details and a password into the sequencer, which then connects to Gmail's servers directly. Google no longer accepts an account's normal password for this kind of connection: its guide to the transition from less secure apps to OAuth explains that third-party apps must move to OAuth, with app passwords as the exception.

An app password is a separate code that you generate for one app. Google's help page on signing in with app passwords says they only work on accounts with 2-Step Verification turned on, says they are not recommended, and suggests using Sign in with Google when an app supports it.

Which one to use

Use Google sign-in when your sequencer offers it. It is the method Google recommends, your sequencer never stores the inbox's password, and you need only the inbox's address and password, with no app password to generate.

Google sign-in is also the path InboxesNow supports. Both of our delivery routes, described below, end with a Google sign-in for each inbox.

What you need before you start

Have these ready before you open your sequencer:

  • The inbox's address and password. For InboxesNow inboxes on the release path, you get each inbox's address and password, plus a CSV of them all. On the Instantly path, credentials are also available as a CSV export.
  • An Instantly API key, if you are taking delivery into Instantly. You use it to connect your Instantly workspace, after which each inbox moves in with one Google sign-in.
  • Room in your sequencer plan. Check that your plan allows as many connected inboxes as you are adding.
  • A clean browser window. Google sign-in uses whichever Google account your browser is already signed in to, if it can. A private window or a separate browser profile makes sure you sign in as the inbox, not as yourself.
  • A few minutes per inbox. Each inbox is its own sign-in. A domain of 3 inboxes means 3 sign-ins.

Notes for each sequencer

The pattern is the same in every tool: add a new email account, choose the Google option rather than generic SMTP, and sign in with Google.

Instantly

Add the inbox as a new email account, choose the Google option and sign in with Google. If you are buying from InboxesNow, you move the inboxes in from the InboxesNow app instead: connect your Instantly workspace with an API key, then sign in with Google once per inbox, and the delivery board verifies each one as it lands. More on that in pre-warmed inboxes for Instantly.

Smartlead

Add a new email account, pick the Google or Gmail option rather than a generic SMTP account, and sign in with Google. With InboxesNow inboxes you use the release path below. See pre-warmed inboxes for Smartlead.

Lemlist

Connect the inbox as a Google account and sign in with Google. With InboxesNow inboxes you use the release path below. See pre-warmed inboxes for Lemlist.

Any other sequencer

If your tool can add a Google Workspace inbox through Google sign-in, the same steps apply. See pre-warmed inboxes for any sequencer.

How InboxesNow inboxes are delivered

There are two ways to take delivery. Both end with one Google sign-in per inbox.

Into Instantly, with an API key

  1. Connect your Instantly workspace with an Instantly API key.
  2. Sign in with Google once for each inbox. Each inbox then moves into your workspace.
  3. Watch the live delivery board, which verifies each inbox as it arrives.

Each domain also comes with a custom tracking domain for Instantly, a CNAME record set up before sale alongside MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC. If you want a copy of the credentials, they are also available as a CSV export.

Delivery boardnorthfieldgrowth.comExample
Instantly API key••••••••••••4f2aConnected
  • emily.carter@northfieldgrowth.comVerified in Instantly
  • ryan.mitchell@northfieldgrowth.comVerified in Instantly
  • sarah.bennett@northfieldgrowth.comVerified in Instantly
3 of 3 verified in Instantly
Example. Three inboxes moving into an Instantly workspace on the delivery board.

Into any other sequencer, by releasing the domain

  1. Release the domain. You get each inbox's address and password, plus a CSV of them all.
  2. In your sequencer, connect each inbox with Google sign-in, using that address and password.
  3. Turn on warm-up in your sequencer if you want it to continue.

Step 3 matters. InboxesNow's warm-up of those inboxes stops the moment you release the domain. Release when you are ready to connect, and turn on warm-up in your sequencer as part of the same session.

Releasenorthfieldgrowth.comExample
Warm-up on our sideStopped at release
AddressPassword
  • emily.carter@northfieldgrowth.compassword hidden in this example
  • ryan.mitchell@northfieldgrowth.compassword hidden in this example
  • sarah.bennett@northfieldgrowth.compassword hidden in this example
northfieldgrowth.com.csvEvery address and passwordNext: add each inbox in Smartlead or Lemlist or your own sequencer, with Google sign-in.
Example. A released domain: warm-up stopped, credentials ready. Passwords are hidden here.

When the sign-in fails

Most failed connections come down to a handful of causes. Work through them in order.

The password is rejected

  • Copy the address and password from the CSV rather than typing them, and check that no space came along at either end.
  • Make sure you are using the inbox's full address, including the domain.
  • Check you are signing in to the inbox you meant to. With many inboxes on one domain, it is easy to pair the right password with the wrong address.

Google signs you in as the wrong account

If the sign-in skips the password step or shows your own account, the browser is reusing a Google session. Sign out, or start again in a private window or a separate browser profile, and check which account Google shows before you approve access.

Google asks you to verify it is you, or blocks the sign-in

Google sometimes adds a security check when a sign-in looks new or unusual, for example from a device or location the account has not seen before. Follow the prompt if you can complete it. If you cannot, stop rather than retrying again and again, and ask whoever provided the inbox, or your own Google Workspace admin if the inbox is yours.

The app is blocked by the organization

A Google Workspace admin can decide which third-party apps are allowed to access the organization's accounts. Google's page on how admins control which apps access Google Workspace data describes the settings: an app can be trusted, limited or blocked. If Google says the app is blocked or restricted by your organization, the admin of that Workspace account has to allow your sequencer's app. Some sequencers' help docs include this admin step in their own setup instructions.

It connected, but sending or syncing fails

Reconnect the inbox through Google sign-in first. If you have changed the inbox's password since connecting, you may need to reconnect it. If the problem continues, check your sequencer's help docs or contact its support, since error messages and fixes differ between tools.

After you connect

A connected inbox is not yet ready for full volume. Before your first campaign:

  • Set a daily sending limit for each inbox. InboxesNow's default plan is 30 campaign emails per inbox per day, alongside the warm-up, which is 90 a day per domain. Our guide on how many inboxes and domains you need shows how to size a setup from a daily volume.
  • Keep warm-up running in your tool. On the release path, our warm-up stops at release, so your sequencer's warm-up is the only warm-up those inboxes get. Leave it on while you run campaigns.
  • Ramp gradually. Start below your daily limit and step up over the first weeks. Google's email sender guidelines advise increasing sending volume slowly and sending at a consistent rate rather than in bursts.
  • Check the sender details. Confirm the display name and signature on each inbox before anything goes out.
  • Watch the early numbers. Keep an eye on bounce rate and spam complaint rate per domain, and slow down if either rises.

The DNS side is already done on InboxesNow domains: MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC are set before sale. If you want to know what those records do, our guide to SPF, DKIM and DMARC for cold email explains each one.

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