Step 7 of 10

Send the reply through Gmail

Deliver the AI-generated reply to the lead's email address using Gmail with a consistent subject line and signature.

Why this matters

This is the step that turns a draft into a real email. Gmail delivery requires the recipient address to be correctly mapped, the subject line to be relevant so the lead recognizes it, and a fixed signature so every reply looks professional and branded. Without a signature or with a generic subject line, leads may mark the reply as spam.

Build instructions

Add the Gmail send step

Step 1
Click '+' to add a new step. Search for 'Gmail' and select it. Under 'Choose action event', select 'Send Email'. Click 'Sign in to Gmail' and connect the Google account you want to send from.
Step 2
In the 'To' field, click inside and select 'Email Address' from the trigger output fields (or from the Formatter output if you normalized it). This maps the lead's email as the recipient.
Step 3
In the 'From' field, select your connected Gmail address from the dropdown.

Configure the subject line

Step 1
In the 'Subject' field, build a dynamic subject: type 'Re: Your ' then click inside and insert 'Inquiry Type' from the trigger output, then type ' inquiry, we got your message'.
Step 2
The result for a 'Pricing' inquiry type will be: 'Re: Your Pricing inquiry, we got your message'. This is relevant and reduces the chance of being marked as spam.
Step 3
Alternatively, use a fixed subject like 'We received your inquiry, here is what happens next' if you prefer a consistent subject across all inquiry types.

Build the email body with signature

Step 1
In the 'Body' field, click inside. First insert the AI draft output from the OpenAI step. Press Enter twice to add spacing.
Step 2
Then type your fixed signature block directly in the field. Example format:
Step 3
-- [Your Name] | [Your Role] | [Company Name] | [Phone number] | [Website URL]
Step 4
Do not use HTML formatting unless you change the email type to HTML. Plain text is safer for cross-client compatibility and deliverability.

Add a BCC for internal monitoring

Step 1
In the 'BCC' field, enter an internal email address - ashared mailbox, your own email, or a team alias. This gives you a copy of every auto-sent reply for quality review.
Step 2
Do not skip this. The first time you run this in production, you will want to be reading every email that goes out. BCC is how you do that without the lead seeing it.
Step 3
Click 'Test step' to send a real test email. Check your inbox and confirm the email arrived with the correct recipient, subject, body, and signature.

Common mistakes

Mapping 'Email Address' from the trigger instead of from the Formatter step. If you normalized the email in Step 5, use the Formatter output, not the raw trigger value, as the recipient address.
Using HTML formatting in the body without switching the email type to HTML. Pasting HTML into a plain text body field renders angle brackets literally and looks broken to the recipient.
Skipping the BCC field. Without a copy of outgoing emails, you have no way to audit what was sent. If a lead complains about the reply content, you will have no record.
Not running the test send. Click 'Test step' and actually receive the test email before publishing the Zap. The only way to confirm formatting, spacing, and signature look correct is to read the email yourself.

Pro tips

Send the test email to an email address you can check on your phone, not just desktop. Mobile email clients render plain text differently, check that line breaks and spacing look right.
Add '[AUTO]' to the subject line prefix during testing: '[AUTO] Re: Your Pricing inquiry, we got your message'. This makes it easy to filter test emails out of your inbox. Remove it before going live.

Before you continue

You have received a real test email at the To address you configured. Open it and verify: the subject line contains the Inquiry Type correctly, the body is the AI draft plus your signature, and the formatting is readable. If anything looks wrong, fix it before continuing.

Step result

Approved lead replies are now delivered from your Gmail account with a consistent subject line and signature.