Glossary
Plain-English definitions of every term used across the Acquisity platform, including the ones that sound like one thing but mean another.
Acquisity has its own vocabulary. Some terms sound one way and mean another. This page lists every term from across the platform in one place, with a filter and jump-by-letter navigation. Wherever you see a dotted underline in the docs, hovering gives a short definition — click it to jump here for the full entry.
A
A record
Definition
A DNS record that points a domain or subdomain to an IP address.
Why it matters
If AI Website Builder gives you an A record, paste the IP address exactly where your registrar asks for the value.
Acquisity
Definition
The built-in email-sending engine inside the Cold Email Agent.
Why it matters
When your dashboard says 'Enable Acquisity', it's asking you to turn on the engine on your current plan — not to sign up for anything new.
AI SDR
Definition
The part of the system that automatically replies to inbound emails on your behalf — classifying them, answering, and booking meetings when a lead is ready.
Why it matters
With AI SDR on, you come back from lunch to booked calls instead of an inbox full of 'yes, let's chat' replies you need to answer one by one.
Assigned salesperson
Definition
The workspace member who receives booked meetings from a specific campaign.
Why it matters
Each campaign can send its meetings to a different person. Useful for agencies where different team members handle different clients.
Attention needed
Definition
The campaign needs you to do something before it can keep sending — like approve a high bounce rate or fix an inbox.
Why it matters
This is a normal pause state, not an error. Open the campaign to see what's needed.
Auto Agent Run
Definition
A switch on each campaign's Options tab that lets the AI take action on its own — like pausing if bounce rate spikes, or retiring a variant that isn't working.
Why it matters
With it off, the AI still watches and recommends; you decide. With it on, the AI can act within the limits you set.
B
Booked call rate
Definition
The percentage of positive replies that turn into booked meetings.
Why it matters
If you get lots of positive replies but few booked calls, the handoff from reply to calendar is where deals are dying. Usually fixable with a clearer meeting-link offer and faster response time.
Bounce protection
Definition
Watches your bounce rate in real time and automatically pauses the campaign if it gets too high.
Why it matters
This is a safety net for your sender reputation, not a filter on your leads. If bounce protection pauses your campaign, it's telling you the list or the inbox has a problem.
Bounce rate
Definition
The percentage of emails that couldn't be delivered — usually because the address is wrong, full, or no longer exists.
Why it matters
Keep bounce rate under 3%. Over 5% and Gmail starts punishing your sender reputation for everyone on the same domain.
C
CAGR
Definition
Compound Annual Growth Rate — the average yearly growth rate of an industry over a multi-year period. Expressed as a percentage.
Why it matters
CAGR tells you whether a niche is growing, flat, or shrinking. A high CAGR (8%+) means more budget is flowing in year over year — new entrants can win without fighting incumbents. A low or negative CAGR means you're fighting for a shrinking pie.
Campaign completed
Definition
The campaign has finished sending its sequence to every lead in its list. You can still resume it to send to newly added leads.
Why it matters
Resuming a Completed campaign won't re-email leads who've already had the full sequence. To reach the same leads again, duplicate the campaign or add new leads first.
CAN-SPAM
Definition
A US law that sets the ground rules for commercial email — you must clearly identify yourself, include a physical address, and offer an easy way to unsubscribe.
Why it matters
The Cold Email Agent handles most CAN-SPAM requirements for you (sender identification, unsubscribe handling). You're responsible for the content and the list.
Close rate
Definition
The percentage of sales calls that turn into closed deals.
Why it matters
A low close rate usually means the lead wasn't qualified, not that the call went badly. Tighten who you invite to a call before trying to get better at pitching on the call.
CNAME record
Definition
A DNS record that points one hostname to another hostname.
Why it matters
CNAME records are common for www domains. They usually cannot be used for the plain root domain.
Conflicting record
Definition
An old DNS record using the same host or name as the new record you are trying to add.
Why it matters
Registrars may block duplicate records or keep sending visitors to the old place until the conflict is removed.
Conversion funnel
Definition
A top-down view of how many leads make it to each stage of your outreach → sales flow. Starts with Leads Contacted, narrows to Positive Replies, then Booked Calls, then Closed Deals.
Why it matters
The funnel shows you where leads drop off. If 1,000 get contacted, 30 reply, 10 book, and 2 close — the widest drop tells you what to fix first.
Credits
Definition
Your budget for finding new leads. One credit buys you one lead from the AI lead search.
Why it matters
Credits only get used when the platform finds leads for you. Uploading your own CSV of leads doesn't cost credits.
D
Deliverability
Definition
Whether your emails actually land in the recipient's inbox rather than getting flagged as spam.
Why it matters
You can send 10,000 emails and get zero replies if deliverability is broken. Fixing deliverability almost always unlocks responses.
DKIM
Definition
A digital signature attached to every email that proves the message really came from your domain and wasn't tampered with.
Why it matters
Like a tamper-proof seal on a package — if the seal is missing or broken, the recipient's email provider is right to be suspicious.
DMARC
Definition
A rule that tells receiving email providers what to do if SPF or DKIM fails — reject the email, put it in spam, or just report it.
Why it matters
Gmail and Outlook both require DMARC on any domain sending significant volume. Without it, your emails get downgraded by default.
DNC
Definition
Short for Do Not Contact — a workspace-wide block on an email address. Once a lead is on the DNC list, no campaign in that workspace can email them, even through a fresh upload.
Why it matters
DNC is a compliance tool, not a preference. Use it the moment someone asks to be removed — it protects your sender reputation and keeps you on the right side of CAN-SPAM and GDPR. Don't use it for 'maybe later' leads; it's permanent.
DNS
Definition
The internet's address book. DNS tells browsers and email providers where a domain should send traffic.
Why it matters
When you connect a custom domain, DNS records are the instructions that point your domain at the right website.
DNS propagation
Definition
The waiting period while DNS changes update across the internet.
Why it matters
A domain can be set up correctly and still not work instantly. Sometimes DNS just needs time to catch up.
DNS provider
Definition
The company currently controlling the active DNS records for your domain.
Why it matters
Your DNS provider may not be the same as your registrar. If nameservers point to Cloudflare, edit DNS in Cloudflare even if the domain was bought at GoDaddy.
DNS record
Definition
One instruction inside DNS, such as sending www.example.com to your website.
Why it matters
AI Website Builder gives you DNS records to copy. Copy the type, host, and value exactly.
Domain
Definition
The web address people type to visit your website, like example.com.
Why it matters
A domain is how visitors find your published website without using a long generated link.
Domain forwarding
Definition
A setting that redirects anyone who types your outreach domain into a browser to your main company website instead.
Why it matters
If a prospect gets an email from 'james@acme-outreach.com' and types that into Google, you want them to land on your real site — not a blank page. Makes your outreach look more trustworthy.
Domain registrar
Definition
The company where a domain is bought or managed. GoDaddy, Namecheap, Squarespace Domains, Cloudflare Registrar and Cloudflare DNS, Network Solutions, and Porkbun are examples.
Why it matters
You may need to log in to your registrar when connecting a custom domain, unless your DNS is managed somewhere else.
F
Fin AI
Definition
The automated assistant that runs inside the Intercom support chat opened from Feedback or the chat bubble. Answers common questions from the Help Centre and hands off to a human when you ask for one. It's a separate product (Intercom's Fin) — not Acquisity's AI Consultant.
Why it matters
If Fin gives you an answer that contradicts what a human agent told you, trust the human. Fin answers from static Help Centre content and can lag behind product changes.
G
GDPR
Definition
European Union rules that control how businesses collect, store, and use personal information — including email addresses.
Why it matters
If you email people in the EU, GDPR applies. You need a lawful reason for the outreach and must honour any request to delete their data.
H
Health score
Definition
A percentage showing how many of an inbox's warmup emails are landing in the inbox rather than spam.
Why it matters
If your health score is 80% or higher, the inbox is in good shape to send real campaigns. Below 80% means some of its warmup emails are being flagged — a sign you should keep warming up before scaling.
K
KPI
Definition
Short for Key Performance Indicator — a specific, measurable number you use to judge whether something is performing at the level it should. On the Dashboard, your four KPIs are Leads Contacted, Positive Replies, Booked Calls, and Cash Collected. Each one comes with a benchmark (e.g. Positive Replies should be around 1–2%) so you can tell at a glance whether that part of the funnel is on track, underperforming, or ahead of target.
Why it matters
KPIs convert vague 'are we doing well?' questions into hard answers. Compare each number to its benchmark: if Positive Replies sit below 1%, your offer or targeting is off; if Booked Calls lag despite strong replies, your reply-handling is the bottleneck. The specific KPI that's off tells you where to look.
L
Leads contacted
Definition
The number of unique leads the campaign has emailed at least once. Each person counts once even if they got multiple follow-ups.
Why it matters
Leads Contacted measures reach, not volume. A campaign with 500 leads on a 4-step sequence shows 500 in Leads Contacted, not 2,000 — touchpoints is the metric for total emails sent.
Legacy Pro
Definition
An older subscription tier for accounts created before Acquisity launched. It doesn't include the Cold Email Agent.
Why it matters
If you're on Legacy Pro and trying to access Cold Email Agent, you'll need to upgrade to standard Pro to unlock campaign creation.
N
Nameservers
Definition
The signposts that tell the internet which DNS provider is in charge of your domain's records.
Why it matters
If you are not sure where to add DNS records, check the nameservers first. They tell you who is in charge.
O
Open rate
Definition
The percentage of your sent emails that recipients opened.
Why it matters
Open rate is your earliest deliverability signal. Below 40% usually means your emails are landing in spam — fix deliverability before you blame the copy.
P
Positive reply rate (PRR)
Definition
The percentage of sent emails that got a reply the AI classified as genuinely interested.
Why it matters
Positive reply rate is the most reliable measure of how well a campaign is performing. All other metrics can be gamed; this one can't.
Positive response
Definition
A reply the AI has read and classified as showing interest — 'send me more info', 'let's book a call', and so on.
Why it matters
Not every reply is a positive response. An out-of-office, a 'not interested', or an unsubscribe won't count here.
Pre-warmed inboxes
Definition
Inboxes that have already been through four weeks of warmup traffic. They're ready to send, but you should still ramp up slowly.
Why it matters
Pushing 200 emails on day one from any inbox looks suspicious to Gmail. Start around 20–30 per day and build up.
Provisioning
Definition
The 15–30 minute setup period after you buy a domain or inbox, during which the platform configures DNS records, warmup, and email authentication. Accounts show as 'Pending' during this time.
Why it matters
You can't send from a domain or inbox until provisioning finishes. Buy them before you plan to launch, not the day of — otherwise you'll be waiting while everything else is ready.
R
Root domain
Definition
The plain version of a domain, such as example.com without www in front.
Why it matters
Some registrars call the root domain @. Porkbun may ask you to leave the Host field blank for it.
S
Sender account name
Definition
A placeholder the platform fills in automatically from the display name on your sending inbox.
Why it matters
To change the name that appears on sent emails, edit the inbox's display name — not the placeholder.
Sender reputation
Definition
A score that email providers like Gmail and Outlook keep on every sending address and domain, based on how recipients react to your mail.
Why it matters
Think of it like a credit score, but for your email address. Good reputation means inboxes trust you. Bad reputation means your emails go straight to spam, even if they're good emails.
Sequence
Definition
The ordered list of emails a campaign sends to each lead — usually a first email plus one to three follow-ups.
Why it matters
The first email rarely gets a reply. Follow-ups are where most replies come from. A good sequence is 3 to 4 steps spaced a few days apart.
SPF
Definition
A DNS record that lists which servers are allowed to send email from your domain.
Why it matters
Without SPF, Gmail treats messages from your domain as suspicious — the same way a bouncer would question a guest who isn't on the list.
Step
Definition
One email in a sequence. Step 1 is the opener; later steps are follow-ups.
Why it matters
Each step has its own subject, body, and timing rules. You can edit any step at any time, even after the campaign has launched.
Subdomain
Definition
A word or label before the main domain, such as www.example.com, app.example.com, blog.example.com, or keepersolutions.northstaros.com.
Why it matters
Subdomains let you publish a separate site while keeping the main domain where it is. They usually need their own DNS record.
T
Touchpoints
Definition
The total number of individual emails a campaign has sent — every send to every recipient, including follow-ups.
Why it matters
A campaign with 500 people in it and a 4-step sequence has 2,000 touchpoints, not 500. Touchpoints measure work done; Leads Contacted measures unique people reached.
TTL
Definition
Short for Time To Live. It controls how long DNS systems can remember an old record before checking again.
Why it matters
The default TTL is usually fine. A longer TTL can make DNS changes take longer to appear everywhere.
TXT record
Definition
A text value stored in DNS, often used to prove ownership or verify a service.
Why it matters
If AI Website Builder gives you a TXT record, copy the full text value exactly, including punctuation.
V
Variant
Definition
An alternative version of an email within the same step — same purpose, different subject line or body.
Why it matters
Sending two or three variants at once lets you see which opening line or subject works best. The AI can automatically retire the losers.
W
Warmup
Definition
Simulated emails sent between inboxes to build a trust record with Gmail, Outlook, and other email providers.
Why it matters
Think of warmup like breaking in a new pair of shoes. A brand-new inbox sending 500 emails on day one looks like a spammer. Warmup traffic makes the inbox look like it belongs to a real person before your real emails go out.
Website credits
Definition
Credits used when AI Website Builder generates a new website or applies AI edits.
Why it matters
If your website credit balance is empty, you need to top up before creating or editing another site with AI.
Workspace
Definition
A self-contained space for one client or business. One login can have several workspaces, each with their own campaigns, inboxes, and data.
Why it matters
If you run outreach for multiple clients, each gets their own workspace so their data never mixes with another client's.