Understanding the difference between Lists and Sequences
Last updated: April 24, 2026
The goal of this article is to help you understand the difference between two new key pages in the Topo platform: Lists and Sequences.
Why the change?
In the previous version of Topo, everything lived inside a single campaign. You prompted the agent, got a list of contacts, validated them, and the platform contacted them — all in one place.
That workflow bundled two activities that, for most SDRs, are actually separate motions: building your target list and running your outreach sequence. The new Topo interface separates them, giving you independent control over each.
What is a List?
A list is a set of contacts you build through the AI agent. When creating a list, you can:
Prompt the agent with your targeting criteria (industry, role, company size, geography, etc.)
Review the sample results the agent returns in real time.
Refine your search if needed — adjust filters, tweak the prompt, add AI criteria.
When you're happy with the results, save the list.
Once saved, a list is a standalone asset. You can keep it as-is, or enrol it into a sequence whenever you want to launch outreach.
What is a Sequence?
A sequence is where you define how contacts get reached. This is where you set up (not limited to):
Messaging — the copy for each touchpoint
Structure — the number of steps and the channel mix
Schedule — timing and delays between steps
Sender identity — which team member sends the messages
A sequence doesn't contain contacts by itself. Instead, you assign one or more lists to it.
Coming from the old Campaigns workflow?
The core actions haven't changed — you're still prompting an agent and sending outreach. The difference is that you now control each step independently instead of doing everything inside a single campaign. If you were used to creating a campaign and working through it linearly, the closest equivalent is: create a list first, then create a sequence, then assign the list to the sequence.