Verify Cron Jobs

Ensure your automated cron jobs are properly configured and ready to run your cold email campaigns.

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Overview

ColdConvert uses Vercel's cron jobs to automate lead collection and email sending. The repository includes a pre-configured vercel.json file that should be automatically detected and activated.

What cron jobs do
The cron jobs automatically collect leads from Product Hunt daily and send personalized emails to those leads, running your cold email campaigns 24/7 without manual intervention.

Step 1: Check Cron Jobs Tab

1.Go to your Vercel project dashboard
2.Look for the "Cron Jobs" tab in the top navigation
3.Click on the "Cron Jobs" tab
4.You should see two cron jobs listed
Cron Jobs Tab
The Cron Jobs tab should be visible in your Vercel project dashboard. If you don't see it, make sure your project is on a paid plan or has cron job support enabled.

Step 2: Verify Job Configuration

You should see two cron jobs configured in your vercel.json file:

Expected Cron Jobs Configuration
{
  "crons": [
    {
      "path": "/api/seed/ph-leads",
      "schedule": "0 9 * * *"
    },
    {
      "path": "/api/outreach/resend/email",
      "schedule": "0 10 * * *"
    }
  ]
}
✓Lead Collection Job: /api/seed/ph-leads (runs at 9:00 AM UTC daily)
✓Email Sending Job: /api/outreach/resend/email (runs at 10:00 AM UTC daily)

Note: Add the email sending job only when you have at least 200 contacts in your database. This ensures you have enough leads before starting your cold email campaigns.

What Each Job Does:

  • • Lead Collection: Fetches new Product Hunt posts and extracts founder information
  • • Email Sending: Sends personalized cold emails to collected leads
  • • Both jobs run automatically every day
  • • No manual intervention required
Jobs Should Be Active
Both cron jobs should show as "Active" or "Enabled" in your Vercel dashboard. If they're not active, the configuration may not have been detected properly.

Step 3: Test Manual Execution

You can test the cron jobs manually to ensure they're working correctly:

1.Go to the "Functions" tab in your Vercel project
2.Find the /api/seed/ph-leads function
3.Click "Invoke" to test it manually
4.Check the logs to see if it executes successfully
Manual Testing Commands
# Test lead collection API
curl https://your-app.vercel.app/api/seed/ph-leads

# Test email sending API
curl https://your-app.vercel.app/api/outreach/resend/email

# Check function logs in Vercel dashboard
# Go to Functions > View Logs
Manual Testing
Manual testing helps verify that your API endpoints are working correctly. The lead collection should fetch Product Hunt data, and the email sending should process any available leads.

Step 4: Monitor First Run

After setting up, monitor the first few runs to ensure everything is working correctly:

1.Wait for the next scheduled run (9:00 AM UTC for lead collection)
2.Check the "Functions" tab for execution logs
3.Verify that leads are being collected in your database
4.Monitor email sending logs and delivery rates

Important Timeline:

  • • Day 1-7: Lead collection runs daily, building your database
  • • Day 7+: Email sending begins with collected leads
  • • Allow 5-7 days for sufficient lead collection before emails start
  • • Monitor daily to ensure smooth operation
Monitoring
Regular monitoring helps you catch any issues early and ensure your cold email campaigns are running smoothly. Check logs daily for the first week.

Cron Schedule Explained

Daily Schedule:

  • • 9:00 AM UTC: Lead collection from Product Hunt
  • • 10:00 AM UTC: Email sending to collected leads
  • • Both jobs run every day automatically
  • • No manual intervention required
Cron Expression Format
# Cron expression format: minute hour day month day-of-week

"0 9 * * *"  # Every day at 9:00 AM UTC
"0 10 * * *" # Every day at 10:00 AM UTC

# You can modify these times in vercel.json if needed
Time Zone
All times are in UTC. Adjust the cron schedule in vercel.json if you want different times for your timezone.

Next Steps

🎉 Congratulations!

Your ColdConvert installation is now complete! Your automated cold email system is ready to start collecting leads and sending personalized outreach emails.

Plan Your First Campaign →← Back to Tutorials

What Happens Next

  • • Lead collection starts immediately
  • • Emails begin after 5-7 days of lead collection
  • • Monitor logs daily for the first week
  • • Check email delivery rates in Resend

Customization Options

  • • Modify email templates
  • • Adjust targeting criteria
  • • Change cron schedule times
  • • Add custom lead sources