## 📋 Overview

Quest LLM Digital PR automates outreach to journalists and publishers using AI-driven story angles. This article walks you through campaign creation, contact selection, and common reasons a campaign may remain in **Paused** status.

## 🛠️ Create a New Campaign

1. From the left sidebar, go to **Authority** → **QUEST AI Visibility (formerly LLM Visibility)**.
2. Click **Create Campaign** to open the wizard.
3. **Step 1 — Sources**: Choose the content sources (press releases, blog posts, product pages) that will feed story angles.
4. **Step 2 — Angles**: Review AI-suggested angles or add custom ones. Each angle becomes a pitch variant.
5. **Step 3 — Contacts**: Select target contacts (see **Contact Selection** below).
6. **Step 4 — Schedule & Launch**: Set send dates, frequency, and click **Launch**.

## 🎯 Contact Selection

Choosing the right contacts determines deliverability and response rates.

- **Use verified lists**: Filter by **Verified** badge to ensure email accuracy.
- **Match niche**: Apply topic tags (e.g., *SaaS*, *FinTech*) so pitches reach relevant journalists.
- **Limit per campaign**: Start with 50–100 contacts for better personalization and lower bounce risk.
- **Exclude opted-out**: The system auto-excludes contacts who unsubscribed or bounced previously.

## ⚠️ Why a Campaign Stays “Paused”

If your campaign shows **Paused** for more than a few minutes, check these common causes:

- **Insufficient credits**: Even with a positive balance, a campaign needs enough credits for the full contact list. Open **Authority** → **Campaigns** and verify the **Credits Required** column.
- **Missing required fields**: Every angle must have a subject line, body, and at least one merge tag. Incomplete angles keep the campaign paused.
- **Contact list empty**: If all selected contacts are filtered out (unverified, opted-out, or bounced), the campaign cannot start.
- **Scheduling conflict**: A start date in the past or a frequency that exceeds daily send limits will pause the campaign.
- **System maintenance**: Rare platform updates may temporarily hold campaigns. Check the status banner at the top of the dashboard.

## ✅ Quick Fix Checklist

1. Confirm credit balance covers the entire contact list.
2. Open the campaign, review each angle for completeness, and save.
3. Re-check contact count after filters; add more verified contacts if needed.
4. Adjust schedule to a future date and reasonable daily limit.
5. Click **Resume** on the campaign row.

## 📈 Monitor Performance

After launch, track opens, replies, and placements in **Authority** → **Inbox** and **Sent**. Use the **Reports** tab for aggregate metrics.

If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type **human teammate** to be connected with a member of our team.