How to Find Leads for Cold Email
Leads are the people you will email. The more closely they match the people who buy from you, the better your results, and the fewer spam complaints you get.
1. Define your ideal customer
Write down who is most likely to need what you sell. For example, if you sell cakes to businesses, your ideal customer might be:
| Filter | Example |
|---|---|
| Job title | Head chef, catering manager, office manager |
| Company size | 100 to 999 employees |
| Industry | Hospitality, events, corporate offices |
| Location | Your city, state or country |
| Revenue | At least $500,000 per year |
Smaller, tightly focused lists get much better results than large, general ones. It's better to send 500 emails to exactly the right people than 5,000 to people who might be interested.
If your leads are in different time zones, split them into separate lists (for example US West, US East, UK and Europe). Then you can send to each list during their working day.
2. Build your list
These are the lead databases we recommend:
| Provider | Why use it | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Apollo | A large B2B database with detailed filters (job title, company size, industry, technology used) and a free plan to start | Free plan. Basic from $49 per month |
| Instantly SuperSearch | Built into Instantly, so leads go straight into your campaigns | From $47 per month |
| Lemlist | Lead database plus its own sending tool | Paid plans |
Search with your filters, then export the list (or add it straight to an Instantly campaign). Include as much detail as you can, such as first name, company name, website and city. You'll use these for personalization.
Before you send, always validate your leads.