Best practices for avoiding email enrichment errors

If you're running enrichment waterfalls for ANY data point (phone, email, etc.) The #1 consideration is NOT "whichever data vendor has the best coverage?" That's like saying "whoever answers this question first is most likely to get it right" - It's not true. In fact, some vendors actively aim for better coverage instead of better accuracy. The question you want to optimize for is... "Which data vendor will produce the fewest WRONG answers?" Even if their coverage is poor, as long as it tends to be more accurate than others, it should be earlier in the waterfall. That's why my Clay phone data waterfalls always look like this: First, LeadMagic - fewest wrong numbers per 🤖 Jacob Tuwiner's research. Then, Forager - see above. Shoutout to Nimbler - B2B Contacts, AI-Powered Outbound Campaigns, and Contact Data Enrichment and Datagma for similarly high accuracy rates. And of course, when possible, begin with upcell on LinkedIn. 10-15% connect rates on raw data. Unbeaten accuracy. The same logic/framework applies to any data point though. Coverage is the last thing you want to optimize for. In this case, calling a wrong number actively wastes time. Better not to call at all.

After reviewing data from 1,000s of inboxes at RevGrowth, these 8 practices have made the biggest impact for consistent 99% email deliverability:   Most teams skip at least one of these, then wonder why their cold emails land in spam.   Here's what we do:   1. Use Secondary Domains - Never send from your main domain > We buy secondary domains through Porkbun for cheap, easy management   2. Track Replies Only - Open and click tracking hurt deliverability > I keep reply tracking on and turn everything else off. Clean signal, less risk   3. Send Fewer Emails Per Mailbox - I stick to 30 emails/day per mailbox, max > Spread your volume across several domains. Fewer red flags, more consistency   4. Warm Up Slowly - Ramp up sending volume over time. > Start low, increase gradually. This builds trust with inbox providers.   5. Double-Verify Your Lists - Bad data kills sender reputation > We use LeadMagic, Icypeas, and Prospeo.io for email search, then verify with LeadMagic. Clean lists = low bounce rates   6. Use Modern Sending Platforms - Old-school SEPs drag down deliverability > I recommend EmailBison or Smartlead   7. Automate CRM Syncing - Manual updates cause errors and missed follow-ups. > OutboundSync handles real-time syncing with HubSpot or Salesforce. Less manual work, more accuracy.   8. Stick to Plain Text - Links and images lower inbox rates. > I write text-only emails. They look more human and get better placement.   Our team applies these 8 steps in every workflow ourselves & all client accounts.   What’s been your biggest deliverability challenge lately?

If your bounce rate is high—even with waterfall enrichment—here’s why. Most enrichment providers are quietly screwing you. They charge you credits for catch-all guesses—emails they can’t actually verify like an SMTP valid —because that’s how they make money. And if you don’t know how to structure your waterfall, you're probably sending campaigns to a mix of good and garbage data. Here’s how to fix it: 1. Start your waterfall with SMTP-validated providers only. These should be the first stop in your enrichment chain. 2. Put catch-all enrichment vendors at the bottom—if you include them at all. Only do this if you're working in a small TAM and need every lead. 3. After enrichment, run one last SMTP validation (MillionVerifier, Emailable, etc.) to split valids vs catch-alls. 4. Send catch-alls through a tool like Scrubby or Bounceman to score them before using. Always isolate catch-alls into separate campaigns so you don’t tank your deliverability with bounces. And remember—just because a tool returns an email doesn’t mean it’s legit. A lot of these vendors just guess permutations so they can charge you.\ Make sense?