How to scrape fresh targeted email lists

Imagine you’re running outbound for a client in Dallas. They don’t need a thousand random SaaS executives across the U.S. They need 25 IT service owners in their zip code, with real emails that actually deliver. This is where enterprise databases fall flat. They’re built for scale, not precision. The smarter play? Hybrid scraping + enrichment. Here’s the workflow I run: 1. Define the niche → “IT services in Dallas” 2. Scrape the sources → LinkedIn SalesNav + Apify/ZenRows/PhantomBuster for local directories and GMaps 3. Enrich the contacts → Clay + Prospeo.io/Icypeas/LeadMagic for emails + firmographics 4. Verify → MillionVerifier (cut the bounces) 5. Clean + route → RevyOps or Airtable for hygiene and tagging 6. Activate → Instantly.ai, Waalaxy International, Smartlead, or send into CRM The output? A clean, hyper-targeted list that replies, instead of a bloated sheet full of ghosts. 👉 If you’re still buying generic lists, you’re building on sand.

No one teaches freelancers how to find leads. Yesterday, after my post, a fellow freelancer reached out and asked if I can share my prospecting process for outreach. Here it is: 1. Find leads through LinkedIn • Run a blank search on LinkedIn • Select "All filters" • Apply filters matching your ICP (niche, location, and employee size)  • You can use Phantom Buster chrome extension to scrape all the results and export them to Google Sheets (it has a 7-day free trial) or simply do it manually. Don't overuse it - LinkedIn might flag you!  • Find target prospects on company pages (managers, editors, etc.)  • Find their contact information through scrapp.io or prospeo (you can find up to 100 emails/day for free) 2. Find leads through Crunchbase • Crunchbase is paid but has a 30-day free trial (paid plan is totally worth it though) • Filter out companies based on funding raised, employee size, location, annual revenue, specific team size, and so much more • Directly export it with contact information to Google Sheets 3. Find leads through Google search • Figure out at least 3 categories of your ICP. Example: if you are a Martech writer, you could target SEO content optimization tools, social media scheduling tools, or even influencer marketing tools • Google "top 50 {{your ICP category}} tools G2"  • Use "Instant Data Scraper" chrome extension (free!) to scrape and export G2 results to Google Sheets That is it! You will have hundreds of companies in your spreadsheet to reach out to. Do you want a part 2 of this? I'll tell you how to find leads from Facebook, Slack groups, and job portals. If yes, please comment "part 2" See you tomorrow 👋

How to Turn Incomplete Lists into Pipeline: Based on sending 5M+ emails over the last 2 years across dozens of outbound funnels. 1️⃣ Use a Contact Enrichment Waterfall: → Start with a broad contact list from a database like Apollo.. even if it’s incomplete. → Enrich missing emails with tools like Icypeas, Prospeo.io, and LeadMagic → Verify every email using LeadMagic and Enrichley to weed out bounce risks. Result: 20–30% more valid contacts in your total addressable market (TAM). 2️⃣ Scrape Websites for Qualifying Signals: → Use web scrapers like ZenRows or Firecrawl to pull text from company websites. → Run GPT to scan for keywords or tech stacks that match your ICP profile. → No coding needed, use pre-built scrapers straight from the marketplace. 3️⃣ Automate Deep Web Research with Claygent → Use Claygent to find anything from pricing pages to social links to case studies. → Extract niche data like director changes or SIC codes from public filings. → Claygent automates research that would take hours. at scale and for pennies on the dollar. P.S. Want the exact templates we use for these workflows? DM me and I'll send em over.

Still fishing for leads in the same three ponds - Apollo, ZoomInfo, Seamless? Then you’re leaving revenue on the table. Those databases are solid, but each one has blind spots. Rely on a single source and you’ll miss prospects who are ready to buy. The fix? Aggregate everything. Take FullEnrich: it pulls from 40+ data providers and stitches the results together so your email coverage goes nuclear. Example: • You scrape 2,000 CEOs in Apollo. • Apollo hands you ~500 emails. After validation? Maybe 300. • That leaves 1,700 CEOs in limbo. Send those 1,700 records through FullEnrich. Every lead is cross-checked across dozens of databases until an address is found and verified. Result: your “300-email” list balloons to ~1,800 verified emails. Bigger TAM → fuller pipeline → more revenue. Stop betting your quota on a single source. The top outbound teams use them all.

Did you know that even a terrible cold email can book meetings? A new client joined AB Mastermind the other day who broke all the rules: The subject line was weak Scripts were basic And there wasn’t even a case study in the email… And yet… he was BOOKING MEETINGS before he even joined I thought the gurus said the email templates mattered? That you needed the perfect subject line… I thought you needed the best call to action (oof) But NONE of that matters if you mess up this: His 4/10 emails WORKED… because he spent a lot of time on lead verification (more time than he spent on scripting that’s for sure lol) Here’s what he did: * He found a job board of his target audience - NOT a list pulled from a database * He verified these people on LinkedIn to make sure they actually exist * Once he had their LinkedIns, he used an Expandi.io search to find their main emails - not their corporate ones So every email he sent hit an ACTIVE real person’s main inbox Most people assume cold email is all about the perfect subject line or irresistible offer. But none of that matters if your list is trash. Here’s how to fix it: 1. Scrape Fresh, Active Data You can pull thousands of leads from Apollo, ZoomInfo, or any database - but a lot of your leads will be: * People who no longer work at the company * Emails that aren’t actively monitored * Unverified emails that WILL bounce If you want real responses, you need leads who are active and engaged. One of the best ways to find them? Scrape commenters on industry-specific posts. But you have to pick the right posts.. "Best cold email templates" ? Good. Memes? No. Commenters are far more likely to respond… Not just because they are looking… But because they are ACTIVE 2. Verify Every Lead Before You Email A verified lead isn’t just an email that doesn’t bounce. It’s someone who: * Still works at the company * Uses that email actively * Actually checks their inbox Here’s how to confirm that before sending: Manually check - are they still at the company? Run it through NeverBounce by ZoomInfo, Findymail, or LeadMagic (or all of them) Just because an email came from a “trusted” database doesn’t mean it’s valid (50/50 chance at best) You can check manually, but at scale, automate it with AI agents (which you can also use Clay for) But even with verified leads, your deliverability setup determines whether your emails ever get seen: 3. Send The Right Way Cold email isn’t 2023 anymore. If you’re still sending from a free Gmail account, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or using a basic mail merge, you’re setting yourself up for failure: * A free Gmail or outlook won’t tank deliverability, but it looks spammy and unprofessional for B2B * Google Workspace and M365? They are trying their best to destroy cold email The only way to do it right in 2025? A custom SMTP setup. Join AB Mastermind and we can fix this together.