Apollo

Apollo is the first tool I set up when I need leads. This guide is structured in three parts: first, the main considerations for people thinking about using Apollo; then, tips for new users; and finally, some more advanced workflows based on how I use it day-to-day.

Why I use Apollo (and where it fits in my stack)

Apollo is the best database tool I’ve found for cold outreach — and I’ve tried most of them. It combines LinkedIn-level targeting with verified emails, company filters, and flexible list-building. You can technically run email sequences inside Apollo, but I treat it mostly as a data source — a way to build smart lists, fast.

What makes it useful for B2B service companies is how flexible it is. You can go broad (pull 1,000 SaaS founders in Europe) or narrow (find Dutch performance marketers at agencies doing €1–5M in revenue). I rarely use it as an all-in-one platform — I usually export lists and run them through Smartlead, Clay, or Close — but the targeting power makes it worth the price on its own.

I’ve used Apollo to test cold traffic before building SEO pages or running ads. It gives you fast signal: if your targeting and message are off, you’ll know quickly. That speed is key when you’re validating a funnel.

If you’re considering Apollo, here’s what you need to know before signing up.

First: Apollo is not just a LinkedIn clone with email exports. It’s much deeper. You can filter by everything from job title and location to keywords, funding, tech stack, and hiring status. It lets you build ICP-driven lists in a way that feels intuitive and fast.

It works especially well for B2B service businesses selling to other professional roles — marketers, ops teams, tech, IT, finance. I’ve found the data to be clean and broad. Apollo pulls from LinkedIn, so you’re getting self-reported job data — not scraped junk.

The pricing starts free. You get 10 export credits a month on the free plan, which is fine for testing. If it fits your strategy, you can upgrade and unlock bulk exports and advanced filters. Apollo works on a credit-based system: the more you want to export, the higher your plan. The paid version is worth it once you’ve validated your use case.

What it replaces:

• Manual list building
• Paying for Sales Navigator + email scraping tools separately
• Buying dodgy lead lists from freelancers or marketplaces

What it doesn’t replace:

• A good message
• A clear ICP
• A working outbound process

Here’s how I’d start if I was setting it up today.

1. Use the filters properly
Most people don’t dig deep enough. Use job title, company size, industry, keywords, and location together. I almost always:

• Filter email status to “verified” or “guessed” (then clean externally)
• Layer in 2–3 job titles (e.g. Founder, CEO, Managing Director)
• Filter companies by headcount (especially if you're trying to stay within SMB or mid-market)
• Add industry + keyword combinations to isolate niches (e.g. “creative agency” + “HubSpot”)

2. Build test lists with 100 leads
Don’t try to export 1,000 leads at once. Build one small, sharp list, export to CSV, and run a test campaign. That forces you to stay focused and lets you validate the segment before scaling.

3. Don’t run email from Apollo
Their sequencing tools exist, but they’re not best-in-class. I export from Apollo and run campaigns in Smartlead or upload to Clay for enrichment. It gives me more control and avoids deliverability issues.

4. Always re-verify emails
Even “verified” emails from Apollo aren’t real-time verified. Bounce rate matters. Run everything through a tool like MillionVerifier or Listcleaner before sending. Apollo gets you 90% of the way — but outbound lives or dies on the last 10%.

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Once you know how to use Apollo for list-building, here’s how I use it in a more advanced workflow.

1. Start with the Companies tab
If you’re targeting accounts, start there. Filter by funding, employee count, tech stack, or industry. Save a list of target companies, then layer on job titles to pull in the right decision-makers. This top-down approach is faster and more focused than filtering people directly.

2. Use keyword filters for long-tail targeting
Let’s say you're looking for managed IT companies. You can’t just type “IT” and expect relevance. I create lists with long-tail filters like “cybersecurity”, “infrastructure”, “cloud compliance”, etc. Then I check which keywords show up in the saved companies and use those to improve the filter.

3. Export to Clay for enrichment and AI validation
I often run Apollo leads through Clay to check:

• Does this company actually do what I think they do?
• Is this the right person based on LinkedIn bio or website copy?
• Is there anything obvious missing I should add before sequencing?

4. Clean before sending
I never send raw Apollo leads. Everything goes through a verifier, then into my email platform. If you’re serious about cold, this step will save you from burning domains or triggering spam filters.

5. Use lists like a campaign tracker
I treat lists as mini-campaigns. Every time I build a new list, I name it clearly (“NL-Founders-March24”) and track performance against that segment. It’s a lightweight way to spot which ICPs are actually converting.