How to Build a Prospect List from Scratch

Define the company profile before collecting contacts

A prospect list starts with a business question: which organizations could reasonably need your product or service? Write down the industry, location, company size and relevant role before searching for contact details.

For example, a bookkeeping service might focus on local businesses that publish a supplier-enquiry address. A product aimed at large finance teams needs a different source and decision-maker. Narrowing the question avoids collecting unrelated addresses that happen to be easy to find.

Keep company research and email extraction separate

Start a spreadsheet with company name, website, reason for relevance and source date. Use current company pages, directories whose usage terms permit your purpose, or event materials you are entitled to use.

A directory entry or job posting is a research lead, not proof of buying intent. A company name appearing on several websites does not confirm its budget, needs or willingness to receive marketing.

Extract the content you have selected

For documents, open Email Extractor, choose Text and files, upload supported files and click Extract emails. Files are limited to 25 MB each and 100 MB per batch.

For public websites, choose Webpages, enter URLs, select the page scope, review and allow server downloading, then click Load webpages. Click Extract emails after pages load. Runs support up to 10 websites and 25 pages per website.

If a website is blocked, use readable text you can access or the optional extension. Neither method reveals an email address that is not present in accessible content.

Text/file results and webpage results are separate workflows. Download each list before replacing results. To combine batches, paste the downloaded TXT lists into a new extraction; their original source relationships will not automatically transfer.

Turn addresses into reviewed records

Use CSV with sources to retain filenames or URLs. Add confirmed company, role, purpose and permission information from the original records. Do not infer a person's name or employer solely from an address.

Remove irrelevant examples and keep uncertain records separate. A current website listing provides context, not mailbox verification. If you need domain or mailbox checks, follow the validation guide.

Decide whether and how to contact each prospect

Finding an address does not establish permission for a campaign. Review your applicable rules, the source's intended use and previous opt-outs before sending. The privacy guide explains those distinctions.

Prioritize relevance rather than an arbitrary list-size target. Keep a record of why each contact belongs on the list, and update that record when its source or circumstances change. There is no guaranteed number of suitable contacts or fixed completion time.