How to Use Apollo.io for Prospecting: A Step-by-Step Guide

To use Apollo.io for prospecting, turn your ideal customer profile into search filters, save the search, add the best matches to a list while keeping only verified emails, then either enroll that list in an Apollo sequence or export it as a CSV to a sending tool like Instantly, Smartlead or PlusVibe. Every step below follows Apollo's current help center, linked in each section and in the sources at the end.

Nerdy Joe is a certified Apollo.io Managed Services Partner, which means Apollo has certified us to set up and run Apollo for clients.

What you need before you start

• An Apollo account. The free plan works for learning this workflow; paid plans add more credits and higher selection limits. Create a free Apollo account if you do not have one.
• A written ICP. Industries, company sizes, regions and the job titles of the people who buy.
• A sending plan. Either a connected mailbox in Apollo (free plans can connect only Gmail accounts, per Apollo's pricing page) or an account with a sending tool.

Some tool links here are affiliate links (disclosure).

The workflow at a glance

Step 1: Define your ICP

Apollo's guide to finding new customers starts here: decide which companies you sell to best using firmographics such as company size, industry, location and annual revenue. Then describe the people you sell to with job titles, functions, departments and locations. Apollo calls a saved set of these people attributes a persona.

Write it down before you open the search screen. A short ICP might read: "US software companies with 50 to 500 employees; buyers are VP or Director of Sales, Head of Revenue Operations." Every filter you add in the next steps should trace back to a line in that document.

Step 2: Build a company search

Start with accounts, because a clean account list keeps your people search focused.

1. Open Apollo and click Companies.
2. Apply search filters that match your ICP, such as industry, number of employees and location.
3. Add advanced filters such as buying intent or signals if your plan includes them, to bring the most promising companies forward.
4. Review the results and add your target companies to a list (covered in Step 5) or save the search (Step 4).

Apollo also suggests opening a company's profile to find lookalike companies when you want to widen the list.

Step 3: Build a people search with ICP filters

Now find the right people at those companies.

1. Click People.
2. Click Show Filters, then More Filters.
3. Add person filters such as persona, job title and location.
4. Add company filters such as # of employees and buying intent to target people by where they work.
5. Add personal filters such as time in current role and total years of experience if they matter for your offer.
6. Combine your persona with a list filter for your target accounts from Step 2, as Apollo's guide recommends.

Results update as you add or edit filters. Apollo applies "AND logic across filters and OR logic within each filter," so every new filter narrows the results, while extra values inside one filter (for example, three job titles) widen them.

Filter tips

• Use several title variants in one filter. "VP Sales," "Vice President of Sales" and "Head of Sales" in the same job title filter broaden coverage without loosening the ICP.
• Narrow with company size first. It removes the most noise for the least effort.
• Check the result count. A search with tens of thousands of people usually needs another filter before you spend credits on it.

Step 4: Save the search and set alerts

A saved search stores your filters so you can come back to them, share them and get notified about new matches.

Save it

1. With your filters applied on People (or Companies), click Save as new search.
2. Enter a name and click Create search.

Apollo's help article notes that its screenshot labels the button "Save as new view," so use whichever label your screen shows.

Share it with your team

1. Open the saved search and click Search settings.
2. Click Visibility and sharing.
3. Choose Restricted, Everyone at your company, or Share with specific people (with Full access, Can edit or Can view).
4. Click Done.

Set an alert

1. Open the saved search and click Search settings.
2. Click Subscription alerts.
3. Pick Daily, Weekly or Monthly, then click Done.

Apollo then emails you when new people or companies match. You can only set alerts on searches you own; to get alerts on a shared search, duplicate it first.

Step 5: Add people to a list

A list is a fixed set of people you chose, which you can later add to a sequence or export.

Create a new list from search

1. In People, use Show filters to find the right people.
2. Check each person you want, then click Add to list and Create new list.
3. Name the list and click Update.

Add to an existing list

1. In People or Companies, narrow the results with filters.
2. Check one or more prospects and click Add to list.
3. Select one or more lists, then click Add to list.

Credits: Apollo says "it costs one email credit per verified email to add net new contacts to a list." Adding contacts you have already saved costs no credits.

Or save with enrichment options

If you want more control over what you pay for, use Save instead. After checking people, click Save, choose Emails only or Email and phone numbers, optionally turn on waterfall enrichment, choose which email types to keep (verified, unverified, unavailable or catch-all), optionally add them to a list or sequence, review the credit estimate, and click Save. Phone numbers cost more credits than emails, so choose "Emails only" unless you plan to call.

Step 6: Verify and clean your list

This is the step that protects your domains. Apollo labels every email with a status:

How to filter to verified emails

1. Go to People and select Net New or Saved.
2. Click Show Filters, then More filters, and find the email status filter.
3. Select Verified (and catch-all only if you accept the risk, using the "Include catch-all emails" toggle).

Apollo's guidance is direct: "stick with verified emails," and "only use unverified emails as an infrequent last resort." It also warns that catch-all emails can lead to lower open rates and affect domain reputation over time.

What Apollo guarantees

Apollo says its verified emails have a 91% accuracy rate and that it refunds the email credit if a verified email bounces within 30 days. Since that still leaves some risk, many senders run a second check in their sending tool before launch (see Step 7b). Apollo's data overview says a bounce rate of 8% or higher calls for immediate action.

Step 7a: Run a sequence in Apollo

Choose this path for moderate volume from a few mailboxes, or when you want calls and LinkedIn tasks in the same cadence.

Create the sequence

1. Go to Sequences and click Create Sequence.
2. Pick a starting point: AI-assisted, Template, Clone or From scratch.
3. For From scratch, name the sequence, choose a sending schedule and click Create.
4. Click Add a step and choose a type: Automatic email, Manual email, Phone call, Action items, or a LinkedIn step (connection request, send message, view profile, view posts).
5. Click each step to write its content, and click the scheduled time on a step to set when it runs.
6. Use Preview to check emails against real contacts.
7. Toggle each step on, then click Activate.

Manual, call, LinkedIn and action item steps create tasks, and contacts do not advance until those tasks are completed or skipped. For copy and step spacing ideas, see our guide to cold email sequences, and run drafts through the spam word checker.

Add your list to the sequence

1. Open the active sequence and click Add Contacts, then Select list.
2. Select your list.
3. Choose a sending mailbox, or toggle Rotate mailboxes and pick several.
4. Leave Skip Contacts Validation unchecked (Apollo recommends keeping validation on), or click Schedule to set a start time.
5. Click Add now, then review any warnings about unverified emails or contacts already in another sequence.

Sequences have no mailbox of their own; you choose the sender each time you add contacts. Apollo charges one credit per net-new verified contact added to a sequence and nothing for saved contacts with verified emails.

Respect sending limits

Apollo's sending limits article recommends starting at 50 emails per day per mailbox, staying around 50 to 100 per day and 10 to 20 per hour, with 60 to 300 seconds between emails. It allows up to 15 mailboxes per user depending on plan and advises raising limits only after you reach a 5% or higher reply rate.

Step 7b: Export to Instantly, Smartlead or PlusVibe

Choose this path when you send at higher volume across many domains and mailboxes. Dedicated sending tools add inbox rotation and warmup across large mailbox pools; our cold email infrastructure guide covers the domain setup.

Export the CSV from Apollo

From a list:

1. Click Lists and find your list.
2. Click Export beside it.
3. Choose to export all emails or only verified emails (pick verified).
4. Click Export records.

From search:

1. Click Search, then People, and filter to your saved contacts, saved search or list.
2. Check the contacts (or use bulk selection) and click Export.
3. Choose all emails or only verified emails.
4. Optionally click Edit export CSV settings to choose fields (first name, company, title and any personalization fields).
5. Click Export records.

Large exports can take several minutes. Check progress under Settings, Import & Exports, CSV Exports, then click Download. Apollo notes that export does not automatically enrich emails and phone numbers, so enrich first, and that exporting saved contacts uses no credits.

Import into Instantly

Following Instantly's help center:

1. Go to the Engage tab, open your campaign and go to Leads.
2. Select Upload CSV and choose your Apollo file.
3. Map each column with Select Type (Email is required; map name and company fields to variables, and set unused columns to Do Not Import).
4. Keep Check for duplicates across all campaigns/lists on, and decide whether to turn on Verify leads (Instantly lists it at 0.25 credits per lead).
5. Click Upload all.

Our Instantly review covers plans and limits. Try Instantly.

Import into Smartlead

Following Smartlead's help center:

1. Go to Engage, then Campaigns, select the campaign and click Edit.
2. In Import Leads, click Import CSV and choose your file.
3. Set the import options (Global Block List, unsubscribe list, bounced leads, and skipping leads already in another campaign), then click Save.
4. Map columns; name, email and location map automatically, and other fields become custom variables (up to 40 per lead). Set unneeded columns to Ignore.

Make sure placeholders in your copy, such as {{first_name}}, match the mapped names. Try Smartlead, or see the full Apollo to Smartlead workflow.

Import into PlusVibe

Following PlusVibe's help center:

1. Open Campaign from the left menu, click the pencil icon or three-dot menu and choose Edit.
2. Open the Leads tab and click Import Leads, then CSV Upload.
3. In CSV Mapping, check each column's Select Type, choose Custom Variable for personalization fields, and Do Not Import for the rest.
4. Set Import Settings and click Upload.

PlusVibe also documents a Verify Leads toggle during import for a second email check. Try PlusVibe.

Step 8: Monitor and refine

• Watch bounces first. If bounces climb, pause and re-check the list; Apollo flags 8% or higher as a level that needs immediate action.
• Let alerts feed the pipeline. Your saved search alerts surface new matches each day, week or month, so you can add fresh prospects to a new list instead of rebuilding searches.
• Tighten filters from replies. If positive replies cluster in one industry or company size, narrow the saved search toward it and save it as a new search.
• Track credits. Apollo shows actual usage under Settings, Credits.

Common mistakes to avoid

Rather not run it yourself?

Setting up filters, lists, domains and sequences takes real time. Koldify is a done-for-you cold email agency that sends campaigns on PlusVibe, Smartlead and Email Bison. Book a 30-minute call with David at Koldify to see if it fits.

For a deeper look at plans, credits and data quality, read our full Apollo.io review, then start prospecting on Apollo.

Sources

• Apollo, Use Apollo to Find New Customers: https://knowledge.apollo.io/hc/en-us/articles/4413044057741
• Apollo, Use Person Info Filters to Search: https://knowledge.apollo.io/hc/en-us/articles/4412658716941-Use-Person-Info-Filters-to-Search
• Apollo, Save and Share a Search or Set a Search Alert: https://knowledge.apollo.io/hc/en-us/articles/4409803718669-Create-and-Subscribe-to-Saved-Searches
• Apollo, Create and Use a List: https://knowledge.apollo.io/hc/en-us/articles/4409728608525
• Apollo, Save Contacts and Accounts: https://knowledge.apollo.io/hc/en-us/articles/4413032484493-Save-Contacts-and-Accounts
• Apollo, Email statuses: https://knowledge.apollo.io/hc/en-us/articles/4423314404621
• Apollo, How Apollo Verifies Emails: https://knowledge.apollo.io/hc/en-us/articles/10826699994381-How-Apollo-Verifies-Emails
• Apollo, Data overview: https://knowledge.apollo.io/hc/en-us/articles/45824429846669
• Apollo, Create a Sequence: https://knowledge.apollo.io/hc/en-us/articles/4409231193101-Create-a-Sequence
• Apollo, Add Contacts to a Sequence: https://knowledge.apollo.io/hc/en-us/articles/4409396985741-Add-Contacts-to-a-Sequence
• Apollo, Email Sending Limits Overview: https://knowledge.apollo.io/hc/en-us/articles/4409233349005-Email-Sending-Limits-Overview
• Apollo, Export Contacts to a CSV: https://knowledge.apollo.io/hc/en-us/articles/4409237712141-Export-Contacts-to-a-CSV
• Apollo pricing page: https://www.apollo.io/pricing
• Apollo pricing review (Zeliq): https://www.zeliq.com/blog/apolloio-pricing
• Instantly, Upload leads with a CSV file: https://help.instantly.ai/en/articles/9214308-upload-leads-with-a-csv-file
• Smartlead, How to map CSV columns in Smartlead campaigns: https://helpcenter.smartlead.ai/en/articles/409-how-to-map-csv-columns-in-smartlead-campaigns
• PlusVibe, Adding leads to a campaign: https://help.plusvibe.ai/en/articles/8624790-adding-leads-to-a-campaign
• PlusVibe, How to Validate Emails in PlusVibe: https://help.plusvibe.ai/en/articles/11987497-how-to-validate-emails-in-plusvibe