So you need to pull LinkedIn leads for your sales team—ideally without losing a weekend to manual copy-paste. This guide is for anyone who’s tired of clunky spreadsheets, wants to avoid the gray areas of scraping, and just wants a clean list of prospects, fast. We’ll go step-by-step on using Skrapp, a tool built for this exact job, with real talk on the snags, shortcuts, and must-knows.
Let’s get you a lead list worth handing over to sales.
Why Export LinkedIn Leads This Way?
LinkedIn is where your prospects actually hang out, but LinkedIn makes it tough to export contact info directly. Manual exports are slow and error-prone. Automated scrapers can be risky (LinkedIn bans accounts for it). Skrapp is a middle ground: it grabs emails and details from LinkedIn with a browser extension and tries to stay above-board.
But let’s be honest:
- No tool gets every email right, and
- You might hit limits on how much you can pull at once.
Still, Skrapp is one of the simplest tools for getting usable contact lists you can hand to your sales team.
What You’ll Need
Before you start, make sure you have: - A Skrapp account (free tier available, but you’ll hit limits fast) - Google Chrome or Firefox (Skrapp works as an extension) - A LinkedIn account (Sales Navigator helps but isn’t required) - A clear idea of your target—don’t just grab everyone with a job title
Pro Tip:
Don’t try to pull 10,000 leads in one go. LinkedIn will notice, and your account could get restricted. Start small, see what works, and scale up carefully.
Step 1: Install the Skrapp Browser Extension
-
Sign up for Skrapp:
Head to Skrapp’s signup page and create an account. The free plan gives you some credits to test, but you’ll need a paid plan for real volume. -
Add the Chrome or Firefox extension:
- Go to the Skrapp dashboard and click “Install extension.”
- Follow the prompts for your browser.
- Once installed, you’ll see the Skrapp icon in your toolbar.
What works:
The extension installs fast and doesn’t require admin privileges.
What doesn’t:
Some corporate security settings block browser extensions. If you’re on a locked-down work laptop, you may need IT’s help.
Step 2: Set Up Your LinkedIn Search
- Log in to LinkedIn.
- Narrow your search:
- Use filters for location, industry, title, or company.
- The more specific, the better. Vague searches (“Sales” in “USA”) will give you a messy list.
- (Optional) Use Sales Navigator:
- Paid, but you get much better filters and bigger lists.
- Skrapp works on both standard LinkedIn and Sales Navigator, but you’ll get more out of it with Sales Nav.
Pro Tip:
Save your search on LinkedIn so you can come back to it—Skrapp only works on the people you see in your current search.
Step 3: Start Collecting Leads With Skrapp
- Open your LinkedIn search results.
- Click the Skrapp extension:
- You’ll see a sidebar pop up.
- Click “Collect leads” or a similar button.
- Choose how many leads to collect:
- Skrapp can collect the leads on the current page, or across multiple pages.
- You may need to scroll or page through results—Skrapp can only grab what’s visible or paginated.
- Assign leads to a list:
- Name your list (e.g., “NYC SaaS CTOs”).
- This keeps things organized for export later.
What works:
Skrapp is surprisingly quick—dozens of leads in seconds.
What doesn’t:
- It won’t grab emails for everyone (especially if they’re not public).
- LinkedIn limits how many profiles you can view per day. If you’re too aggressive, you’ll get “commercial use” warnings.
Step 4: Review and Clean Your Leads
Before exporting, do a quick review:
- Check for missing info:
Skrapp often leaves some contacts without emails. Decide if you want to keep them or delete.
- Spot duplicates:
If you’ve run multiple searches or lists, you might get overlap.
- Sanity-check job titles and companies:
Sometimes Skrapp grabs the wrong field, especially if someone has a weird profile.
How to clean: - Use Skrapp’s dashboard to sort, filter, and delete. - Download a sample before pulling the full list for a reality check.
Pro Tip:
Don’t waste your credits on contacts with no email or who don’t fit your target. Trim the fat now, not later.
Step 5: Export Your Lead List
- Go to your Skrapp dashboard.
- Find your list.
- Click “Export” or “Download”:
- Choose CSV or Excel format (CSV works for almost everything).
- The export should include: name, email, company, job title, and LinkedIn profile URL.
What works:
- The export is usually clean and ready for import into your CRM.
- You can sort or filter in Excel before sharing with sales.
What doesn’t:
- Expect some blanks in the email column.
- Some exported fields (like company size or industry) may be missing or inconsistent.
Step 6: Import to Your CRM or Sales Tool
- Check your CRM’s import tools:
Most CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, etc.) take CSVs, but each wants its own format. - Map the fields:
Take a minute to match Skrapp’s columns to your CRM’s fields (e.g., “First Name” to “First Name”). - Test with a small batch:
Don’t dump 1,000 leads in at once. Import 10-20 to spot formatting issues or duplicates.
Pro Tip:
Double-check for GDPR or privacy rules if you’re working with EU contacts. Just because Skrapp finds an email doesn’t mean you’re clear to start blasting cold emails.
How Accurate Is Skrapp, Really?
Here’s the reality:
- Skrapp’s email accuracy is good, but not perfect. Expect 60–80% of contacts to have valid emails.
- Company info is pulled from LinkedIn, so it’s only as good as what people put on their profiles.
- It won’t find personal emails, and sometimes it guesses (using company domains and patterns). Always verify before sending.
What to ignore:
- Don’t chase 100% accuracy. No tool delivers it.
- Don’t get hung up on bells and whistles like “enrichment” if all you need is a simple lead list.
Avoiding the Common Pitfalls
- Don’t over-harvest:
Pull too many leads at once and LinkedIn may flag your account. Slow and steady wins. - Watch your credit limits:
Skrapp charges per email found, not per lead. Burn through your credits and you’ll have to upgrade. - Don’t blindly trust all emails:
Use an email verifier (Skrapp has one, or use another tool) before running campaigns. - Get buy-in from sales:
No one likes getting a list full of interns or dead leads. Check your targeting up front.
Alternatives and When to Use Them
Skrapp isn’t the only tool, but it’s one of the simplest for LinkedIn exports. Others like Hunter, Apollo, or Lusha offer similar features, but usually at a higher price or with more complexity.
When to skip Skrapp: - If you need deep data (like direct phone numbers, intent signals, etc.), look elsewhere. - If you’re working at serious scale or need API access, Skrapp can feel basic.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Exporting LinkedIn leads with Skrapp is straightforward, but resist the urge to overcomplicate things. Start with a tight search, pull a small list, spot-check everything, and get feedback from your sales team. Tweak your process as you go.
You don’t need a 10,000-lead mega-dump—what you really want is a list that sales will actually use. Keep it clean, keep it focused, and keep it moving.