If you’re running LinkedIn outreach, you know getting lead lists into your tools can be a pain. Exporting, cleaning, importing—if you don’t do it right, you end up with duplicates, missing data, or messy campaigns. This guide is for anyone who wants to get leads from LinkedIn into Heyreach without wasting hours or breaking things.
Whether you’re a solo founder, an SDR, or a marketer trying to keep your boss happy, here’s how to do it—no fluff, no nonsense.
Step 1: Build Your LinkedIn Lead List the Right Way
You can’t import junk and expect gold on the other side. Start with a solid process for building your LinkedIn list.
Ways to build your LinkedIn lead list: - LinkedIn Search & Filters: Use Sales Navigator if you have it. Regular LinkedIn is fine, but Sales Nav lets you get more granular. - Scraping Tools: Tools like Phantombuster or TexAu can automate the pulling of LinkedIn profiles. Be careful—over-aggressive scraping can get your account flagged. - Manual Curation: Old-school, but still works if you want quality over quantity.
What matters in your export: - Profile URL: This is the unique identifier Heyreach will use. Don’t skip it. - First/Last Name, Job Title, Company: The basics. Don’t get fancy with extra fields unless you actually plan to use them. - Email: If you have it. (Just remember: scraping emails from LinkedIn directly is against their terms and pretty unreliable.)
Pro Tip:
Don’t try to export 10,000 leads in one go. More isn’t always better. Focus on a tight, relevant list.
Step 2: Clean Up Your Data Before Importing
Most headaches happen right here. Garbage in, garbage out. Spend a few minutes and you’ll save yourself debugging later.
Checklist before importing: - Remove duplicates: Sort by profile URL or email and filter out repeats. - Fill in missing required fields: At minimum, Heyreach needs the LinkedIn profile URLs. - Watch for weird formatting: Sometimes exports give you extra spaces, broken URLs, or weird characters. Clean these up. - CSV, always: Save your file as a CSV. Excel’s default format won’t always play nice.
What doesn’t matter:
Don’t obsess over including every possible field (like “Industry” or “Location”) unless you’re running highly targeted campaigns. You can always enrich the data later if you need to.
Pro Tip:
Open your CSV in Google Sheets or Excel and scan the first 10-20 rows by eye. If it looks weird to you, Heyreach won’t like it either.
Step 3: Import the List into Heyreach
Now for the (supposedly) easy part. Here’s how to get your data into Heyreach without hiccups.
1. Log in and navigate to the import function. - Usually it’s under “Leads” or “Contacts.” If you can’t find it, check the Help docs—most tools hide this away in slightly different places.
2. Choose ‘Import via CSV’. - Drag and drop your cleaned CSV file.
3. Map your fields carefully. - Heyreach will ask you to match your CSV columns to its fields. Slow down here. If you map “job title” to “first name,” you’ll have a mess on your hands. - If a column doesn’t match anything in Heyreach, skip it.
4. Preview and confirm. - Most platforms give you a preview. Actually look at it. If something looks off, go fix your CSV and try again.
5. Start the import. - If you have a huge file, start with a small sample (say, 10-20 leads) first. Make sure it comes in clean, then do the full batch.
Potential gotchas: - Custom fields: Heyreach supports some custom fields, but don’t rely on this for core data. Stick to the basics unless you’ve tested otherwise. - Field limits: Some plans limit how many leads you can import or how many fields you can use. Check before you run into a wall.
What doesn’t work well:
Don’t try to import leads directly from LinkedIn without a CSV intermediary—even if you see Chrome extensions or tools that promise "one-click import." They usually break or mess up your data.
Step 4: Check for Duplicates and Errors
Even if you do everything right, duplicates and errors can sneak in.
After import: - Spot-check your imported leads. Look at 10-20 random entries inside Heyreach. Are names and job titles showing up in the right place? Are there weird characters or missing info? - Check for duplicates. Some platforms deduplicate automatically; others don’t. If you see repeats, clean them up before launching a campaign. - Custom field mapping: If you mapped any custom fields, verify they’re showing up as expected.
Pro Tip:
If you plan to do regular imports, keep a master list and track what you’ve already uploaded. Saves you from annoying "already exists" errors down the line.
Step 5: Segment and Tag Your Leads
Don’t just dump your leads into Heyreach and blast them with the same message. Take 10 minutes to organize things.
How to segment: - Tags: Tag leads by source, persona, or campaign. For example: “April-Webinar,” “CTO-Prospects,” or “Inbound.” - Lists/Segments: If Heyreach supports lists, use them to group leads for specific campaigns.
Why it matters: - You’ll run more relevant, personal campaigns. - It’s easier to track what’s working (and what’s not).
Don’t overcomplicate it:
You don’t need fancy segmentation to start. Even just “Inbound” vs. “Outbound” tags can go a long way.
Step 6: Test With a Small Campaign First
Before you launch a full-blown outreach sequence, test with a small group.
- Pick 10-20 leads and run a test campaign.
- Check message personalization. Make sure your fields (like {first name}, {company}) fill in correctly.
- Look for bouncebacks or weird responses. If you see errors, go back and check your data.
Why bother? You’ll catch issues before you burn through your whole list or annoy prospects with broken messages.
Step 7: Monitor and Iterate
Importing leads isn’t a one-and-done thing. You’ll find issues and quirks as you use Heyreach more.
- Track what caused issues. Did a certain export tool mess up URLs? Did manual edits create formatting problems?
- Keep your process lean. Don’t add steps “just in case.” If you’re not using certain fields, stop exporting them.
- Update your templates. If you notice personalization isn’t working for certain lead segments, tweak your CSV or your Heyreach templates.
What to Ignore (Seriously)
There’s a lot of advice out there. Here’s what you can skip:
- Don’t chase every new tool or Chrome extension. Most are flaky or break when LinkedIn changes something.
- Don’t obsess over enrichment up front. Just get the basics working. You can always enrich later if you need more context.
- Don’t try to automate everything on Day 1. Start simple, then add automation as you go.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Stay Flexible
The best process is the one you’ll actually use. Don’t overthink it. Build a solid LinkedIn list, clean your data, import carefully, and test with small batches. If something breaks, fix it and move on. Heyreach is a solid tool, but no tool can save you from messy data.
Keep your workflow simple, iterate as you go, and don’t be afraid to throw out steps that aren’t helping. The goal is more conversations, not more spreadsheets. Good luck!