If you're tired of sending cold emails into the void, or wasting time scraping outdated contact lists, this one's for you. This no-nonsense guide breaks down how to use Hunter to sharpen your B2B sales outreach—without the fluff or the empty promises. Whether you’re in sales, growth, or marketing, you’ll learn how to find real emails, confirm you’re not barking up the wrong tree, and actually get replies. Let’s get into it.
Step 1: Know What Hunter Actually Does (and Doesn’t)
Before you even sign up, let’s set expectations. Hunter is a tool for finding and verifying professional email addresses. That’s it. It’s not a magic bullet for closing deals or a replacement for good messaging. If you want to:
- Find verified, up-to-date email addresses for people at specific companies.
- Bulk-check if your contact list is legit.
- Automate some repetitive outreach steps.
Hunter can help. But it won’t write your emails, teach you how to sell, or turn bad leads into gold. Keep your goals clear.
Step 2: Set Up Your Hunter Account Without Wasting Time
Hunter has a free plan, but you’ll hit limits fast if you’re doing serious outreach. Here’s the quick setup:
- Sign up with a work email—it’ll give you more credibility (and sometimes more results).
- Start with the free plan to test features. You get 25 searches and 50 verifications each month.
- Upgrade only if you hit the ceiling. Don’t pay upfront “just in case.” Most people overestimate their actual needs.
Pro Tip: If you’re part of a small team, check if you can share an account and credits to save on costs.
Step 3: Find Decision-Makers’ Emails the Right Way
A. Using Domain Search
Want a list of people at a company? Use Domain Search:
- Go to Domain Search, enter the company’s website, and you’ll see public email addresses tied to that domain.
- Use filters (department, seniority) to narrow down the list.
What works:
- Great for mid-sized companies and above.
- Useful for getting a sense of email structure (e.g., jane.doe@company.com).
What doesn’t:
- Smaller or stealthy startups often aren’t listed.
- You’re limited by what’s public—Hunter does not hack private info.
B. Using Email Finder
Looking for one person in particular? Email Finder is your friend.
- Enter their name and company domain.
- Hunter will try to guess their email using patterns and public sources.
Reality check:
- This works best for people with a public digital footprint (think managers, execs).
- For generic roles, or common names, expect some “best guesses” that need verification.
C. Chrome Extension & LinkedIn Use
You can use Hunter’s Chrome extension to pull emails straight from company websites or LinkedIn profiles.
- On LinkedIn, view a profile and hit the extension to search for email addresses.
- Don’t expect miracles; if someone’s info isn’t public, Hunter can’t conjure it up.
Ignore:
- “Export 1000s of contacts from LinkedIn in minutes” promises—they’re usually either outdated, against LinkedIn’s terms, or full of junk data.
Step 4: Verify Emails Before You Send Anything
Bad emails hurt your sender reputation and waste your time. Hunter’s Email Verifier does one thing: checks if an email is likely to work.
- Paste in emails one by one, or upload a list.
- Hunter marks emails as “valid,” “accept all,” “invalid,” or “unknown.”
What to trust:
- “Valid” is usually safe to use.
- “Accept all” means the domain accepts all emails and you’re taking a chance.
- “Invalid” is a no-go—don’t send.
- “Unknown” is a gamble; use sparingly.
Pro Tip: Always clean your list before a big campaign. Nothing tanks deliverability like a bouncefest.
Step 5: Organize Your Leads, Don’t Drown in Them
Hunter offers simple lead management, but don’t expect a full CRM. Here’s how to keep it simple:
- Use Hunter Lists to group prospects by company, campaign, or stage.
- Export lists to your real CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.) once you’re ready to track conversations.
What works:
- Keeping outreach manageable—Hunter is great for the research phase.
- Exporting to CSV or straight into a CRM for bulk actions.
What doesn’t:
- Using Hunter as your only sales pipeline tool. It’s not built for relationship tracking.
Step 6: Automate Outreach (But Don’t Sound Like a Robot)
Hunter’s Campaigns feature lets you send cold emails directly and set up simple automations (like follow-ups).
How to Use It:
- Write your email templates in Hunter—keep them personal, short, and non-spammy.
- Upload your verified lead list.
- Set up follow-up rules (e.g., “If no reply in 3 days, send this follow-up”).
- Hit send and track opens/clicks.
Reality check:
- Hunter Campaigns is fine for simple, small-batch outreach.
- If you want fancy sequencing, A/B testing, or deep personalization, you’ll outgrow it fast—look at tools like Reply.io or Outreach.io.
Ignore:
- Overcomplicated “multi-channel” workflow add-ons. If you’re just starting, keep it to email until you actually need more.
Step 7: Stay Out of Spam Folders
Hunter helps with deliverability, but you still need to use your head:
- Use verified emails only.
- Warm up new sending domains—don’t blast 500 emails on day one.
- Avoid spammy language (“guaranteed,” “free money,” etc.).
- Personalize where you can—even a first name helps.
Pro Tip: Use Hunter’s built-in deliverability checks, but always send a few test emails to yourself first. Watch for weird formatting or broken links.
Step 8: Measure What Matters—Ignore Vanity Metrics
Hunter gives you open and click rates, but don’t get obsessed with the numbers.
- Focus on replies and booked meetings—not just opens or clicks.
- If you’re not getting responses, change your message or your target list.
- Don’t waste time tweaking subject lines for a 1% bump unless you’ve got the basics down.
Step 9: Keep It Legal and Respectful
Just because you can find an email doesn’t mean you should spam it.
- Know the basics of GDPR and CAN-SPAM. Always offer a way to opt out.
- Don’t pitch people who are obviously a bad fit—it just burns bridges.
- One thoughtful, relevant message beats a spray-and-pray blast every time.
What to Skip (and What to Watch For)
- Ignore “enrichment” features that promise instant insight into every lead. These are often just scraped or outdated data.
- Don’t buy into “guaranteed inbox placement.” No tool can promise that.
- Be wary of “growth hacks” that sound too good to be true. They often are. Slow and steady wins this race.
Wrap-Up: Don’t Overthink It
Hunter is a solid, straightforward tool for finding and verifying emails. Use it to build a clean list, check your work, and make your outreach a little less painful. Start simple: find the right people, send a decent email, and follow up. Iterate from there. The tool’s only as good as what you put into it.
Now, go write those emails—real people are on the other end.