How to automate cold outreach using Findthatlead

If you’re tired of sending cold emails one by one, or sick of tools that promise the world but fizzle out on the basics, this guide is for you. I’ll walk through how to automate cold outreach using Findthatlead. We’ll keep it practical—no magic tricks, just a clear, step-by-step process for finding leads, building lists, and getting emails out the door with less pain and more results.

This is for solo founders, small teams, or anyone who wants to spend less time on busywork and more time actually talking to real prospects. You don’t need to be a tech wizard, but you do need to be willing to get your hands a little dirty.

Step 1: Get Clear About What You Want (Seriously)

Before you open any tool, get specific about your goals. Most people skip this, and then wonder why “automation” just means more spam and less response.

Ask yourself: - Who exactly am I trying to reach? (Industry, job title, company size) - What do I want them to do? (Reply, book a call, try a demo) - What will make them care about my message?

Write this down somewhere. It’ll save you a ton of time later.

Pro tip: If your answer is “I want to email everyone vaguely interested in my product,” stop. Narrow it down. Outreach works better when it’s focused.

Step 2: Set Up Your Findthatlead Account

Head over to Findthatlead and sign up. The free tier is limited, but enough to poke around. If you’re serious about cold outreach, you’ll probably need a paid plan—it’s not outrageous, but it adds up if you’re sending thousands of emails.

Quick setup checklist:

  • Verify your email address.
  • Fill out your profile (not required, but helps with deliverability later).
  • Connect your sending email (Gmail, Outlook, etc.).
  • Set your sending limits to something sane—don’t blast 500 emails on Day 1. Start slow (50–100/day).

Things to skip:
Don’t bother with the Chrome extension unless you’re doing tons of manual prospecting. The web app’s Bulk features are faster for most people.

Step 3: Build a Targeted Lead List

Here’s where most folks get lazy and just dump random names into a list. Don’t do that.

Using Findthatlead’s Search

  1. Go to “Lead Search.”

  2. Plug in specifics:

    • Company name or domain
    • Industry or keywords
    • Location
    • Job titles (“Marketing Manager,” “CTO,” etc.)

  3. Set filters—size, country, whatever matters for you.

  4. Click “Search.” You’ll get a list of potential leads, often with emails and social profiles.

What works:
- The filtering is decent. You can get pretty specific. - “Prospector” mode lets you mine leads by industry and location—handy for B2B.

What doesn’t:
- The data isn’t perfect. Expect some bounced emails and outdated info. - If you want super-niche or very recent data, Findthatlead sometimes lags behind.

Pro tip: Always spot-check your list. If you wouldn’t email a random name on it, don’t include them. Quality beats quantity every time.

Step 4: Clean and Verify Your Emails

Not every email you find is valid. Sending to junk addresses will get your domain blacklisted faster than you think.

Findthatlead has a built-in email verifier. Use it.

  • Go to “Email Verifier.”
  • Upload/export your lead list.
  • Run the verifier and download the clean list.

Skip:
Don’t trust 100% accuracy. Even “verified” emails bounce sometimes. But it’s way better than nothing.

If you’re sending thousands of emails a month, consider a second opinion—tools like NeverBounce or ZeroBounce are good backups.

Step 5: Write Your Outreach Emails (Keep It Human)

Automation tempts people to write like robots. Resist.

What works:
- Short, personal intros (“Saw you spoke at X event…”) - One clear ask (“Would you be open to a quick call next week?”) - No jargon, no fake urgency.

What doesn’t:
- Long-winded pitches. If it takes more than 4 sentences to get to the point, rewrite. - Overly generic templates. People know when they’re getting a mail merge.

Personalization fields

Findthatlead lets you add custom fields (like {first_name}, {company}, etc.) to your emails. Use these, but don’t get lazy—double-check that the data matches.

  • “Hi {first_name}, I noticed {company} is hiring for {role}…” beats “Dear Sir/Madam.”

Pro tip:
Send a few test emails to yourself or a friend. Glitches in personalization are embarrassing.

Step 6: Set Up Your Outreach Campaign

Here’s where the automation kicks in.

  1. Go to “Campaigns” or “Bulk Email.”
  2. Upload your cleaned, verified list.
  3. Paste your email template and map your personalization fields.
  4. Set your sending schedule (spread it out—don’t send 200 emails at once).
  5. Add follow-ups—Findthatlead lets you automate 1–3 reminders if there’s no reply.

What works:
- Dripping out emails over days, not hours. - Adding a simple follow-up 2–3 days later (“Just wanted to bump this up in your inbox…”).

What to ignore:
- Fancy HTML or graphics. Plain text works best for cold outreach. - Overcomplicated sequences. One or two polite follow-ups is enough; more starts to feel spammy.

Step 7: Track Results (But Don’t Obsess)

Open rates and reply rates matter, but don’t get lost in the weeds.

Findthatlead gives you basic analytics: - Emails sent - Opens - Clicks - Replies

What matters most: Are you getting real replies from real people? If not, tweak your targeting, your message, or both.

What works:
- Testing different subject lines. - Personalizing intros. - Regularly pruning your list (remove anyone who never opens or replies).

What’s mostly hype:
- “AI-powered” suggestions for content or send times. Sometimes useful, mostly noise. - Open/click rates alone. These can be fudged by bots or email clients.

Step 8: Don’t Get Burned—Deliverability & Compliance

Cold outreach is a numbers game, but there are rules. Break them, and your emails will end up in spam (or worse).

Deliverability tips:

  • Warm up your sending domain—don’t go from 0 to 500/day.
  • Use a real sender name and reply-to address.
  • Avoid spammy words (“FREE,” “Act now!”).

Compliance basics:

  • Always include a way to opt out (even a simple “Let me know if you’re not interested” counts for most B2B).
  • Don’t harass people. 2–3 emails max, then move on.
  • Respect GDPR/CCPA rules if you’re contacting people in the EU or California.

What to skip:
Don’t buy “ready-made” email lists. They’re mostly junk and they’ll kill your deliverability.

What You Can Automate (And What You Can’t)

Automate: - Finding and verifying emails - Sending initial messages and simple follow-ups - Tracking basic stats

Don’t automate: - Deep research on high-value prospects - Custom replies to interested leads - Your entire sales process

Outreach works best when you combine automation with an actual human touch. Use the time you save to write better emails or close real deals—not to send more noise.

Keep It Simple and Tweak as You Go

Cold outreach isn’t rocket science, but it’s not magic either. The best results come from clear targeting, simple messages, and steady, small improvements. Set up your Findthatlead workflow in a way you can actually manage. Start small, see what works, and don’t be afraid to adjust as you learn.

You’ll never get a 100% reply rate, but if you stay focused and keep it human, you’ll get much better results than the spray-and-pray crowd. Keep it simple, iterate, and don’t overthink it. Good luck.