Finding accurate contact info is a pain. If you spend time scraping LinkedIn, juggling spreadsheets, or copy-pasting emails for outreach, you know the drill: it’s tedious, repetitive, and honestly, not a great use of your time. This guide is for anyone who wants to cut the busywork and automate as much of the contact discovery process as possible—especially folks in recruiting, sales, or business development.
We’ll walk through how to get real value from the Contactout Chrome Extension—where it shines, where it falls short, and how to fit it into your workflow without losing your mind (or your Saturday).
What is Contactout—And Should You Care?
Contactout is a Chrome Extension that finds personal and professional email addresses (and sometimes phone numbers) on LinkedIn profiles. It’s designed for recruiters and salespeople, but honestly, anyone who needs to reach a lot of people directly might find it useful.
What it does well: - Pulls emails fast—much faster than manual searching. - Decent hit rate for personal emails. - Integrates right into LinkedIn, so you don’t have to bounce between a dozen tabs.
What to watch out for: - Not every profile has results. It’s good, but not magic. - You’ll hit usage limits unless you pay up. - The UI can feel a little clunky if you’re moving fast.
If you’re after a “set it and forget it” tool, this isn’t it. But for automating the grind of contact discovery, it’s solid—if you know how to use it right.
Step 1: Install the Contactout Chrome Extension
Let’s keep it simple:
- Go to the Chrome Web Store and search for “Contactout Chrome Extension.”
- Hit “Add to Chrome.” (You’ll need to be using Google Chrome. No, it won’t work on Safari.)
- Sign up for a Contactout account, or log in if you already have one.
Pro Tip: Use a work email if you’re planning to use this for business. Some features are locked or limited for free accounts.
Step 2: Set Up Your LinkedIn for Automation
Contactout works directly on LinkedIn profiles. Here’s how to get set up for bulk workflows:
- Log in to LinkedIn. Premium is not required, but it helps for more search results.
- Narrow your search. Use LinkedIn’s filters to create a list of the people you actually want to contact. Don’t waste time (or Contactout credits) on junk leads.
- Open profiles in new tabs. You can right-click and open a bunch at once, but don’t go overboard—LinkedIn will get suspicious (and possibly restrict your account) if you open hundreds of profiles in a short time.
What to skip: Automated LinkedIn scrapers that visit hundreds of profiles a day. LinkedIn is cracking down, and you risk getting banned. Stick to what you can reasonably do as a human.
Step 3: Use Contactout to Find Emails (and Sometimes Phones)
Now for the meat of it:
- With a LinkedIn profile open, click the Contactout icon in your browser toolbar.
- A sidebar pops up showing any found emails or phone numbers.
- Save the contact to your Contactout dashboard—or copy the email and paste it wherever you need.
Batch Mode:
Contactout has a “list-building” tool. You can queue up LinkedIn profiles, then run a batch to pull contact info from all of them at once.
- Select profiles using the Contactout overlay or dashboard.
- Add to a new or existing list.
- Run the batch finder.
Heads up:
Batch mode sounds great, but don’t expect a 100% hit rate. Some profiles will come up empty, and you’ll burn through credits faster than you think. Always review your lists before exporting.
Step 4: Export Your Data (the Right Way)
No one wants to hand-copy emails into a spreadsheet. Here’s how to get your data out:
- Go to your Contactout dashboard (you can get there from the extension or via their website).
- Find your saved list.
- Click the “Export” button—typically CSV format.
What to do next: - Import your CSV into your CRM, ATS, or email tool. - Double-check for duplicates and junk data. Contactout is good, not perfect. - If you’re working with sensitive info, be smart about data privacy. Don’t just spray personal emails everywhere.
Pro Tip:
Don’t export your entire database every time. Keep things tidy—export only what you actually need for your next campaign.
Step 5: Automate the Routine Parts (But Don’t Get Greedy)
Contactout isn’t a true “automation” tool in the sense of running in the background without you. But you can automate parts of your workflow:
- Save time on manual lookup: Use batch mode for list-building.
- Combine with mail merge tools: Export your contacts, then plug them into something like Mailshake or Woodpecker for outreach.
- Plug into Zapier (if you’re technical): Contactout doesn’t have deep integrations, but you can use CSV exports as triggers for other workflows.
What not to bother with: - Don’t try to automate the entire process—LinkedIn will notice, and you risk bans. - Avoid browser automation scripts. They’re flaky and can cause more headaches than they solve.
Real Talk: What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What works: - Building short, targeted lists and pulling contact info in batches. - Quick copy-paste for one-off searches. - Integrating with your existing outreach tools via CSV.
What doesn’t: - Bulk scraping thousands of profiles a day. - Relying on Contactout for every single profile—some just won’t have any results. - Trusting every email is valid. Always expect a small bounce rate.
Ignore the hype about “instant pipeline automation.” Contactout is a speed tool, not a silver bullet. The real value is cutting the repetitive, manual work—not replacing smart research or human judgment.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
- Burning through credits: Slow down. Only target people you really want to contact.
- Getting blocked by LinkedIn: Don’t open hundreds of profiles at once. Mix up your browsing, and act like a real person.
- Messy exports: Clean your data—names, emails, companies—before uploading to your CRM.
- Legal gray areas: Personal email outreach is a minefield. Know your local regulations (GDPR, CAN-SPAM, etc.) and play it safe.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Automating contact discovery isn’t about chasing every shiny tool or scraping every profile out there. Start small: get the Contactout Chrome Extension working for your actual workflow, save yourself some grunt work, and see what fits. If you find something that works, double down. If not, tweak and move on.
The goal isn’t perfection—it’s progress. Don’t complicate things. Use tools that save you time, ignore the hype, and keep iterating until your workflow just works.