How to automate lead enrichment workflows using Peopledatalabs and Zapier

If you’re tired of staring at spreadsheets, copying and pasting LinkedIn URLs, or wondering if your sales team is following up with the right leads, this is for you. Automating lead enrichment isn’t magic, but it can save you hours and (more importantly) make your outreach way more effective. Here’s how to set up a workflow using Peopledatalabs and Zapier—without needing a CS degree or a huge budget.

Why bother automating lead enrichment?

Before you start wiring things together, let’s be clear: lead enrichment is about turning a name and email into something actually useful. Think job title, company, location, social profiles—the stuff that tells you if this lead is worth your time.

Doing this by hand is a slog. Automation means:

  • Less manual work and fewer typos
  • Faster response times (no more “Sorry for the delay…” emails)
  • Better segmentation (stop sending the same email to everyone)
  • Higher conversion rates—if you use the data smartly

But don’t expect perfection. Data enrichment is only as good as the source and how you use it. You’ll get duds, stale info, or mismatches. The trick is to automate the grunt work, then use human judgment where it actually matters.

What you’ll need

  • Peopledatalabs API access (paid, with a free trial tier)
  • Zapier account (free is fine for basic setups; paid for higher volume)
  • A lead source (could be a form, CRM, spreadsheet, or even inbound emails)
  • A destination (where enriched leads go—CRM, Google Sheet, Slack, etc.)

No fancy dev skills required, but you’ll need to copy API keys and maybe read some API docs. If that sounds scary, don’t worry—I’ll show you the practical bits.

Step 1: Map out your enrichment flow

Don’t skip this. Even five minutes on a notepad can save you hours later.

Ask yourself:

  • Where do your raw leads come from?
  • What data do you start with (just emails? names? LinkedIn URLs?)
  • What extra info do you really need? (Don’t collect everything “just because”)
  • Where should the enriched leads end up?

Example:
- Raw leads from a web form (name + email) - Enrich with job title, company, LinkedIn - Add to HubSpot, notify sales on Slack

Draw it out. You’ll thank yourself later.

Step 2: Prep your Peopledatalabs account

  1. Sign up and log in.
  2. Get your API key: It’s in your dashboard. Keep this safe.
  3. Pick your endpoint: Most folks use /person/enrich (for people) or /company/enrich (for companies). You’ll use the person endpoint if you have an email or LinkedIn; company endpoint if you’re starting with a company name or domain.

Pro tip:
Test your API key and sample requests in the Peopledatalabs dashboard first. If you can’t get good results here, Zapier won’t magically fix it.

Step 3: Set up your lead trigger in Zapier

Log in to Zapier. You’ll need a trigger—the thing that starts your workflow.

Common triggers: - New row in Google Sheets - New submission in Typeform, Gravity Forms, or Webflow - New contact in HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, etc. - New email to a specific address (Zapier’s Email Parser is handy, but can be finicky)

Set it up: - Connect your app to Zapier. - Test it with a real example. Don’t use dummy data—you’ll just confuse yourself later.

Step 4: Add the Peopledatalabs API call

Here’s where most people get stuck: Peopledatalabs isn’t a built-in Zapier app. You’ll use “Webhooks by Zapier” to call the API directly.

How to do it:

  1. Add an Action: Choose “Webhooks by Zapier” → “Custom Request”.
  2. Set up the API call:
  3. Method: POST
  4. URL: https://api.peopledatalabs.com/v5/person/enrich
  5. Headers:
    • Content-Type: application/json
    • X-api-key: your_api_key_here

  6. Data:

    • Build a JSON object with the fields you have. For example: json { "email": "your_lead_email_here" }

    • Zapier will let you insert data from the previous step.

  7. Test the request:

  8. Zapier will show you the API response. If it’s empty or gives an error, check your API key and required fields.
  9. Not every lead will enrich. That’s normal—Peopledatalabs is good, but not magic.

What works:
- Email addresses and LinkedIn URLs get the best results. - The more data you provide (email + name + company), the better the match.

What doesn’t:
- Enriching off just a first name and Gmail address? Don’t bother. - Old or typo-ridden emails will usually fail.

Step 5: Parse and use the enriched data

The Peopledatalabs API returns a big JSON blob—most of which you’ll never use.

Pick out what matters.
Add a Zapier “Formatter” or “Code by Zapier” step if you want to:

  • Grab the job title, company, and LinkedIn URL
  • Clean up empty/null values
  • Map fields to your CRM or spreadsheet

Pro tips:
- Always check for empty responses. Not every lead enriches. - Flag leads with missing enrichment so you can review them later—don’t just toss them.

Step 6: Send the enriched lead to its final destination

Hook up your end system. This could be:

  • CRM: HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Close, etc.
  • Spreadsheet: Google Sheets, Airtable (good for testing or small teams)
  • Internal alert: Slack, email, etc.

Zapier has built-in apps for most of these. Map the enriched fields to your destination fields.

Be careful:
- Don’t overwrite existing good data with blanks or worse guesses. - Use “Update or Create” actions where possible to avoid duplicates.

Step 7: Test (and keep it simple)

Run a full test with real leads. Don’t just trust Zapier’s test buttons—actually trigger the workflow.

Watch out for: - Missing or mismatched data - API rate limits (free Peopledatalabs plans are tight) - Zapier task limits (especially on free plans) - Data privacy: Don’t enrich or store info you don’t actually need

If something breaks, simplify your workflow. You can always add bells and whistles later.

What to ignore (for now)

  • Don’t try to enrich 100+ fields. More info isn’t always better—just focus on what will actually help sales or marketing.
  • Don’t obsess over perfect matches. Even the best enrichment tools miss sometimes. Use enrichment to guide, not replace, human follow-up.
  • Don’t over-automate. Start with one or two steps. If you’re spending hours debugging, you’re doing too much.

Honest answers to common questions

  • Is Peopledatalabs the only API for this?
    Nope. Clearbit, FullContact, and others offer similar data. Peopledatalabs is solid for B2B and has broad coverage, but always test with your own leads.

  • Will this workflow get me 100% match rates?
    Not a chance. Good enrichment is 30-60% hit rate, depending on your audience.

  • Is Zapier reliable?
    Yes, for light to moderate workflows. If you’re pushing thousands of leads a day, you’ll hit limits or delays. For most, it’s plenty.

  • Will this replace my SDRs?
    Not even close. Enrichment gets you better starting data—actual outreach still needs human brains.

Keep it simple, then iterate

Automation is supposed to make life easier, not eat up your weekend. Start small: enrich a lead from a form and send it to a spreadsheet. Once that works, add complexity as needed. Keep an eye on what’s actually useful, cut what isn’t, and don’t worry if your workflow isn’t perfect on day one. It never is.