Let’s be real: outreach is a slog. Finding leads, scraping data, sending emails, keeping track of replies—it’s easy to get lost in the weeds or just burn out. If you’re tired of spreadsheets and manual copy-paste, this guide’s for you. I’ll walk you through how to actually automate your outreach campaigns using ExportApollo.io workflows.
Whether you’re in sales, recruiting, or just trying to get your startup off the ground, you’ll learn how to cut busywork, skip the hype, and focus on what actually works.
Why bother automating outreach?
You already know outreach is a numbers game, but manual work kills momentum. Automation isn’t “set it and forget it” magic, but it does free you up to focus on the stuff that matters—like writing better emails or actually talking to people.
Here’s what you can realistically expect:
- Save time: No more copy-pasting profiles or fiddling with CSVs.
- Stay organized: Less chance of dropping the ball on follow-ups.
- Scale up: Reach more people without losing your mind.
But—automation won’t fix bad targeting, spammy messaging, or weak offers. If your outreach isn’t working, look there first.
Step 1: Get clear on your outreach goals
Don’t skip this. Before you touch any tool, get specific:
- Who are you reaching out to? (Job titles, industries, geos)
- What’s your goal? (Book a call? Get a reply? Build a list?)
- How will you personalize, if at all?
- What’s your follow-up plan?
If you can’t answer these in a sentence or two, automation will just help you do the wrong thing faster.
Step 2: Set up ExportApollo.io and connect your sources
Head to ExportApollo.io and create an account if you haven’t already. The setup is pretty straightforward, but here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Connect your data source.
- Most people use Apollo.io to find leads, but you can also import from LinkedIn Sales Navigator or other CRMs.
- ExportApollo.io works by plugging into your Apollo.io account and extracting lead lists. You’ll need your Apollo.io credentials and possibly an API key (the docs walk you through this).
- Choose your export format.
- CSV is standard, but check what your email tool prefers.
- Pro tip: Only pull the fields you’ll actually use. More data = more mess.
What’s worth your time:
- Syncing directly with Apollo.io saves a ton of time over manual exports.
- If your data source is a mess, clean it up first. Automation doesn’t fix bad data.
Step 3: Build your first workflow
Now for the fun part. ExportApollo.io lets you set up “workflows”—basically, a chain of actions to pull leads, clean up the data, and push it somewhere useful. Here’s how to approach it:
3.1. Define your trigger
- Most common: Scheduled export (e.g., every Monday at 8am)
- You can also trigger workflows manually or based on new leads in Apollo.
3.2. Add actions
Typical steps in a workflow:
- Extract leads from your Apollo.io saved search or list.
- Clean and enrich data (remove duplicates, fill in missing emails, etc.).
- Format for your outreach tool (some tools need specific column names or formats).
- Push to your email platform (like Outreach, Mailshake, or even Gmail).
You can get fancy—add steps to enrich with LinkedIn URLs, or validate emails—but don’t overcomplicate it on your first go.
3.3. Set up notifications
- Get an email or Slack ping when workflows run or fail.
- This way, you won’t miss a beat if something breaks (and something will at some point).
What to ignore:
- Don’t bother with every enrichment add-on unless you know it’s relevant to your campaign.
- If you’re just getting started, skip advanced branching/conditional steps. Complexity multiplies headaches.
Step 4: Integrate with your outreach tool
Here’s where a lot of folks get tripped up. ExportApollo.io spits out a clean CSV or pushes directly to some platforms, but you’ll need to check what your email tool can ingest.
- Direct integration: If your outreach tool is supported (like Outreach, Reply.io, or Salesloft), use the built-in connector.
- CSV upload: For everyone else, download the file and import manually. Not glamorous, but it works.
Watch out for: - Field mismatches (e.g., “First Name” vs. “firstname”). Map columns carefully. - Rate limits—some email tools throttle uploads or sends.
Pro tip:
Test with a tiny batch first. The last thing you want is to send 1,000 emails with the wrong {{FirstName}} field.
Step 5: Personalize (without losing your mind)
This is where automation usually falls flat. No one wants to get a mass email that feels like a robot wrote it.
- Use merge fields for basics (first name, company, job title), but…
- Add a custom note field for real personalization. ExportApollo.io can pull some custom fields, or you can add them manually for your top leads.
- Segment your list if possible. Separate by industry or persona, not just “everyone in my CRM.”
What works:
- Short, specific emails with a clear ask get the best replies.
- Personalization at scale is hard. If you have a high-value list, do the extra work.
What doesn’t:
- Relying on generic templates. The more you automate, the less personal it feels.
- Using “clever” merge fields that break if the data is missing.
Step 6: Automate your follow-ups
Most replies come from follow-ups, not the first email. ExportApollo.io can’t send emails for you, but it can tee up lists for your outreach tool to handle automated follow-up sequences.
- Set your cadence (e.g., 3-5 emails over 2 weeks).
- Make sure your outreach tool is set to stop if someone replies.
- Update your workflow to refresh your list regularly, so new leads get the full sequence.
Watch out for: - Over-emailing. Too many follow-ups become spam real fast. - Not tracking opt-outs or bounces.
Step 7: Monitor, tweak, and stay human
Automation is never really “done.” Stuff breaks, data gets stale, people unsubscribe.
- Check your workflows weekly. Look for errors, bounced emails, weird data.
- Keep an eye on open/reply rates. If things drop, revisit your targeting or messaging, not just the workflow.
- Don’t be afraid to pause and fix things. Sending bad emails to more people isn’t a win.
Pro tip:
Schedule a monthly “workflow health check.” It’s 10 minutes that can save you a lot of embarrassment.
Quick recap: What’s worth it, what isn’t
- Worth it: Automating lead exports, deduping, and list prep.
- Not worth it: Over-engineering with too many integrations.
- Worth it: Using workflows to avoid manual drudgery.
- Not worth it: Hoping automation will fix bad outreach or lazy messaging.
Final thoughts: Start simple, iterate fast
Don’t chase “perfect” automation. Get a basic ExportApollo.io workflow running, see where it saves you time, and tweak as you go. If a step takes more time to automate than to just do manually, skip it for now. The best outreach campaigns are the ones you actually send, not the ones you spend weeks building.
Keep it simple, stay human, and let the robots handle the grunt work.