How to clean and verify email addresses in Leadleaper for better deliverability

If you’re sending cold emails, you already know that deliverability is the game. Bad email data means bounced messages, spam folders, blown domains, and wasted time. This guide is for anyone using Leadleaper to scrape or collect emails—whether you’re in sales, recruiting, or just trying to keep your sender reputation intact.

I’ll break down how to clean and verify your email lists in Leadleaper, what actually works, and what’s just noise. Let’s skip the guesswork and get your emails landing where they should.

Why Cleaning and Verifying Emails Matters

Before you dive in, a quick reality check: No tool (not even Leadleaper) guarantees 100% valid emails. People leave jobs. Domains expire. But you can catch most junk and minimize the damage.

Here’s why you should care:

  • Bounces kill your sender reputation. Too many, and even legit emails start going to spam.
  • Spam traps = disaster. Some “emails” aren’t real—they’re there just to catch spammers. Hit a few, and your whole domain gets flagged.
  • Wasted effort. You don’t want your team chasing ghosts.

Clean data = better response rates, less hassle, and less explaining to your boss.

Step 1: Exporting Your Emails from Leadleaper

First things first: get your data out in a way you can actually work with.

How to Export

  1. Go to your dashboard.
    Leadleaper organizes prospects into lists. Pick the one you want to clean.

  2. Export as CSV.
    Look for the export or download button (usually top right of your list view). Download as a CSV. Don’t bother with Excel or PDF—CSV is cleaner for bulk tools.

  3. Check your columns.
    Make sure you have at least:

  4. Email address
  5. First and last name (optional, but helpful later)
  6. Company/domain (also handy)

Pro tip: If you’re scraping directly from LinkedIn, double-check that Leadleaper didn’t fill in any blanks with “guesses.” Sometimes it’ll generate email formats even if it’s not sure.

Step 2: Weed Out the Obvious Garbage

Don’t waste verification credits (or time) on junk. Do a quick manual scan.

  • Delete blanks and duplicates.
    Obvious, but you’d be surprised.

  • Look for weird domains.
    Stuff like @example.com, @gmail.com in B2B lists, or anything that just looks off.

  • Remove “catch-all” emails if possible.
    Some companies set up their domain to accept any email address, so verification tools can’t check if the inbox is real. These are risky—they might work, but they’re also more likely to bounce.

  • Spot obviously fake names.
    If it’s test@company.com, asdf@domain.com, or anything that looks like a placeholder, just delete it.

This step is boring, but skipping it costs you later.

Step 3: Use Leadleaper’s Built-In Verification (But Don’t Rely on It)

Leadleaper offers its own verification, but here’s the truth: it’s basic. It’s better than nothing, but don’t bet your domain on it alone.

How to Use It

  1. Within your list, click “Verify” next to each contact or batch-select.
  2. Check the status:
  3. Valid: Supposedly safe to send.
  4. Invalid: Don’t send. Obvious bounces.
  5. Catch-all/Unknown: Risky. Some tools call these “accept all” or “unknown.”

What Works

  • It’ll catch obvious dead emails (bad formats, dead domains).
  • It’s fast and built-in.

What Doesn’t

  • It can’t check if a “catch-all” email is actually used by a real person.
  • It sometimes marks emails as “valid” just because the domain exists, not the inbox.

Bottom line: Use Leadleaper’s check as a first pass, not your only filter.

Step 4: Run a Real Verification with a Third-Party Tool

If deliverability matters (and it should), use a proper email verification service. A few popular ones: ZeroBounce, NeverBounce, Hunter, BriteVerify. They all do roughly the same thing—some are a little better with catch-alls or have fancier dashboards, but the basics are the basics.

How To Do It

  1. Upload your CSV.
    Every major verifier supports CSV uploads. Don’t overthink the mapping—just make sure the email column is clear.

  2. Let it run.
    This usually takes a few minutes for a few thousand emails.

  3. Download the results.
    You’ll get back a list, typically with statuses like:

  4. Valid
  5. Invalid
  6. Catch-all
  7. Disposable
  8. Unknown

What to Keep

  • Send to “Valid” only.
    These are lowest-risk (nothing is zero risk, but it’s as good as it gets).

  • Skip “Invalid” and “Disposable.”
    Don’t even bother.

  • Be cautious with “Catch-all” and “Unknown.”
    If you’re sending at scale, avoid these. If you’re desperate or sending very low volume, you can try, but monitor bounce rates closely.

Pro tip: Many tools charge per email checked. Clean your list manually first to save money.

Step 5: Final Checks Before Sending

You’ve verified your list, but don’t trip at the finish line.

  • Spot-check a few addresses manually.
    Google the person’s name and company. If they left years ago, their email is probably dead.

  • Don’t send too many at once.
    If it’s your first campaign, warm up your sending domain. Start small (50–100 a day), then ramp up. Big blasts from a cold domain almost always get flagged.

  • Use custom sending domains if possible.
    If your main company domain gets burned, you’re in trouble. Consider using a subdomain (like mail.yourcompany.com) for cold outreach.

Pro tip: Always include an unsubscribe link. Not just for compliance—it keeps your sender reputation safer.

What to Ignore

Honestly, a lot of “tips” out there are noise. Here’s what’s not worth your energy:

  • Overly fancy enrichment tools.
    Leadleaper pulls some extra data, but don’t pay extra for “AI scoring” or “intent data” unless you know it’s useful for you.

  • Email verification “hacks.”
    There’s no magic spreadsheet formula better than running a proper verification. Save your time.

  • Promises of “zero bounces.”
    Not possible. If someone guarantees this, they’re selling snake oil.

Quick Troubleshooting

  • Still seeing bounces?
    Trim your list further. Check if you’re sending to catch-alls or old data. Consider switching verification providers.

  • Emails not getting opened?
    List cleaning helps, but subject lines and content matter more here.

  • Getting flagged as spam?
    Check your sending domain, warm-up, and sending volume. Bad lists are just one piece of the puzzle.

Keep It Simple and Iterate

You don’t need a seven-step workflow or a pile of fancy tools. If you’re using Leadleaper, clean your data first, verify it with a real service, and don’t get greedy with volume. Monitor results, adjust, and repeat. Better deliverability is about smart habits, not chasing shiny objects.

Good luck—and remember, the best list is the one that actually gets read.