How to export custom account lists from Hginsights for ABM campaigns

Need to get a clean, targeted account list out of Hginsights for your ABM campaign? You’re in the right place. This guide is for anyone who wants to slice and dice company data—without wasting time or getting lost in a maze of features.

Whether you’re a marketer, a sales ops lead, or just someone who drew the short straw for building lists this quarter, here’s how to actually get what you need from Hginsights without the fluff.

Why Export from Hginsights Instead of Just Filtering In-App?

Let’s be honest: building filters in Hginsights is quick, but sharing or using the data elsewhere is a headache if you can’t export. If your ad platform, CRM, or sales team needs a CSV (and they almost always do), exporting is the way to go.

Some reasons you might want to export: - Real ABM campaigns: You need to upload lists to LinkedIn, Salesforce, or your email tool. - Team collaboration: Not everyone on your team has (or wants) a login. - Offline analysis: Sometimes you just want to run your own Excel formulas.

Step 1: Define Your Account Criteria

Before you even log into Hginsights, get clear on what you want in your list. This isn’t just busywork—it’ll save you time later.

Questions to ask: - Are you targeting by industry, revenue, employee count, tech stack? - Specific geographies? - Existing customers or only net-new? - Which exclusions matter (competitors, current clients, etc.)?

Pro tip: Write your must-have criteria down. Hginsights can get granular, and it’s easy to get sidetracked.

Step 2: Build Your List in Hginsights

Once you’re logged in, it’s time to actually create your custom list.

  1. Navigate to the Account List Builder
    This goes by different names depending on your subscription or UI version—sometimes it’s “Segments,” “Account Explorer,” or just “Filters.” If you don’t see it, check the sidebar or the top nav.

  2. Apply Filters
    Here’s where you set those criteria:

  3. Firmographics: Revenue, employee count, HQ location, etc.
  4. Technographics: What tools/tech the company uses.
  5. Intent data: If your subscription includes it, this is where you’ll filter for companies showing buying signals.
  6. Custom fields: Some orgs have custom tags or notes—don’t forget these.

Warning: Not all data is fresh or complete. Hginsights is better than most, but always sanity-check your filter results. If you suddenly have zero companies in your segment, back out and loosen your criteria.

  1. Preview Your Results
    Don’t skip this. Look at the first page of results and spot-check a few records. You’re looking for:
  2. Obvious outliers (e.g., companies way too small or too big)
  3. Duplicates or weird data
  4. Any companies you know you should exclude

Step 3: Save Your Segment (If Needed)

Some versions of Hginsights make you save your filtered view before you can export. If you see a “Save Segment” or “Save List” button, use it.

  • Name your segment something clear and date-stamped (“US SaaS 500+ Employees – June 2024” beats “Test List 2”).
  • If you’re sharing with colleagues later, add a quick description.

Step 4: Export Your Account List

Here’s where things sometimes get clunky. Hginsights usually offers export options, but the details vary by license and UI.

  1. Find the Export Button
  2. It’s usually at the top or bottom of the list view.
  3. Sometimes hidden behind a “...” or “Actions” menu.

  4. If you can’t find it, you might not have export permissions—ask your admin.

  5. Choose Your Format

  6. CSV is the safest bet—every tool can read it.

  7. Excel is sometimes offered, but stick with CSV unless you have a reason not to.

  8. Select Your Fields

  9. Some exports let you customize which columns to include (e.g., company name, domain, revenue, tech installs, etc.).
  10. If you plan to upload to LinkedIn or Salesforce, check what fields they require and export those.

What to ignore: “Export all” is tempting, but you’ll just end up with columns you don’t need. Uncheck anything you know is irrelevant.

  1. Run the Export
  2. Click export, and Hginsights will generate a download (sometimes instantly, sometimes emailed to you).
  3. If it takes more than a few minutes, check your spam folder or notifications.

Step 5: Clean and Prep Your Exported List

Don’t just upload your export blindly. Most lists need a little cleanup first.

What to check: - Duplicates: Even the best platforms miss these. Run a quick deduplication in Excel or Google Sheets. - Missing fields: Spot-check to make sure you have all the data you need—especially domains and company names. - Weird characters: Sometimes exports have odd symbols or encoding issues. Clean these up, or your upload will break. - Format for your end tool: If you’re importing to Salesforce, make sure field names match. For LinkedIn, check their template first.

Pro tip: Save a “master copy” of your raw export, then make edits on a duplicate. You’ll thank yourself later if something goes sideways.

Step 6: Upload or Share Your List

Now you’ve got a list ready to roll. Here’s how to use it:

  • LinkedIn Matched Audiences: Upload your CSV directly, making sure you’ve got company names and domains.
  • CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.): Map your columns to existing fields. Watch for weird formatting (like leading zeros).
  • Share with your team: Don’t just drop the file in Slack. Add a few notes about what’s included, what’s not, and any exclusions.

What Works (and What Doesn’t) with Hginsights Exports

Works well: - Quickly building targeted lists when you know your criteria. - Exporting standard fields (company name, domain, revenue, tech installs). - Sharing static lists with sales or marketing.

Falls short: - Real-time syncs with your CRM or MAP—unless you pay for an integration, you’re stuck with manual exports. - Exporting contacts/person-level data. Hginsights is mostly company-focused. - Super-custom fields. If you need something weird, you’ll probably have to add it by hand.

Ignore the hype: Hginsights’ export is only as good as your filter. If your initial segment is fuzzy, your exported list will be too. No tool can fix unclear targeting.

Pro Tips for Better Account List Exports

  • Iterate, don’t overthink. Start with a broad segment, export, and then refine. You’ll learn faster than by tweaking filters endlessly.
  • Keep a “do not contact” list handy. Run your export against it to avoid mistakes (yes, it happens).
  • Stay organized. Date your exports, and keep a changelog if you’re doing this often.
  • Check your license. Lower-tier Hginsights plans sometimes limit exports or field access—know what you’re working with.

Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Test, and Repeat

Exporting custom account lists from Hginsights isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to overcomplicate. Start with clear targeting, sanity-check your filters, export only what you need, and clean up before you upload. Don’t expect magic—expect a tool that does one thing well, as long as you’re clear about what you want.

Iterate as you go, and don’t be afraid to toss out a bad export and start again. The goal is a usable list, not perfection on the first try.