If you’re tired of blasting generic emails into the void and hoping something sticks, you’re not alone. Effective outreach starts with targeting the right people, not just grabbing every contact you can find. This guide is for anyone using Lusha who wants to actually make segmentation work—without drowning in pointless filters or wasting hours on busywork.
Below, I’ll walk you through using advanced filters to slice your leads into useful groups, avoid common traps, and get set up for outreach that actually gets replies.
Why bother segmenting leads at all?
Here’s the truth: Most people using tools like Lusha just grab giant lists and hope for the best. That approach is fast, but it’s also a great way to get sent straight to spam. Segmenting helps you:
- Save time by focusing on real prospects.
- Personalize your message (without sounding like a robot).
- Avoid burning through your credits on leads that don’t fit.
It’s not about using every filter—just the right ones for your goals.
Step 1: Get clear about who you actually want to reach
Before you click a single filter, take a minute. What does your ideal lead look like? Get specific. Think:
- Industry: Are they in SaaS, manufacturing, healthcare?
- Role or seniority: Are you after decision-makers, or the folks who actually use your product?
- Location: Is geography even relevant?
- Company size: Startups or enterprises—or something in between?
Write this down somewhere. Seriously. Lusha’s filters are only as useful as your plan.
Step 2: Navigate to Lusha’s advanced filters
Assuming you’re logged in, head to the Search tab. Lusha has a bunch of filters, but the “advanced” ones let you get way beyond basic title or company. These include:
- Seniority
- Department
- Company headcount
- Technologies used
- Funding stage
- Industry
- Location
- Keywords
Don’t worry if you don’t need all of them—most people don’t.
Step 3: Build your first filter set—don’t overcomplicate it
Start simple. Here’s how I’d approach it:
- Pick 2-3 core filters based on your ICP (ideal customer profile). For example:
- Industry: “Financial Services”
- Seniority: “Director” or “VP”
-
Company size: “201–500 employees”
-
Run the search.
See how many results you get. If it’s thousands, tighten up. If it’s a handful, loosen up. -
Adjust as needed.
Play with combinations—sometimes “Director” returns better leads than “VP,” or vice versa.
Pro tip: Don’t just stack filters for the sake of it. Too many filters = zero results. Too few = junk leads.
Step 4: Use “Technologies used” (when it actually matters)
This is one of Lusha’s better features, but it’s easy to misuse. Here’s when it’s worth it:
- Selling marketing automation? Filter for companies using HubSpot or Marketo.
- Targeting IT? Look for AWS, Azure, or specific stacks.
What to skip:
If your product works for anyone, don’t get too clever. Also, these tech filters aren’t always 100% accurate—sometimes companies show up with tech tags they ditched years ago.
Step 5: Layer with “Funding” or “Growth Signals” (but don’t chase hype)
Lusha lets you filter by funding rounds, recent hiring, or headcount growth. This can be handy if:
- You want fast-growing companies open to new tools.
- You're targeting companies that recently raised capital and might have budget.
Caution:
Just because a company raised money doesn’t mean they’re buying. Sometimes, they’re cutting costs or freezing budgets right after a round. Use these as a signal, not gospel.
Step 6: Save your segments
Once you’ve got a filter combo that returns good leads, save it as a segment or a list. This way:
- You can revisit and tweak it later.
- You’ll avoid re-inventing the wheel every week.
- You can track which segments actually convert (instead of just collecting contacts).
Don’t bother saving every random filter combo—focus on the ones that match your real campaigns.
Step 7: Export leads (but don’t blow your credits all at once)
Lusha operates on a credit system. You don’t want to spend all your credits exporting 2,000 leads if you’re only going to email 200 this week. Here’s what works:
- Export in batches that match your actual outreach pace.
- Prioritize the highest-fit leads.
- If you’re testing new filters, export a small sample first to see if the data is any good.
Watch out:
Some exported data will be out of date or have missing info—no tool is perfect. Always do a quick spot-check before launching a campaign.
Step 8: Personalize your outreach (using your segments)
Now that you’ve got segmented lists, use that info. Even simple personalization (“I saw you’re leading marketing at a fast-growing SaaS company”) works better than a generic pitch.
- Use the filters you applied as talking points.
- Reference the company’s tech stack or recent growth—if it actually relates to your pitch.
- Don’t try to fake personalization (“I noticed you’re a human at a company”). People can smell it a mile away.
What works, what doesn’t, and what to ignore
What works: - Keeping your segments tight and relevant. - Being honest about what data actually matters for your outreach. - Saving and tweaking segment templates over time.
What doesn’t: - Overusing filters—more isn’t always better. - Blindly trusting data freshness. Always double-check. - Sending generic emails to everyone on your list.
What you can ignore: - Vanity metrics like “total contacts found.” Focus on quality over quantity. - Overly granular filters (e.g., “companies with exactly 237 employees”). Real life isn’t that tidy.
Keep it simple, test, and adjust
You don’t need to be a segmentation wizard to see results. Start with a hypothesis, build a simple filter set, and see what kind of leads you get. Iterate. Drop what doesn’t work. Stick with what does.
The goal isn’t to create the “perfect” segment—it’s to find groups of people who are actually likely to reply. And that’s the only metric that really matters.