Sales teams live and die by the quality of their leads. If you’re tired of digging through messy, generic lists and want a targeted, no-nonsense way to organize prospects, this guide is for you. We’re not going to waste your time with clickbait promises—just a clear walkthrough on how to set up custom lead lists in Uplead that actually work for your team.
Whether you’re managing a team of SDRs or just trying to make your own outreach less painful, you’ll find what you need here. Let’s get straight to it.
Why Custom Lead Lists Matter (and What to Ignore)
Before jumping in, let’s get something out of the way: not every feature in a lead platform is worth your time. Uplead’s real value is in letting you build clean, focused lists—so you can stop wasting time on mismatched leads or endless filtering.
Custom lead lists help you: - Focus outreach on the right people (not just a random pile of contacts) - Avoid “list overwhelm” and keep reps from stepping on each other’s toes - Track progress on specific campaigns or verticals - Share lists with your team, instead of passing around half-baked CSVs
What to ignore: - Fancy “AI suggestions” that don’t fit your ICP (ideal customer profile) - Over-the-top enrichment features unless you really need them - Going overboard with too many tiny lists (keep it manageable)
With that out of the way, here’s how to actually set up lists that’ll make your sales life easier.
Step 1: Get Your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) Straight
You can’t build a useful list without knowing who you’re targeting. This sounds obvious, but it’s where most people screw up.
Ask yourself: - Who are our best customers? (Industry, size, geography) - What job titles do we actually want to reach? - Are there companies or contacts we should exclude?
Pro tip: Write this down. If you’re managing a team, make sure everyone’s on the same page before anyone touches Uplead.
Step 2: Log Into Uplead and Set Up Your First List
Assuming you’ve got your ICP sorted and you’re inside the Uplead dashboard:
-
Find the “Lists” or “My Lists” section.
Usually, there’s a sidebar or top menu for lists. Click it. If you don’t see it, double-check your plan—some features are hidden on entry-level tiers. -
Create a new list.
Look for a “Create List” or “New List” button. Name your list clearly (e.g., “NYC SaaS CTOs” or “2024 Midwest Manufacturing Prospects”). Avoid generic names like “Q2 Leads”—you’ll regret it later. -
Set list permissions (optional).
If you’re on a team plan, Uplead may let you choose who can view or edit the list. Unless you want chaos, don’t make everything public by default. -
Add a short description (optional, but helpful).
Jot down what this list is for (“Outreach for April campaign targeting logistics firms”). Future-you will thank you.
Step 3: Build Your Lead Filter (Without Getting Lost)
This is the meat of the process. Here’s how to avoid drowning in options:
- Start broad, then narrow.
Begin with a couple of high-level filters: - Industry (e.g., “Software,” “Logistics”)
- Company size (e.g., “51-200 employees”)
-
Location (city, state, country)
-
Add specific filters based on your ICP.
- Job titles (e.g., “CTO,” “Head of Operations”)
- Technologies used (if relevant)
-
Revenue range
-
Skip the fluff.
There are filters for everything under the sun—ignore what you don’t need. If your reps never call EMEA, don’t bother ticking those boxes. -
Use exclusion filters.
If you want to avoid competitors or certain industries, use the “exclude” options. It’s faster to filter them out now than to clean your list later. -
Preview your results.
Uplead shows a count of matching leads. If you’re pulling 10,000 contacts, your filters are probably too loose. If you get 5, you’re being too picky. Dial it in.
Pro tip: Don’t try to build a “forever list.” Markets change. Build for your next campaign or quarter, not eternity.
Step 4: Save and Organize Your List
Once you’re happy with your filtered results:
-
Bulk-select leads to add them to your list.
Uplead usually lets you select all visible leads or pick them one by one. Don’t add everything “just in case”—stick to your criteria. -
Save the list.
Click whatever “Save” or “Add to List” button appears. Double-check that the right leads went in (sometimes the UI is a bit clunky). -
Tag or segment leads if needed.
Some plans let you tag leads for easier sorting later. Use tags sparingly—too many and you’re back to chaos. -
Download or push to CRM (optional).
If your workflow calls for it, export your list as CSV or push directly to your CRM. But don’t do this until you’re sure your list is clean—otherwise, you’re just polluting your CRM.
Step 5: Share, Assign, and Maintain
A list is only useful if your team can use it. Here’s how to keep things running smoothly:
-
Share the list with your team.
Use Uplead’s sharing options to give access to the right reps. Don’t just email files around—it gets messy fast. -
Assign leads (if your plan allows).
Some versions of Uplead let you assign leads to specific team members. If not, use your CRM for assignment. -
Set a list review schedule.
Markets shift, contacts go stale, and people change jobs. Revisit and refresh your lists every month or quarter. -
Track results.
Link lists to campaigns and see what actually converts. Kill off lists that don’t perform—no point in keeping a graveyard.
Pro Tips and Pitfalls
What works: - Building lists for specific campaigns, not just generic segments. - Naming and describing lists clearly so anyone can pick up where you left off. - Using exclusion filters to cut down on junk data.
What doesn’t: - Creating dozens of micro-lists for every little scenario. - Trusting “recommended leads” blindly—always check for relevance. - Exporting and sharing lists outside Uplead unless you have to (version control gets ugly).
What to ignore: - Most enrichment features unless you need super-detailed data. - “Hot leads” labels—your team knows your ICP better than an algorithm.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
The best lead lists are living documents, not one-and-done projects. Uplead gives you the tools, but the real magic is in your team’s focus and follow-through. Don’t waste time perfecting lists that’ll be outdated in a month. Build, test, prune, and repeat.
Start with one or two good lists, see what works, and tweak as you go. The simpler your process, the more likely your team is to actually use it—and that’s what gets results.