If you’re trying to build a B2B prospecting list, you know the hardest part isn’t finding companies—it’s getting valid emails for the right contacts. LinkedIn Sales Navigator is great for targeting, but it keeps email addresses behind a wall. That’s where scraping tools like Captaindata come in. This guide walks you through how to use Captaindata to pull B2B emails from Sales Navigator, what works, and what to watch out for if you want to do this at any real scale.
This isn’t a “just click and get rich” walkthrough. I’ll show you what actually works, what will get your LinkedIn account in trouble, and where things tend to break down. If you’re a founder, BDR, or marketer who needs to fill the pipeline without burning your LinkedIn account, read on.
The Basics: What Captaindata Can (and Can’t) Do
Captaindata is a SaaS platform that automates data extraction from a ton of sources, including LinkedIn. It’s designed for non-coders who want to run scraping workflows with minimal setup. You connect your LinkedIn account, tell it what you want, and it automates the rest—including finding emails for those contacts.
Here’s what Captaindata does well: - Automates LinkedIn searches and exports contact info at scale. - Integrates with Sales Navigator for more granular targeting. - Can enrich contacts with emails using third-party services. - Runs on the cloud—no need to keep your laptop open.
But here’s what it can’t do (or at least, not well): - It won’t magically give you 100% verified emails for every contact. - It can’t break LinkedIn’s anti-bot protections if you get too aggressive. - It won’t keep your account safe if you ignore usage limits.
If you want a tool that “just works” forever and never gets blocked, you’re out of luck. But if you’re careful and realistic, you can get a lot of value.
Step 1: Prep Your LinkedIn Sales Navigator Account
Before you start scraping, you need a LinkedIn Sales Navigator account. (Basic LinkedIn won’t cut it—scraping is limited, and you’ll hit roadblocks fast.)
Pro tips: - Use a dedicated LinkedIn account for scraping if you can. If you scorch your main account, you’re out of luck. - Warm up the account by using it like a human for a few weeks—view profiles, send invites, but don’t act like a robot.
What to ignore: Don’t buy “aged” LinkedIn accounts off sketchy marketplaces. They usually get flagged quickly.
Step 2: Set Up Captaindata
- Sign Up and Connect LinkedIn
- Create your Captaindata account.
- In the dashboard, find “Integrations” and connect your LinkedIn account. Captaindata will ask for your login cookies (awkward, but standard for scraping tools). Follow their instructions.
Watch out: Never reuse LinkedIn logins across multiple scraping tools. This is a good way to get everything banned at once.
- Choose Your Workflow
- Captaindata has prebuilt workflows. Look for one like “LinkedIn Sales Navigator Search to Email Enrichment.”
- You can customize steps, but the default works for most people.
Pro tip: Stick with the templates until you know what you’re doing. Custom workflows are powerful but easy to mess up.
Step 3: Build Your Target Search in Sales Navigator
This is where you decide who you actually want to scrape. The more targeted your search, the better your results (and the less likely LinkedIn will flag you).
- Use filters: geography, industry, company size, job title, etc.
- Don’t go for massive lists out of the gate. Start with a few hundred results and ramp up.
- Copy the final search URL from Sales Navigator.
Reality check: If your search returns 10,000 results, you’re asking for trouble. LinkedIn watches for aggressive scraping. Think quality, not quantity.
Step 4: Configure Your Captaindata Workflow
- Paste in the Sales Navigator Search URL
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In Captaindata, paste the Sales Nav search URL where prompted.
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Set Extraction Limits
- Decide how many profiles you want to scrape per run. Start small—maybe 50-100 per day. Captaindata lets you schedule runs, so you can “drip” the extraction over days or weeks.
Pro tip: Stagger runs and vary the timing. Don’t scrape at 2am every night or at the exact same minute.
- Email Enrichment Settings
- Captaindata can enrich profiles with emails using third-party services (like Hunter, Dropcontact, etc.).
- You’ll need API keys for these services, and many are paid by the match.
- Pick one or two enrichment services for the best coverage.
What to ignore: Don’t expect 100% email match rates—30-60% is realistic, and sometimes less for niche industries or geos.
Step 5: Run the Scrape (and Don’t Get Banned)
- Start the workflow.
- Monitor progress in Captaindata’s dashboard—look for errors or blocks.
- Captaindata will export the data as CSV or push it to your CRM.
How not to get banned: - Don’t blast through thousands of profiles per day. Even if Captaindata lets you, LinkedIn will notice. - Rotate between different searches and keep daily volume reasonable. - If you see “Suspicious Activity” warnings on LinkedIn, stop immediately and let the account rest.
Honestly: Every scraping tool says they’re “safe.” None are foolproof. LinkedIn changes its defenses all the time. If you value your LinkedIn account, go slow.
Step 6: Clean and Validate Your Emails
You’ll get a mix of verified, guessed, and sometimes just plain wrong emails. Before you start blasting out cold emails, do some housekeeping:
- Use a service like NeverBounce or ZeroBounce to validate emails.
- Remove bounces, duplicates, and obviously-fake addresses.
- Spot-check a few results against LinkedIn manually. Sometimes the enrichment pulls the wrong person or company.
What to ignore: Don’t just trust the “verified” badge from enrichment tools. Always double-check high-value leads.
Step 7: Import to Your CRM or Outreach Tool
Once you have a cleaned list: - Import the CSV to your CRM, email outreach tool, or wherever you do prospecting. - Map fields correctly (Name, Company, Email, LinkedIn URL, etc.). - Tag the source so you know where these leads came from.
Pro tip: Keep detailed notes on how you built each list. If someone replies “How did you find my email?” you want a paper trail.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
- Works: Small, targeted runs with good search filters; slow, steady extraction; using multiple enrichment services for higher match rates.
- Doesn’t work: Trying to scrape tens of thousands of profiles a week; using one account for everything; assuming every email is valid.
- Ignore: Anyone promising “undetectable” scraping at huge scale. LinkedIn is not dumb. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
Captaindata is a solid tool, but it’s not magic. The real work is in how you plan your searches, clean your data, and avoid getting greedy.
Wrapping Up
Getting B2B emails from LinkedIn Sales Navigator isn’t rocket science, but it does take discipline. Stick to reasonable volumes, keep your data clean, and don’t believe the hype about “set and forget” scraping. Start small, learn as you go, and tweak your workflow over time. The simplest approach is usually the most reliable. Happy (and careful) prospecting.