If you’re tasked with finding B2B leads and sick of repetitive tasks, you’ve probably looked at automation tools. Some are hyped beyond belief. Some just flat-out don’t work. But a few—like Phantombuster—can actually save you serious time if you use them right.
This guide is for marketers, founders, and salespeople who want to use automation to fill their pipeline, but don’t have time for fluff. I’ll spell out exactly how to get going, what to avoid, and how to keep things human.
Why people use Phantombuster for B2B lead gen
Let’s be blunt: manually scraping LinkedIn for prospects is soul-crushing. Phantombuster automates a lot of that—think extracting lists, visiting profiles, sending connection requests, and even dropping personalized messages. It’s not magic, and it won’t make you rich overnight, but it can help you automate grunt work and scale what already works.
Best use cases: - Pulling large lists of leads from LinkedIn/Sales Navigator. - Automating personalized outreach (within reason). - Updating or enriching CRM data. - Keeping tabs on competitors or clients.
What to ignore: - Any claim of “fully automated” outreach with 0 oversight. - Scraping data from sites without checking their terms of service. - Overcomplicated workflows that look great in theory but break in practice.
Step 1: Get your targeting dialed in before you automate
Phantombuster is a tool, not a strategy. If your targeting sucks, you’ll just automate bad outreach and get ignored (or worse, flagged as spam).
Before you touch any automation: - Define your ideal customer profile (ICP). Get specific—industry, company size, geography, title, etc. - Build precise LinkedIn/Sales Navigator searches. Don’t just search “Marketing Manager”—filter by years of experience, company headcount, etc. - Spot-check your search results. Make sure you’re not pulling in junk (students, consultants, irrelevant companies).
Pro tip: Spend more time here than you think you need. The quality of your data is everything.
Step 2: Set up your Phantombuster account and connect your data sources
- Sign up for an account. Go to Phantombuster and create an account. There’s a free trial, but you’ll likely need a paid plan eventually.
- Install the browser extension. This helps Phantombuster grab your session cookies (how it logs in as “you” to scrape data).
- Connect your LinkedIn (and/or Sales Navigator). This is what most B2B campaigns need. Phantombuster will walk you through grabbing your session cookie. It sounds shady, but it’s how all these tools work.
- Optional: Google Sheets or CRM. If you want to import/export leads, connect these now.
Watch out for:
- LinkedIn occasionally logs you out or detects “unusual activity.” If your session breaks, you’ll need to refresh your cookie.
- Don’t run Phantombuster from multiple places (e.g., two laptops) at once. LinkedIn hates that.
Step 3: Choose and configure the right “Phantom” (automation)
Phantombuster calls each automation a “Phantom.” There are dozens, but for B2B lead gen, focus on these:
Core Phantoms for Lead Gen
- LinkedIn Search Export: Pulls data from LinkedIn search results. Start here for a raw list.
- LinkedIn Profile Scraper: Enriches your list with details from each profile.
- LinkedIn Network Booster: Automates connection requests with a custom message.
- LinkedIn Message Sender: Sends messages to your connections (don’t spam!).
How to configure:
- Paste the URL of your LinkedIn/Sales Navigator search.
- Set how many profiles you want to scrape per run (start small: 20-40 per day).
- Customize your connection/request messages. Personalization tokens (like {{firstName}}) help, but don’t overdo it.
- Schedule runs during working hours—don’t blast 500 requests at 3 a.m.
Pro tip:
Don’t try to run everything at once. Pick one workflow, test it, and then layer more on.
Step 4: Keep your automation human (and legal)
It’s tempting to crank things up and send 100+ connection requests a day. Resist. LinkedIn is watching for automation, and if you act like a robot, you’ll get flagged.
Best practices: - Stay well under LinkedIn’s limits. 20–50 connection requests per day is generally safe, but this changes. Don’t push your luck. - Warm up new accounts slowly. If your LinkedIn profile is new or inactive, start with fewer actions. - Personalize where you can. A simple “Hi {{firstName}}, saw you work in {{companyName}}—would love to connect” works better than generic pitches. - Don’t use automation for spam. It’s not just ineffective; it can get your account restricted.
What to avoid: - Using fake LinkedIn accounts. They get banned fast. - Scraping or messaging people outside your network en masse. - Ignoring opt-out requests or “I’m not interested” replies.
Step 5: Export, clean, and use your data
Automation gets you a pile of contacts. But raw data is usually messy.
Clean your data before you start outreach: - Export to Google Sheets or CSV. - Remove duplicates, irrelevant leads, or incomplete records. - Check for missing emails or key info. You might need a separate tool (like Hunter.io or Snov.io) to find emails.
Pro tip:
Don’t import dirty data into your CRM. You’ll regret it later.
What works well: - Using filters in Sheets to quickly bin obvious junk. - Manually spot-checking a sample of leads before launching big campaigns.
Step 6: Track replies and iterate—don’t “set and forget”
Even the best automation won’t get it right the first time. Successful campaigns are about testing, tweaking, and improving.
How to improve over time: - Track replies and response rates. Are people engaging, ignoring, or marking you as spam? - Tweak your messaging. If people aren’t responding, try shorter, more conversational messages. - Adjust your targeting. Pull smaller, more specific lists rather than huge, generic ones. - Take breaks. Don’t run outreach every single day. It looks more natural if there are pauses.
What to ignore: - Any “secret sauce” templates that promise 80% reply rates. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. - Chasing huge volume at the expense of quality conversations.
Quick answers to common questions
Is Phantombuster safe for LinkedIn?
Safer than most, but nothing is 100% safe. If you follow the best practices above, you’ll likely be fine. Abuse it, and you’ll get flagged.
Can I run this for multiple LinkedIn accounts?
Technically, yes, but you’re asking for trouble. LinkedIn hates it, and managing cookies becomes a headache.
Does Phantombuster work for other platforms?
Yep—Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Crunchbase, and more. But most B2B people stick with LinkedIn.
Will this replace my SDRs or sales team?
Nope. Automation is for grunt work, not for building relationships or closing deals.
Wrap-up: Keep it simple, stay human, and don’t chase shortcuts
Most people overcomplicate B2B lead gen. Start with clear targeting, use Phantombuster to handle tedious tasks, and keep your outreach human. Skip the “growth hacks” and focus on building real connections. Run small experiments, see what works, and build from there.
If you get stuck, take a step back—bad automation just multiplies bad results. Keep things simple, iterate, and you’ll get more out of Phantombuster than 99% of its users.