If your job is to build a B2B sales pipeline and you’re tired of “all-in-one” tools that overpromise and underdeliver, you’re in the right place. This is a straight-shooting look at Owler: what it actually does for GTM (go-to-market) teams, what’s just hype, and how you can get the most out of it—without wasting time or budget. If you’re in sales, marketing, or ops, and you want to know whether Owler is worth your attention, read on.
What Exactly Is Owler? (And Who Actually Uses It)
First, the basics: Owler is a sales intelligence tool that tries to keep you up-to-date on companies and business news. It’s pitched as a way to track prospects, monitor competitors, and get alerts on companies you care about. Think of it as a mash-up of Crunchbase, Google Alerts, and LinkedIn news feeds—with a few sales-focused twists.
The main users? B2B sales and marketing folks who need up-to-date info on target accounts, competitors, and market news—fast. It’s especially popular with SDRs and AEs prospecting into mid-market and enterprise, but marketing teams and even founders poke around in it, too.
But let’s be clear: Owler isn’t a magic bullet. It won’t write your outreach or fill your pipeline for you. What it does is give you data—sometimes useful, sometimes noisy—about companies in your universe.
Key Features: What Actually Matters (and What Doesn’t)
Owler has a laundry list of features, but most users only care about a handful. Here’s what’s worth your time:
1. Company Profiles
- What it is: Lists of company info—revenue estimates, employee count, funding, key execs, and basic background.
- What works: It’s usually the fastest way to get a quick take on a company. Great for prepping before calls or building an account list.
- What doesn’t: Revenue numbers and employee counts can be way off, especially for private companies. Always double-check anything critical.
2. News Alerts & Daily Snapshots
- What it is: Email digests or in-app feeds showing news articles, press releases, funding announcements, and “triggers” (like leadership changes) for companies you follow.
- What works: If you’re tracking a big account or competitor, these alerts can flag opportunities—like a new VP hire or M&A activity.
- What doesn’t: The news isn’t always filtered well. You’ll get a lot of noise, especially with large companies, and sometimes miss smaller but important updates.
3. Competitor Tracking
- What it is: Lets you see a company’s “top competitors” and compare them side-by-side.
- What works: Useful for quick research, especially if you’re new to a space.
- What doesn’t: The competitor lists are crowdsourced and occasionally laughable (think: random companies that aren’t actually competitors). Take these with a grain of salt.
4. List Building and CRM Integrations
- What it is: Build and export lists of companies, and (on paid plans) push them into Salesforce or HubSpot.
- What works: This can save you time if you’re assembling a target account list or updating records.
- What doesn’t: The data quality isn’t as strong as dedicated data providers (like ZoomInfo or Apollo). Expect to spend time cleaning up exports.
5. Community Insights
- What it is: User-submitted Q&A, ratings, and comments on companies.
- What works: Sometimes you’ll find useful nuggets or rumors that aren’t in mainstream news.
- What doesn’t: It’s hit-or-miss. Most companies have sparse or outdated info.
Ignore: “Crowd Insights” and gamified activities unless you’re genuinely bored. These look good in a demo but don’t move the needle for pipeline.
How to Actually Use Owler (Step-by-Step)
Let’s get practical. Here’s a workflow for GTM teams that want to squeeze real value out of Owler—without getting lost in features you’ll never use.
Step 1: Set Up Your Watchlist
- Make a list of your top target accounts, current customers, and key competitors.
- Add them to your Owler “My Companies” or watchlist. Don’t go overboard—stick to 20–50 for sanity’s sake.
- Pro Tip: Use this as a living list. When that “list of accounts to watch” spreadsheet gets stale, update your Owler watchlist instead.
Step 2: Turn On (and Tweak) Alerts
- Set up daily or weekly email digests for your watchlist.
- Adjust the frequency so your inbox doesn’t get hammered.
- Skim alerts for real triggers: funding, new execs, layoffs, M&A, or product launches.
- Ignore generic press releases or fluff pieces.
Step 3: Use Company Profiles for Pre-Call Research
- Before a meeting or cold outreach, pull up the company in Owler.
- Grab a quick snapshot: size, location, recent news, exec names.
- Double-check anything major—don’t rely on Owler alone for revenue or headcount.
Step 4: Build Simple Account Lists
- Use filters (industry, location, size) to build rough target lists.
- Export to CSV or your CRM, but be ready to clean up duplicates or outdated info.
- If your CRM is a mess, Owler can help fill in some blanks—but don’t trust it as your source of truth.
Step 5: Track Competitors and Market Moves
- Add your top 3–5 competitors to your watchlist.
- Watch for new product launches, partnership news, or big hires—these can be signals for your team to act.
- Don’t obsess over Owler’s “competitor rankings.” Use your own judgment.
Where Owler Shines (and Where It Doesn’t)
When Owler Is Genuinely Useful
- Quick research: You need a fast profile on a company before a call or demo.
- Staying in the loop: You want to know when something big happens to a key account or competitor.
- Building a starting list: You need a rough list of companies in a space, even if you’ll refine it later.
Where Owler Falls Short
- Data accuracy: Revenue, headcount, and private company info can be way off. Always cross-check critical data.
- Contact info: Don’t expect verified direct dials or emails like you’d get from ZoomInfo or Apollo.
- Depth: For deep dives (like org charts, tech stacks, or contract intelligence), you’ll need another tool.
Pro Tips for Busy GTM Teams
- Use Owler as a supplement, not a replacement. It’s best alongside LinkedIn, your CRM, and maybe a dedicated data provider.
- Don’t pay for the wrong tier. Free is fine for basic research. Paid gets you more exports and integrations, but only pay up if you’ll actually use them.
- Train your team to sanity-check everything. If you’re using Owler data in outreach or reporting, double-check against LinkedIn or the company website.
Honest Take: Should You Use Owler?
Owler is a handy tool for quick company research and basic alerts. It’s not going to revolutionize your pipeline, but it can save you time and help you spot opportunities you’d otherwise miss. If you’re already drowning in sales tools, try the free version first—don’t add more complexity unless you see clear value.
Bottom line: Don’t overthink it. Set up a watchlist, scan the alerts, and use Owler for what it’s good at. Skip the bells and whistles. Iterate as you go—your GTM team will thank you.