If you’re in B2B sales or marketing, you know that finding the right leads is half the battle. There’s no shortage of tools promising to make prospecting “effortless,” but most of them just give you more noise. This step-by-step guide is for folks who want a straightforward, practical approach to building a quality B2B lead list using Taplio — a tool that claims to mine LinkedIn for actionable contacts. We'll cut through the fluff, show you what works, and flag what doesn’t.
Who should read this?
- You sell or market B2B products/services.
- You want leads from LinkedIn, but you’re tired of dead-end lists.
- You’re skeptical of “AI-powered” magic, but open to saving time.
Let’s get into it.
Step 1: Get set up with Taplio (don’t skip the basics)
First things first — you need a Taplio account. Yes, there’s a free trial, but most useful features are behind a paywall. If you’re just window-shopping, you won’t get far.
What you need: - A LinkedIn account (ideally your business profile) - A Taplio account (paid plan recommended if you actually want to export leads) - Chrome browser (for the best compatibility)
Pro tip: If you’re part of a team, make sure to clarify who owns the Taplio login and what data privacy means for your organization. Lead data can get messy fast if multiple people are pulling lists with no coordination.
Step 2: Define your target — don’t just “go broad”
You can waste hours pulling huge lists of random “decision-makers” if you aren’t clear on your ideal customer. Taplio lets you filter by industry, company size, location, job title, and a few more. Use these.
What actually matters: - Industry: Be specific. “Tech” is too broad. “SaaS cybersecurity” is better. - Seniority: Titles can be misleading. “VP” at a 10-person startup is not the same as at Microsoft. - Geography: Do you really want global leads, or just North America? - Company size: Ignore if it doesn’t matter, but don’t assume a 5000-person company is a good fit just because it’s big.
What to ignore: Fuzzy filters like “activity level” or “influence score” sound cool, but rarely translate to better leads. Focus on fit, not vanity metrics.
Step 3: Use Taplio’s search — the right way
Here’s where most people mess up: they treat Taplio’s search like Google. It’s not. It’s pulling from LinkedIn’s public profiles, and it’s only as good as your input.
How to get better results:
- Use Boolean search (AND, OR, NOT) to combine titles and keywords. Example: "VP" OR "Head of" AND "Marketing"
- Stack filters — don’t just search job title, layer on location and company size.
- Save your search criteria once you’re happy. You’ll thank yourself later.
What doesn’t work well: - Super-niche, hyper-specific searches. Taplio’s data is only as deep as what LinkedIn shows. If you’re hunting for “Director of Underwater Basket Weaving in Western Canada,” you’ll get slim pickings. - Relying on Taplio’s AI recommendations. Sometimes they help, sometimes they’re just noise.
Step 4: Review and clean your lead list before exporting
Here’s the unglamorous truth: any tool, Taplio included, will return some garbage results. Before you export, eyeball your list and remove obvious duds.
What to look out for: - Duplicate profiles (happens more than you’d think) - Consultants, coaches, or “gurus” who aren’t real buyers - Irrelevant companies (check company names — a lot of spam slips through)
How to clean efficiently: - Use Taplio’s bulk select/delete for quick edits - Filter by company domain or keywords to weed out mismatches - Don’t obsess over perfection — just get rid of the worst 10-20%
Pro tip: Don’t trust any tool’s “quality score” blindly. Use your own judgment.
Step 5: Export your leads (and know what you’re getting)
Taplio lets you export leads as a CSV, but don’t expect email addresses for everyone. Most of the time, you’ll get:
- Name
- Job title
- LinkedIn profile URL
- Company name and size
- Sometimes work email (if it’s public — don’t bet on it)
What to do next: - Import the CSV into your CRM or a spreadsheet - Enrich missing data with a tool like Hunter or Apollo if you really need emails - Don’t blast generic emails to everyone. Seriously, don’t.
What not to do: - Don’t buy into “100% verified emails” promises. Taplio is pretty careful not to scrape or guess emails — that’s a good thing for compliance, but it means your outreach takes more work.
Step 6: Warm up your outreach (don’t burn your list)
Here’s where most people make the mistake that gets them flagged as spam. Just because you have a list doesn’t mean you should carpet-bomb it.
Better approach: - Connect on LinkedIn first with a short, non-pitchy note - Reference something specific — a recent post, company news, etc. - Only email if there’s actual interest, or if you have a real reason to reach out
What works: - Personalization, even if it’s just one line - Small batches (10-20/day), not massive mail merges - Tracking responses and iterating your message
What flops: - Sending the same bland pitch to everyone - Relying on automation to do it all for you
Step 7: Iterate and refine — don’t treat this as “set it and forget it”
The first list you pull probably won’t be perfect. That’s normal.
How to improve: - Look at response rates. Are you getting bites? If not, your list or your message might be off. - Adjust your filters. Maybe your “ideal” title is too senior, or your industry definition is too loose. - Get feedback from real conversations. Sometimes the best leads are a bit outside your initial search.
Pro tip: Keep notes on what worked and what didn’t, so you aren’t starting from scratch every month.
What Taplio does well (and what it doesn’t)
Strengths: - Fast LinkedIn prospecting, especially for non-technical users - Decent filters for most B2B use cases - Clean exports and easy-to-use interface
Weak spots: - Limited email data (not a full contact database — that’s by design) - Occasional duplicate or irrelevant profiles - “AI suggestions” can be hit or miss — don’t blindly trust them
Ignore the hype: No tool is a silver bullet. Taplio is solid for surface-level LinkedIn lead research, but you’ll still need to put in the work to get real conversations going.
Keep it simple, keep it moving
Don’t get paralyzed by choice or chase “perfect” data. Start with a clear target, pull a focused list, clean it up, and reach out like a human. Iterate as you go. Taplio can save you time, but it’s not going to sell for you — that’s still on you.
Now, get your first list built and see what happens. You’ll get better with practice.