So you need to get contacts out of Cognism and actually do something useful with them—maybe for your sales outreach, maybe to clean up your CRM, or just to see what you've got. Whether you're new to Cognism or just tired of running into the same old headaches, this guide is for you. I'll walk you through exporting and enriching contacts, flag the stuff that trips people up, and skip the fluffy advice you can find anywhere else.
If you're not familiar, Cognism is a B2B data platform—basically a tool to find and work with business contact info. It's popular with sales teams and marketers, but it can be a little confusing when you just want to get your data out and make it better. Let's sort it out.
Step 1: Get Your Contacts Ready in Cognism
Before you start clicking “export,” take a minute to get your contacts in order. If you just export everything, you’ll end up with a mess. Here’s what to check:
- Filters matter: Use Cognism’s filters (job title, company size, location, etc.) to narrow down exactly who you want. Don’t try to “fix it in Excel” later.
- Lists vs. search results: Decide if you want to export a saved List or just the results of a one-off search. Lists are easier to manage, especially for enrichment.
- Duplicates: Cognism tries to de-dupe, but sometimes you’ll still get repeat contacts if you’re pulling from different searches. Spot check your list.
Pro tip: Think about your end goal. If you’re only emailing CTOs in Germany, don’t export the whole EMEA region “just in case.” You’ll only create more cleanup work.
Step 2: Export Your Contacts
Here’s how to actually get contacts out of Cognism. Not all plans have the same export features—if you’re stuck, it might be a plan limitation (annoying but true).
Option 1: Export to CSV
- Go to your List or search results.
- Select the contacts you want (checkboxes).
- Click the Export button.
- Choose CSV as your format.
What works:
CSV is the most flexible. You can open it anywhere (Excel, Google Sheets, upload to your CRM). Good for bulk work.
What doesn’t:
- Data overload: Cognism includes a lot of columns, some of which are useless for most people (do you really care about “Last Updated”?).
- Formatting: Expect some cleanup—fields like phone numbers and addresses can be a mess.
- Limits: Some plans cap how many contacts you can export at once (e.g., 1,000). You may need to break up big lists.
Option 2: Export Directly to a CRM
Cognism can push contacts straight into Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, and a handful of others.
- Connect your CRM account under Settings → Integrations.
- From your List, select contacts and choose Export to [CRM].
What works:
No CSVs, no copy-pasting. Data lands directly in your CRM—easy.
What doesn’t:
- Field mapping: You’ll need to map Cognism fields to your CRM fields. This can get messy if your CRM is customized.
- Duplicates: If your CRM has strict duplicate rules, Cognism might block the export or create errors.
- Permissions: Sometimes you’ll need admin rights in both Cognism and your CRM.
Pro tip: Always test with a handful of contacts first. There’s nothing worse than flooding Salesforce with junk data or duplicates.
Step 3: Enrich Your Contacts
Exporting data is one thing. Making it actually useful is another. That’s where enrichment comes in—filling in missing info, cleaning up what’s there, and making sure it’s accurate.
Using Cognism for Enrichment
Cognism offers “enrichment” as a feature, but it’s not magic. Here’s what it can (and can’t) do:
- Can: Fill in missing company info, job titles, emails, phone numbers—if Cognism has them in its database.
- Can’t: Guess at missing or outdated info if they don’t have it. No tool can (despite what sales reps say).
How to Enrich Existing Contacts
- Upload your list: Go to the Enrich section (name varies, but usually under Contacts or Data Tools).
- Choose your file: CSV with at least one unique identifier (usually email or LinkedIn URL).
- Map your fields: Cognism will ask you to map your columns to their fields.
- Run enrichment: The platform will process your list and fill in any missing info it can find.
What works:
- Bulk enrichment is fast. If you have 500 contacts, don’t do this manually.
- You’ll get a new file or can overwrite existing records (choose carefully).
What doesn’t:
- Charging per enriched record: Some plans eat up credits for every field enriched—not just new contacts. Watch your usage.
- Inconsistent results: If your list is old or from niche industries, don’t expect miracles. Cognism is strongest with mainstream B2B data.
- Data freshness: “Enriched” doesn’t mean “verified this week.” Always sanity-check important info.
Pro tip: Use LinkedIn URLs as your unique identifier if possible—email addresses change, but LinkedIn profiles usually stick.
Step 4: Clean and Review Your Data
Don’t skip this. Even after enrichment, your data will have weirdness—typos, duplicates, missing pieces. Here’s how to avoid future headaches:
- Open in Excel/Sheets: Filter for blank fields, weird formats, or obvious errors.
- Remove duplicates: Use the built-in dedupe tools. Cognism isn’t perfect here.
- Spot-check emails and phone numbers: Don’t trust that everything is valid, especially for high-value contacts.
- Custom fields: If you enriched custom fields (like “Industry Vertical”), make sure they match your CRM’s picklist values or categories.
What works:
A quick manual review now saves hours later. Don’t try to clean up thousands of rows at once—sample 50-100 and see what sticks out.
What doesn’t:
- Blind trust in enrichment: No platform is perfect. Never upload enriched data straight to your CRM without checking.
- Ignoring formatting: A phone number like “+1 (555)555-5555” might break your dialer software. Standardize now.
Pro tip: If you’re working with a team, agree on formatting rules and picklist values before importing. Data chaos is contagious.
Step 5: Import or Use the Data
Now you’ve got export-ready, enriched, and cleaned contacts. Time to actually use them.
Importing to Your CRM or Tool
- Follow your CRM’s import process (mapping fields, assigning owners, etc.).
- If you’re using the data for outreach, segment your list (by industry, job title, etc.) before importing.
- Document what you did—note when you exported/enriched, what rules you used, and any quirks you found.
Watch Out For:
- Import errors: Most CRMs will give you a report if something fails. Don’t ignore it—fix and retry.
- Old or stale data: If your outreach bounces a lot, that’s a sign your source data is out of date (not Cognism’s fault, but worth knowing).
- Compliance: Make sure you’re allowed to contact these people (GDPR, CAN-SPAM, etc.). It’s easy to forget in the rush.
When to Ignore the “Extra” Features
Cognism (like most data tools) loves to pitch extra features—intent data, trigger events, AI scoring, etc. Some are useful, but if you’re just getting started, don’t overcomplicate things.
- Intent data: Sometimes interesting, but often noisy. Don’t chase every “signal.”
- Automations: Handy, but only after your basic export-enrich-import flow is rock solid.
- APIs and integrations: Useful if you’re technical, but CSVs still rule for most teams.
Stick to what you actually need. It’s easy to get distracted and never finish the job.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate
Exporting and enriching contacts in Cognism isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to get lost in the weeds. Get your data, enrich what matters, clean it up, and move on. Start small, test your process, and fix issues as you go. Don’t fall for the “set it and forget it” myth—your data will always need a little TLC.
Got a big mess to tackle? Break it into smaller lists, clean as you go, and don’t be afraid to ignore features you don’t need. Good luck—and remember, the best data is the stuff you’ll actually use.