Step by step guide to extracting B2B email lists with Instant Data Scraper

If you’re trying to build a B2B email list fast, you’ve probably realized it’s not as easy as the “growth hackers” claim. There are a million tools, most of them overhyped, and a lot of hoops to jump through. This guide is for people who want practical steps, not magic bullets. We’re going to walk through extracting email lists from public websites using Instant Data Scraper—a free Chrome extension that actually works on most sites, no coding needed.

You won’t find promises of “10,000 verified leads in 10 minutes” here. Just a clear, honest process that gets you actual data you can use.

Before You Start: What You Need to Know

Before we dive in, here are the facts:

  • Web scraping isn’t always legal or ethical. Don’t scrape sites you don’t have permission to use, and definitely don’t spam people. Scraping LinkedIn, for example, is a legal grey area and can get your account restricted.
  • You’ll get mixed quality. Not every email you scrape will be valid, and many websites don’t list emails at all.
  • You’ll need to clean your data. Scraped lists always need deduplication and verification.

If you’re still with me, let’s go.

Step 1: Install Instant Data Scraper

First things first—install the Chrome extension.

  1. Open Chrome and go to the Chrome Web Store.
  2. Search for "Instant Data Scraper" and click Add to Chrome.
  3. Confirm the installation.

Pro Tip: Only use Chrome. Instant Data Scraper doesn’t work on Firefox, Safari, or Edge.

Step 2: Find a Target Website

You need a site that actually lists B2B emails publicly. Some ideas:

  • Company directories (think local chambers of commerce, industry associations)
  • Event attendee lists (rare, but gold if you find them)
  • Vendor lists from trade shows

Skip LinkedIn, Facebook, and big job sites. They use dynamic loading and anti-bot tech that kills most scrapers (including this one).

Reality check: Most modern websites don’t publish email addresses directly. You’ll have more luck on old-school directories, local business listings, or niche association sites.

Step 3: Open the Page with the Data

Load the page that actually shows the info you want—ideally a table or a list of companies, not the homepage.

  • If the site paginates results, start with the first page.
  • Sometimes, you’ll get better results from a “print” or “directory” view.

Make sure the emails are actually visible on the page, not hidden behind “Contact” forms or JavaScript popups.

Step 4: Fire Up Instant Data Scraper

Now the fun part:

  1. Click the Instant Data Scraper icon in your Chrome toolbar.
  2. The extension will scan the page and try to identify tables or repeated patterns of data.
  3. It should automatically highlight the data it thinks you want.

What works: - Clear tables or structured lists work best. - If the extension finds multiple “table options,” click through each to see which one grabs the right data.

What doesn’t: - Messy, deeply nested layouts can confuse it. - If the extension finds nothing, try a different site or page view.

Step 5: Adjust the Data Selection (If Needed)

Don’t just hit “Download” yet. Make sure you’re actually getting useful info.

  • Preview the data: Check if you see columns for “Name,” “Email,” “Company,” etc.
  • No emails? Sometimes, the email is hidden in a “mailto:” link or inside a weird HTML structure. You can tweak the pattern by clicking “Try another table” or “Select more data” in the extension.
  • Partial data? If the page uses lazy-loading (loads more as you scroll), scroll down to reveal more data, then hit the extension again.

Pro Tip: Don’t waste time scraping pages that only give you generic emails (like info@company.com) unless that’s all you need.

Step 6: Scrape All Pages (When There’s Pagination)

Most directories only show a handful of results per page. Here’s how to get the whole list:

  1. In the Instant Data Scraper popup, look for “Auto-pagination.”
  2. Enable it, and the extension will try to click “Next” and scrape each page in a loop.
  3. If it stalls after a few pages, you may need to manually go to the next page and repeat.

Heads up: Auto-pagination works on maybe half the sites. Some use weird JavaScript buttons or require logins—these usually won’t work.

Step 7: Download the Data

Once you see the data previewed in the extension:

  1. Click “Download CSV” (or Excel if you prefer).
  2. Save the file somewhere you’ll remember.

You now have a raw list. Don’t get too excited—it’s usually messy.

Step 8: Clean and Verify Your List

Here’s where most people mess up. Scraped lists are full of:

  • Duplicates
  • Blank rows
  • Messy formatting
  • Invalid or generic emails

To clean up:

  1. Open the CSV in Google Sheets or Excel.
  2. Remove columns you don’t need.
  3. Delete rows without emails or with junk like “noreply@...” or “info@...” unless you want those.
  4. Remove duplicates.

To verify emails:

  • Use a tool like NeverBounce, ZeroBounce, or Hunter’s email verifier to check deliverability.
  • Don’t email unverified lists—you’ll tank your sender reputation fast.

Pro Tip: Even after cleaning, expect 10-30% of scraped emails to be invalid or bounce.

Step 9: Respect Privacy and Compliance

Just because you can scrape doesn’t mean you should email everyone you find. Here’s what to keep in mind:

  • GDPR, CAN-SPAM, etc.: These laws exist for a reason. Only email people in a business context, and always offer an unsubscribe option.
  • Don’t be a spammer: If you send one generic pitch to 500 people, expect to get flagged as spam and burn your domain.

If you wouldn’t be happy receiving your own email, don’t send it.

What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore

Let’s be honest:

  • Instant Data Scraper works best on simple, old-school sites. If you’re targeting big brands or slick modern directories, it’ll probably fail.
  • You won’t get high-quality, targeted leads in bulk. You’ll get a starting list, not a goldmine.
  • Don’t believe anyone selling “scraper-ready” lists or tools that promise to “bypass all protections.” They usually don’t work, or they’re illegal.

Ignore: Scraping social networks, “AI-powered” scrapers, or anything that asks for your credit card up front.

Keep It Simple—And Iterate

Don’t overthink it. Scraping is just a tool, not a magic wand. Start with a small, targeted list. Clean it, verify it, and try your outreach. If you get even a handful of real conversations, you’re ahead of most people.

Most importantly—don’t get stuck trying to automate everything. Sometimes, the fastest path is manual research plus a little help from tools like Instant Data Scraper.

Keep things practical. Iterate, learn, and don’t buy the hype.