Here are some of the best practices our list-building strategists at ListKit follow and recommend you follow! Whether you're a seasoned outbound pro or just starting to build your first lead list, this guide walks you through the smartest, most efficient way to create powerful lead lists using ListKit. We've distilled expert insights and packed in advanced techniques to help you get better results with less guesswork. Let’s dive in.
1. Start with Data Visualization
Before anything else, leverage ListKit's Data Visualization to make sure everything makes sense. This view gives you a macro snapshot of your list-building process, helping you:
Spot gaps or outliers in your filters.
Discover unintended over-narrowing.
Make sure your target industries and company sizes align with your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile).
Think of it as the GPS before your road trip — don't build without it.
2. Add Keywords, Then Check Data Visualization for Industries
One of the smartest ways to uncover ideal client profiles you might otherwise overlook is to:
Start by adding keywords related to your product, industry, or target customer.
Jump into Data Visualization to see which industries those keywords are pulling from.
Note down the industries that are relevant to your ICP.
Add those industries to your filter list for a sharper and more complete targeting approach.
This ensures you don't miss emerging or non-obvious verticals your best leads might be hiding in.
3. Choose Country Under "Companies," Not "People"
This is a critical pro tip: when filtering by location, always use Country under Companies, not People.
Why?
You care about where the company operates, not where an employee lives.
Many impactful decision-makers live in different countries from where the HQ is based.
Some professionals may have outdated location info online, and others may not list any at all, adding the country under "People" will exclude all of these potential leads.
Sticking with Company location ensures you don’t miss high-impact contacts just because of fuzzy metadata.
4. Use AI to Generate Better Keywords
Don’t just throw in the first industry buzzword that comes to mind. Instead:
Use ListKit’s GPT Keyword Bot to uncover keywords based on your ICP, industry niche, or competitor profiles.
Pro Tip: Once you plug in a keyword, jump into Data Visualization to see what industries are populating. You might discover relevant categories you didn’t know existed. Then add those industries to your filter list.
5. Don’t Limit Yourself to One Job Title
Too many SDRs filter by one title and miss the bigger picture. Instead:
Use ChatGPT or ListKit's Job Title library to uncover multiple titles for your ideal client profile.
Think in terms of functions, not just titles (e.g. "finance decision-makers" could be CFO, Controller, VP Finance, Head of Accounting, etc.).
Target multiple stakeholders within the same org for a multi-threaded approach.
6. Leverage SIC Codes When Keywords Hit a Wall
Can’t find what you’re looking for with keywords?
Use SIC Codes to broaden your filtering power.
This is especially useful when targeting niche verticals, legacy industries, or highly-specific manufacturing types.
SIC Codes act as a backup filtering method that ensures you're not leaving potential leads on the table.
7. Don’t Over-Complicate It
This is the most underrated piece of advice:
More filters doesn’t mean better targeting.
Narrowing too hard can cause you to miss perfect-fit leads. Especially in early testing, give yourself room to explore data trends.
Start broad. Look at your Data Visualization. Trim based on actual outputs.
8. Final Workflow Summary
Here’s what an ideal lead list build might look like:
Add broad keywords related to your ICP.
Open Data Visualization and explore industries and company types that emerge.
Add discovered industries and refine keywords.
Set Country under Company and apply size filters.
Layer in Job Titles across multiple personas.
If needed, supplement with SIC Codes.
Download, verify, and launch.
Still Got Questions?
Our team is always here to help you out! Reach out to the support team in the in-app live chat with any questions that you have, and they'll help you out!