Skip to main content

How do I build a leads list for a specific campaign?

Written by Andre Haykal Jr

TL;DR

  • Building a campaign-ready list follows a repeatable sequence: define your ICP, apply identity filters, layer firmographic filters, add Job Titles, check counts, then export.

  • Always review lead counts before exporting to estimate volume and credit usage.

  • Choose export fields deliberately. Only business email and mobile phone number use credits.

  • Save your finished filter set so the campaign is easy to relaunch or iterate on later.


When you'd use this / Why it matters

This is the full, end-to-end workflow for going from a blank search to a clean, exported list ready for your outreach tool — useful any time you're starting a new campaign from scratch.


Step 1: Define your ICP

Before opening any filters, know:

  • What type of company you're targeting

  • Who inside that company you need to reach

  • What geography matters (business location, not personal)


Step 2: Start with an identity filter

Choose one:

  • Keywords — best for niche or specific self-described businesses

  • Industry — best when you already know your target verticals

  • AI Company Search — best for fast, plain-English discovery

  • Pre-Built Filters: one click applies a ready-made setup for common niches such as roofing, HVAC, law firms and dentists


Step 3: Layer firmographic filters

Add:

  • Employees (select multiple adjacent ranges)

  • Revenue Range (if relevant to your price point)

  • Funding (if your offer is growth or scaling-related)

  • Technology (if your offer depends on a specific tool/ecosystem)


Step 4: Add Job Titles

Include leadership titles plus department-specific roles relevant to your offer. Keep Contains mode ON. See How do I filter by job title and seniority? for the full title-building guidance.


Step 5: Set geography correctly

Use Company Location (Country/State/City) for nearly all B2B campaigns. Avoid People Location unless residency is a hard requirement.


Step 6: Review your lead counts

Check both:

  • Companies view — how many companies match

  • People view — how many individual leads match

This estimates your volume and expected credit usage before you commit.


Step 7: Proceed to Checkout

Click Download Leads (top right), then select your export fields. The order confirmation page shows the exact credit cost before you confirm:

  • Fields that use credits: Business Email (1 credit per triple-verified email) and Mobile Phone Number (3 credits, US only, charged only when a number is found). These are the only two.

  • Included at no credit cost when available: every other field, including Company name, domain and website, Industry, Company size, Department, Job title, Person and Company LinkedIn URLs, Location (country, state, city), Keywords, Company address, Tech stack, Funding info and Personal email


Step 8: Set export limits and exclusions

  • Set Max people per company to control per-company volume

  • Set your total Lead quantity

  • Enable Exclude previously ordered contacts to prevent duplicates

  • Enable Exclude Do Not Call numbers if applicable


Step 9: Export and download

Click Confirm & Export. Once processing completes, import the order straight into a campaign (Import from order history when you create a campaign), or download the CSV from Order History for your CRM.


Step 10: Save your filter set

Click Save Filter before or after export so you can instantly reload this exact setup for future iterations. See How do I save and reuse a search in ListKit? for details.


Expected outcome

You should now be able to:

  • Build a complete, campaign-ready list from scratch

  • Estimate volume and credit usage before exporting

  • Export clean data with the right fields for your outreach tool

  • Save your setup for fast relaunching


Troubleshooting / FAQs

My lead count is too low. What should I check first?
Remove People Location if applied, widen Employee ranges, and check whether your Keywords are too narrow.

Should I start with AI Company Search?
It's a strong starting point, especially for new users or niche markets, but Keywords or Industry work too (see Step 2).

How do I avoid duplicate leads across campaigns?
Enable Exclude previously ordered contacts, and maintain a master Exclude Companies list across campaigns.

Did this answer your question?