Email lists contain information for multiple leads in a specific segment, including their names, job titles, and (of course!) email addresses. You can build email lists through prospecting efforts and finder tools, but SDRs can also buy email lists outright.
In this post, we’ll examine the top databases for buying email lists and discuss how to choose the right platform for your sales team.
Sales reps looking to buy email lists should consider nine email-finding tools.
Kaspr is a self-service email finder tool that allows you to buy individual email addresses or build your list by enriching in bulk from LinkedIn people search. Use Kaspr’s LinkedIn Chrome Extension to get phone numbers and email addresses anywhere you’re browsing on LinkedIn.
Kaspr’s data is robust in Europe, with over 120 million profiles. Email addresses in Kaspr are verified and aligned with GDPR.
Prospect using LinkedIn and Sales Navigator and source data seamlessly with our Chrome Extension. Give Kaspr a try today (sign-up is free, and no credit card is needed). 👇
The pros of Kaspr include:
The cons of Kaspr include:
Kaspr’s free plan includes 5 email credits and 5 phone credits. Paid plans start at $49 per month and include unlimited email credits (subject to fair use policy).
Cognism is an enterprise-grade prospecting platform. Larger sales teams looking to find an email address (or many!) should consider Cognism, which has a vast dataset of B2B contacts for fast list building.
The pros of Cognism include:
The cons of Cognism include:
Cognism offers customized packages based on your needs, along with 25 free leads upon sign-up.
Apollo.io is a prospecting platform SDRs can leverage for contact lists. The platform has a large B2B database for a customized list of emails.
The pros of Apollo.io include:
The cons of Apollo.io include:
Apollo’s free plan includes unlimited email credits with 12,000 exports per year. Paid plans start at $49 per user per month.
Hunter.io is an email finder and verification tool. SDRs use it to find email addresses associated with specific domains or individuals. This platform may benefit sales reps focusing on specific companies for account-based marketing.
The pros of Hunter.io include:
The cons of Hunter.io include:
Hunter.io offers a free, limited-access plan that includes 25 monthly searches. Paid plans start at £28 (around $38) per month. The paid plans are split between the ‘all-in-one outreach platform’ and ‘data platform,’ so you can choose the data option if you already use other sales engagement tools.
UpLead offers both data enrichment and expansive B2B contact databases. The platform is known for its diligent vetting process and big-name clients, making it a reliable choice for email list-building.
The pros of UpLead include:
The cons of UpLead include:
UpLead’s pricing starts at $99 per month for 170 monthly credits. There are three different pricing tiers: Essentials, Plus and Professional. There’s also a free trial with 5 credits.
Skrapp.io allows SDRs to build lists through their email address finder features. Search through the platform’s database by providing your prospect’s name and their company name. You can also use the platform’s bulk email finder by uploading a CSV or Excel sheet for faster list-building.
The pros of Skrapp include:
The cons of Skrapp include:
Skrapp.io’s free plan includes 100 email searches per month. Paid plans start at £30 (around $40) for two users monthly, which includes 1,000 email searches monthly.
AeroLeads has up to 60 different data points (including personal and business email addresses). Their email finder features are strong, with advanced search filters and reliable data accuracy.
The pros of AeroLeads include:
The cons of AeroLeads include:
Pricing starts at $39 per month for one user, which includes 24,000 credits per user. In total, AeroLeads offers four different packages: Take Off, Climb, Cruise, and Enterprise.
Lusha is another platform for B2B prospecting, making it a good alternative to buying a lead list.
Search for potential customers with an advanced search filter to find prospects who are strong ICP fits. You can also use the platform’s additional marketing, sales pipeline, and team collaboration features.
The pros of Lusha include:
The cons of Lusha include:
Lusha offers four different plans. One is a free plan, which includes 5 phone credits and 50 phone credits annually. There are two paid plans, and one custom plan designed for enterprise clients.
👉 Kaspr vs. Lusha: See the differences
ZoomInfo is a well-known database that you can use to search by company or contact name.
ZoomInfo has an expansive platform. They offer sales automation and marketing functionality in addition to contact-finding features.
The pros of ZoomInfo include:
The cons of ZoomInfo include:
ZoomInfo doesn’t publish its pricing online. You need to request a quote if interested.
Contact lists—which are sometimes called “lead lists”—contain contact information for prospects and are available for businesses to purchase.
Many email list providers advertise these lists as an easy way to purchase hundreds or thousands of prospects (or at least their data!) in a few minutes.
Companies selling lead lists typically have access to thousands, and potentially hundreds of thousands, of contacts. They compile these lists using various techniques, including data scraping and B2B software.
Contacts lists typically include the following:
You can often purchase specific types of lead lists to increase the odds of prospect relevance and ICP fit. Options may include:
If you’re considering buying leads lists, there are pros and cons. Let’s discuss each.
There are clear advantages to buying contact lists.
The first is quick access to a large number of prospects. You can purchase bulk email lists to speed up your sales or marketing efforts and outreach.
You can purchase a segmented list of those leads in just a few minutes (often for around a few hundred dollars or more), import them straight into your CRM, and start making cold calls immediately.
The potential to reach new markets is also a clear benefit. If you’re trying to break into a new segment but aren’t sure where to start or need sheer numbers on your side, market-specific contact lists can provide many prospects so you can scale faster.
Finally, buying contact lists is undeniably fast. You can purchase hundreds or thousands of leads in the time it takes to click a few buttons and enter your credit card number. This is much faster than being in a sales cycle for purchasing new tech.
But is the quick fix worth it? Next, let’s look at the disadvantages.
The advantages of buying purchased lists boil down to being “fast and easy.” While fast and easy can sometimes be good, it’s crucial to consider that quantity and speed can sacrifice quality.
Unfortunately, contact lists are known for questionable data quality and accuracy rates. The sellers may have used less-than-reputable B2B databases, which could contain outdated or inaccurate data. This may even include outright invalid emails.
You aren’t getting a dynamic list that updates when a lead switches employers; you’re getting a static B2B email list that may already be outdated when you purchase it.
And since these list senders may not be sourcing from the best data quality, there are legal and compliance risks to consider. For example, regulations like GDPR and the CAN-SPAM Act impact how you use prospect data.
GDPR does allow cold calling in B2B if you believe the customer has a legitimate interest in what you’re selling. For B2C, it’s different. Violation of these regulations can result in significant penalties, including fines and penalties.
You may also find yourself with a list of people who aren’t a good fit for your business. If you’re selling a SaaS product for small businesses and end up with a list of enterprise companies, you’ve tossed your money out the window.
This is why lead lists often result in low engagement and conversion rates. The lists are mass-generated, making it difficult to create personalized and relevant content that will appeal to key decision-makers.
Finally, keep in mind that using purchased lists can damage your sender’s reputation and email deliverability rate. Your emails are more likely to hit the spam folder, making it more difficult to reach other potential buyers who may have actually been interested through cold emailing.
Using a tool like Kaspr or Cognism to buy email lists is best. Traditional email lists often come with outdated contact information that either isn’t compliant or incorrect. Tools that allow you to build your list also mean you’ll have a much more personalized list of people to reach out to.
Kaspr and Cognism offer the most accurate European dataset. Both tools come with a Chrome Extension for finding email addresses. Kaspr is more geared towards individual contributors and SMBs, whereas Cognism is for larger enterprises.
Buying email lists involves purchasing lead information to build email lists.
Some email list companies sell lists outright, offering a set group of professional email addresses for a set fee. These email lists may contain contacts based on their industry, job title, or company size. While this approach is quick, it lacks customization. SDRs, for example, may find leads they’ve already disqualified on the list.
Other tools, however, allow SDRs to purchase individual email addresses. You’ll only pay for the contact information—and the leads—you’ll use.
Sales and marketing teams use these email lists for targeted outreach campaigns, so list quality and accuracy matter. Choose a solution that will give you the most usable, relevant leads.
There are plenty of email-buying tools on the market. Knowing how to choose the right tool for you is key.
It’s important to have clear objectives when choosing an email list provider.
For example, pre-made list providers may be suitable options if you want a bulk list of potential leads based on industry or job title.
Most businesses, however, will benefit from email finder tools that allow them to build unique lists with leads that are in-market or in their target audience.
It’s also important to consider how you’ll use the tool. Small teams or individual SDRs may benefit from a tool like Kaspr for manual list-building, while large companies might choose enterprise-grade tools like Cognism.
Email lists are only useful if they contain accurate, updated data. Data quality should be a core consideration when evaluating email finder tools.
Evaluate the data quality of potential email lists with these tips:
Legal compliance with privacy and compliance laws is critical. Avoid significant penalties by only purchasing and using email lists that follow local regulations. This may potentially include alignment with GDPR and CCPA.
Find compliant email list software that promotes security and privacy compliance as a key feature on their site. Kaspr, for example, ensures that all email list data is GDPR- and CCPA-aligned.
Purchasing email lists is just the first step; knowing how to get the most out of those lists is the second part of the equation. Let’s look at a few best practices to get more results with your new prospects.
Segment email lists based on key traits, such as the prospect’s industry, job title, and in-market status for targeted marketing and outreach. The more relevant the messages, the better the results will be.
Here are a few quick tips for segmentation:
Personalization can improve engagement rates, including email open rates and initial first-touch response rates. Again, the more relevant the messages, the better the response.
Some quick tips for outreach personalization:
Email and outreach campaigns that work today may not work tomorrow. Continuous monitoring and ongoing optimization is critical. Track metrics like open rates, calls booked, and responses.
Some fast tips for campaign optimization:
💡 You might like to read: how to write good sales emails.
Are you unsure if you want to purchase email lists outright? There are two other good options: organic list-building, partnerships, and co-marketing.
Organic list-building uses standard lead generation tactics, which include the following:
Whether you purchase leads or not, organic list building should always be part of your marketing strategy.
Partnerships and co-marketing allow two brands to create a shared offer to attract new customers. These offers may include a joint webinar, eBook, social media campaign, or a bundled product deal.
When two brands invest in marketing and outreach resources for a shared goal, both can benefit from boosted list-building. Each business may reach new customers and share existing customers with its brand partners.
Purchasing email lists can help SDRs identify high-intent prospects and streamline mass outreach. However, choosing the right email list software is key. Look for tools prioritizing relevance, data accuracy, and full control over your purchase lead information.
When purchasing email lists, weigh your options carefully and fully use our email marketing best practices to increase opens and response rates.
Ready to connect with decision-makers? Get started with Kaspr today. No credit card is needed to sign up, and you can test drive our data. 👇