How many leads do I need to start?

One hundred named, well-matched people is enough to test your message and learn what works.

Should I buy a lead list?

Be careful. Bought lists tend to be out of date and full of people who never opted in. Building a smaller, accurate list yourself or with a tool that finds people by description usually works better.

What columns should a lead list have?

First name, last name, role, company, email and a short note on why they fit. A source column helps if you need to remove someone later.

Can I import my own contacts into Rocketship?

Yes. Importing your own contacts is free, and Apollo and HubSpot exports are read directly. A lead is used when Rocketship starts working a contact.

How long does it take to build a list by hand?

Roughly three to five minutes per person, so 100 people takes five to eight hours.

Finding buyers

How do I build a B2B lead list?

Describe your ideal buyer in one sentence, find 100 real people who fit it from directories, maps, LinkedIn and your own past customers, and record each one's name, role, company and email in a spreadsheet. Start with 100, not 10,000, send to them, and let the replies tell you who to look for next.

Updated October 2026

Step 1: Write the buyer in one sentence

A lead list without a buyer definition is just a list of names. Write a sentence you could hand to a stranger: "Operations managers at logistics companies in Ohio with 20 to 200 employees." That sentence tells you where to search, who to skip, and what to say in the first line of the email.

If you have customers already, look at your best five. Same title? Same size? Same trigger when they called you? The sentence is usually hiding in that comparison.

Step 2: Choose where to look

Google Maps and local directories: good for businesses with a physical place.
LinkedIn search: good for roles and company sizes.
Industry associations and conference exhibitor lists: good for niche B2B.
Your own customers, past quotes and old email: often the warmest names you have.
Job postings: a company hiring for the problem you solve is a strong signal.

Pick two sources and stay with them for the first 100. Mixing ten sources produces a messy sheet and a messy message.

Step 3: Keep the sheet simple

Six columns is enough: first name, last name, role, company, email, and a one-line note on why they fit (the thing you will use in the opening sentence). Add a source column if you want to be able to remove someone later.

Here is a fictional row so the shape is clear: Dana Whitcomb, Fleet Manager, Redline Freight, dana.whitcomb@redlinefreight.example, "added a third depot in Dayton in March". The note is what turns a template into an email that sounds like a person wrote it.

Step 4: Find the emails

This is the slow part. By hand it takes several minutes per person. Look for published addresses first, then use the company's pattern (first.last@ and similar) and check them before you send. The details are in <A href="/answers/how-to-find-a-business-email-address">how to find someone's business email address</A>.

Expect a share of your list to have no findable address. That is normal. A list of 100 names often becomes 70 emailable people.

Step 5: Clean before you send

Remove duplicates, anyone who is not the right role, and any address that looks wrong. Remove people who have told you to stop. A short, accurate list beats a long messy one, since bounces and complaints are what mailbox providers hold against you. See <A href="/answers/how-to-send-cold-email-without-going-to-spam">how to send cold email without landing in spam</A>.

How big should the first list be?

One hundred. Emailing 100 people with four touches each is 400 emails, which one inbox can send in under a month at a safe pace. That gives you enough replies to see whether your message works. If it does, build the next 100. If it does not, change the message, not the list size.

Do not buy a list of 10,000 and send to everyone. Bought lists go stale, bounce, and carry people who never agreed to hear from you.

Where Rocketship helps

If you already have contacts, import them for free. Rocketship reads Apollo and HubSpot exports directly. If you need new people, it finds them by name from your description of the buyer, using enrichment credits. A lead is used when Rocketship starts working a contact: Launch includes 50 leads a month, Frontier 200 and Mission Control 6,500. Extra leads are available as top-ups: $15 for 100, $35 for 300, $99 for 1,000 and $399 for 5,000.

Plans are on the pricing page, and Launch starts with a 7-day free trial (card required). More detail is in our guide to building a lead list.