1. Decide who you want
Write down your ideal customer in one sentence: "independent dental practices in Texas with fewer than 50 reviews", or "YouTube fitness creators with 10K–200K subscribers who upload weekly". If you can't write it in one sentence, the list will be vague too. See ideal customer profiles for local businesses.
2. Pick the source where they live
| Who | Best source |
|---|---|
| Local businesses | Google Maps |
| Creators | YouTube |
| Businesses that advertise | Facebook Ad Library |
| New startups | Product Hunt |
| Startups with revenue | TrustMRR |
| Community members | Skool |
Live sources beat old databases for small businesses and creators: the data is current and complete.
3. Collect at the right scale
Use bulk keywords and multiple locations to cover your target properly. Start with a test search of a few hundred results to check the quality before going big.
4. Enrich
A list of names isn't a lead list. You need ways to reach people: emails, the decision-maker's name, phones and social profiles. Prospect Cheap adds these automatically.
5. Filter to the best fit
Apply your one-sentence definition: rating, reviews, website, ads, subscribers, MRR, location. Cut everyone who doesn't fit — sending to them costs time and reputation.
6. Clean
Remove duplicates, chains you don't serve, invalid emails and businesses you already work with. See cleaning a lead list.
7. Segment
Split the list into groups you can message differently: by niche, city, size or signal.
8. Export to where you work
CSV for spreadsheets, Instantly for cold email, GoHighLevel for a CRM with calls and SMS.
9. Refresh
Lists go stale as businesses open, close and change. Re-run your searches every few months and add only new leads.