Apollo

Apollo sits between dedicated databases (like Zoominfo) and pure sequencing tools (like Lemlist). If you're doing serious outbound volume, Apollo's all-in-one approach saves time versus stitching together separate tools. The database quality is solid for tech companies but can be patchy in traditional industries. Pricing starts around $49/user/month but quickly scales with email credits. Compare against: Zoominfo + Lemlist if you need the absolute best data quality, or Reply.io for similar all-in-one functionality. Most teams choose Apollo when they want good-enough data with sequencing included, rather than paying for best-in-class separately. The LinkedIn Chrome extension is genuinely useful for adding prospects on the fly.

Apollo impressed me by putting list building and email sequences under one roof. Connecting Gmail was painless, and within an hour I had pulled a targeted list and launched a five-step cadence. Verified emails kept bounce rates low, and replies arrived within days.

As campaigns grew, I exported Apollo contacts into Lemlist when I needed personalised GIFs or video thumbnails, and into a LinkedIn tool for automated connection requests. Apollo’s sequencing is solid but not as creative as those niche platforms. Still, the value of an always-fresh database plus decent outreach is hard to beat. For teams focused on email and phone, Apollo is an affordable pipeline engine; add specialist tools only when your strategy demands richer personalisation or deeper analytics.

Onboarding and setup

Sign up and connect accounts

Create an account, choose the free or paid tier, then link Gmail, Outlook or SMTP. Verify SPF, DKIM and DMARC records to protect deliverability.

Integrate your CRM

Enable the Salesforce, HubSpot or Pipedrive connector so new contacts and activities sync automatically. Set rules for how Apollo should update lead status when replies arrive.

Campaign building process

Build prospect lists

Use 200+ filters to search Apollo’s database by industry, role, technology and funding events. Save the search or enrich a CSV of target accounts. Focus on contacts marked verified to minimise bounces.

Design sequences

Create an email first touch, schedule follow-ups and insert call steps or manual LinkedIn tasks. Configure stop rules so any reply or booked meeting pauses further messages.

Personalisation tools

Merge tags and conditional text

Insert fields such as first name, company and industry. Add simple if/else logic to tweak lines for different roles.

AI writing assistant

Prompt the built-in AI to draft message variants, then edit for tone and accuracy before launching A/B tests.

Deliverability and send volume

Verification and rotation

Filter out risky emails, start with low daily send caps and rotate across multiple inboxes on higher plans to keep reputation healthy.

Scheduling and throttling

Limit sends to business hours in the prospect’s timezone and increase volume gradually over several weeks.

CRM integration and automation

Two-way sync

Ensure emails, calls and status updates flow into your CRM. Let Apollo create new contacts for any net-new leads you engage.

Workflow rules

Set automations such as notifying Slack when a lead replies or moving a contact to a nurturing list if they click but do not respond.

Strengths and limitations

All-in-one efficiency

Apollo delivers data, enrichment and outreach in one licence, reducing tool sprawl and speeding campaign launch.

When to add specialists

For personalised images, deeper LinkedIn automation or enterprise-grade analytics, export Apollo leads to Lemlist, Mailshake or Outreach while retaining Apollo as your master data source.

Conclusion

By uniting a vast, verified database with sequenced email and phone outreach, Apollo turns cold lists into warm conversations quickly. Follow best practices for deliverability, integrate with your CRM and add niche tools only when your strategy outgrows Apollo’s native feature set.