# How Revnu Finds Leads

> How Revnu finds buyers, how to ask for leads and describe a narrow buyer, keep a list to one region, build lists of investors, partners or affiliates, turn a directory or event list into leads, and whether it uses your LinkedIn. Revnu finds businesses, not consumers.

Canonical: https://revnu.com/docs/find-leads
Last updated: 2026-10-18

Ask Revnu for leads in plain words, or press **Find New Leads** on the **Leads** page. Revnu finds businesses that fit and the people in roles at them. It saves each lead with the reason it fits, and the first five arrive within minutes.

Revnu finds businesses and the people who run them. If your customers are individuals, see [how Revnu reaches them](#what-if-my-customers-are-individuals).

## How do I ask for leads?

### 1. Say who you want

Type your request where you talk to Revnu: the dashboard chat, Slack or iMessage. Describe the buyer as narrowly as you can (see [below](#how-do-i-describe-the-exact-buyer-i-want)).

Or open **Leads** and press **Find New Leads**, top right. That uses what Revnu already knows about your buyers from **Settings > Memory**. To aim it somewhere specific, describe the buyer in chat instead.

![The Leads page. Find New Leads is the button at the top right](/docs/screens/leads.webp)

### 2. Wait for the first leads

Revnu replies with what it's searching for. The first five arrive within minutes. A search of ten or more companies runs in the background, and Revnu tells you when it's done.

### 3. Check what came back

New leads show on **Leads** with a status such as **Qualified** or **Drafted** ([lead statuses](/docs/email-status)). Open a lead and go to its **Signals** tab to see why it fits and where each fact came from ([what's on a lead](/docs/lead-details)).

Don't want one? Open its status menu on **Leads** and choose **Not a Fit**. Revnu won't contact it.

### 4. Approve the first emails

Revnu drafts emails for leads that fit an approved sequence. Your first sequence waits for your yes. See [sequences](/docs/sequences).

## How do I describe the exact buyer I want?

Give Revnu as many of these as you know:

- **Job titles.** "Heads of operations and COOs", not "decision-makers".
- **Company size.** "51 to 1,000 employees", or "seed to Series A".
- **Place.** A country, region or city, such as "San Francisco Bay Area".
- **Signals.** Things that show a company needs you now: hiring for a role, recently raised money, uses a certain tool, just opened a new office, or its people are posting about your problem. See [find leads by buying signal](/docs/uc-buying-signals) for dozens of examples.
- **Example companies.** Two or three customers you'd love more of. Revnu looks for companies like them.
- **Who to leave out.** Existing customers, competitors, or a type of company that never buys. Attach your customer list to the same message and ask Revnu to block it. See [keep people off your outreach](/docs/exclude-contacts).

Requests that work well:

> Find 30 heads of security at software companies with 51 to 1,000 employees in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prefer companies hiring security engineers. Leave out anyone already in my customer list.

> Find seed and Series A fintech companies that raised in the last 90 days. The CFO or a founder.

> Find Shopify stores with 11 to 50 staff that also use Klaviyo, and are hiring a performance marketer. The head of e-commerce.

> Find people at B2B software companies who posted about cold email deliverability in the last month.

> Find heads of growth in London who used to work at Revolut or Monzo.

> **Tip:** The narrower the description, the better the list. Pasting a written brief works too. Revnu reads industry codes, such as SIC or NAICS codes, as hints, not filters, so also say the kind of company in words, for example "freight forwarders and customs brokers".

## How does Revnu find buyers?

Revnu hunts for companies that need you this week, not just ones that fit on paper. It searches hundreds of millions of people and more than 40 million companies for buying signals: a round that just closed, a job post for the role you help, a tool in the stack you plug into, a founder posting about your problem, a crowd commenting on a competitor's launch. Then:

1. **It searches Revnu's own database first.** Every company carries its industry, size, location, funding, investors and technology; every person carries their role, seniority, career history, schools and location. Live sources add the freshest signals: job posts, funding rounds, LinkedIn posts and the ads companies are running right now. See [every buying signal you can ask for](/docs/uc-buying-signals).
2. **It fills the gaps with waterfall enrichment.** For anything it doesn't hold in-house, Revnu asks third-party B2B data providers one after another until the answer turns up, and saves it back into its own database, so every search makes the next one richer.
3. **It researches each company on public pages**, such as its website, job posts and news, and records why it fits.
4. **It finds the right person, checks their work email** and saves the lead to **Leads**.

For every filter and every field on a record, see [find companies](/docs/uc-find-companies) and [find people and their contact details](/docs/uc-find-people).

## How does Revnu find and check emails?

For each person, Revnu runs an email waterfall and checks the result before anything is sent:

1. It looks for the person's own work email in Revnu's own database, then asks third-party B2B data providers one after another until one has it. Every address gets a deliverability check, and one that would bounce is never used.
2. If there isn't one, it can use the company's general address from its website, such as hello@.
3. If neither works, it marks the lead **Declined** with "no email found" and moves on.

Emails from sending inboxes Revnu buys go only to addresses that pass a full check. If the email check itself is down for a while, Revnu tries again later rather than dropping the lead.

## How do I keep leads to one country?

Say it in your request, for example "UK companies only". To make it stick for every future search, add it to **Settings > Memory**, where Revnu keeps who you sell to (usually the **Who We Sell To** section). Revnu reads Memory on every turn, including the runs of your [scheduled workflows](/docs/recurring-work).

A workflow's own steps can still name a place. If one says "find US companies", change that step too: open it on **Workflows** and edit the line, or ask Revnu "make my recurring lead workflows UK only".

> **Tip:** Revnu follows a country rule in Memory on every new list. Glance at the first few leads after you change it.

If leads from the wrong country already came back, tell Revnu. On **Leads**, mark any you don't want as **Not a Fit** from the lead's status menu, and Revnu won't contact them.

## Questions about finding leads

**Can Revnu reach consumers as well as businesses?**

Yes, through different channels. Email and LinkedIn outreach go to businesses and the people who work at them. To reach consumers, such as people moving house, patients, students or homeowners, Revnu runs [ads](/docs/how-revnu-runs-ads) and writes [search posts](/docs/blog-setup-options) they'll find.

It also finds the businesses that serve those people: estate agents and removals firms, clinics, schools and universities, builders and letting agents. See [what if my customers are individuals?](#what-if-my-customers-are-individuals)

**What if my customers are individuals?**

Revnu reaches them with ads and search posts, and through the businesses around them. Three kinds of business that work:

- **Businesses that refer them.** Estate agents refer home movers to removals firms. Solicitors and advice services refer people with legal problems.
- **Businesses that serve the same people.** Letting agents and property managers deal with movers. Employers' HR teams deal with staff in a dispute.
- **Organisations they belong to.** Trade bodies, clubs and associations with a named person in charge.

Ask like this:

> Find solicitors and advice services in England and Wales that refer people in employment disputes. I want to offer them a referral fee.

To reach the individuals directly, ask Revnu for [search posts](/docs/blog-setup-options) and [ads](/docs/how-revnu-runs-ads).

**What about a narrow niche of small firms?**

Describe the firms the way their customers would, and say who you want at them:

> Find UK freight forwarders with 5 to 50 staff that handle air cargo. I want the owner or managing director. Leave out the big global forwarders.

Lists of small firms come back shorter. Business data covers small firms less well than large ones, and the owner of a five-person firm often has no listed work email. When Revnu can't find a checked email for a named person, it uses the company's general address from its website, such as hello@, or declines the lead. If you know a directory that lists every firm in your niche, give Revnu the link ([turn a directory into leads](#can-revnu-turn-a-directory-or-event-list-into-leads)).

**Can I get lists of investors, partners or people to hire?**

Yes. Revnu researches any group of businesses or people in roles, not only customers. Say who you want and why:

> Find 20 heads of corporate development at UK logistics software companies that have bought a startup in the last three years. We're exploring an acquisition.

The same works for investors, channel partners, suppliers or candidates. The leads land on **Leads**, and any email to them goes through a sequence and your approvals like any other.

**Can Revnu turn a directory or event list into leads?**

Yes. Paste the link to a public directory, member list or event attendee page, and say what you want from it. Revnu tries to read the page and brings back the list, or tells you if it can't. Then ask it to add them to Leads. It finds each company's website, the right person and their email in the background.

- **It takes a while.** A few leads arrive quickly and the rest keep coming. To check, ask "how far along is the UK forwarders list?" and Revnu gives you a count.
- **Some companies drop out.** When Revnu can't find a company's website or an email that passes the check, it marks the lead **Declined**, and the reason shows on the lead. The **All** tab hides declined leads, so open the **Declined** tab to see them. See [lead statuses](/docs/email-status).
- **Partly read pages.** Some sites stop visitors after a few screens. To check Revnu got everything, ask "how many entries did you read, and how many are on the page?"
- **Where the list lands.** A finished list can come back first as an update in chat or in **Review**. Once you answer or dismiss that card, it leaves Review. The leads live on **Leads**, under the campaign Revnu gives them. Pick it from the **Campaign** dropdown at the top. See [where a list ends up](/docs/lead-details).
- **Pages behind a login.** Revnu asks you to do that step yourself. Or export the list and [upload the file](/docs/import-leads) in chat.
- **Events.** Tell Revnu the date and when invitations should stop. It only knows the date if you say it. How many go out a day depends on your inboxes. See [sending limits](/docs/email-sending-limits).

**What happens to leads I already have if I change the brief?**

They stay. Changing who you sell to doesn't remove or stop leads Revnu already found, including drafted ones. Ask Revnu to decline the ones that no longer fit ("decline every lead outside the UK"), or mark them **Not a Fit** yourself.

**How do I run a regional push?**

Say the place in every request, and use the channels that can be aimed at it:

1. **Leads.** "Find 40 property managers in Florida with 10 to 200 staff." The place works down to a city or region.
2. **Search posts.** Ask for posts about your service in that place, such as "write a post on choosing a commercial cleaner in Tampa". Ask for one page per place only where the local audience is genuinely different, and have each one written for that place. Ten near-copies with only the city name swapped help nobody. See [blog setup options](/docs/blog-setup-options).
3. **Ads.** Revnu aims LinkedIn and X campaigns at the countries you name. See [how Revnu runs ads](/docs/how-revnu-runs-ads).

AI visibility tracking works by country, not city. On Managed, your growth engineer can add countries from a set list, so Revnu checks how AI assistants answer from there. It tracks countries, not cities. See [AI visibility](/docs/ai-visibility).

**Does this use my LinkedIn? Is it allowed?**

Lead research leaves your LinkedIn account alone. Revnu searches its own database of companies and the people who work at them, third-party B2B data providers and public pages. Many leads carry a LinkedIn profile link, which is how the same people can be reached on LinkedIn later.

Nothing touches your LinkedIn until you connect it. Once you do, Revnu looks up the profile of each person it's about to invite or message, through your account, and sends only what your approval settings allow. See [connect LinkedIn](/docs/connect-linkedin).

**Can Revnu run my affiliate or referral programme?**

Revnu recruits partners and affiliates for you. It finds people and businesses likely to promote you, such as newsletter writers, agencies or consultants who serve your buyers, and email them with your terms. Say who and what you offer:

> Find 30 UK accounting firms that advise small online shops. Pitch them our partner deal: 20% of the first year for every customer they refer.

Track referrals and pay commissions in a referral tool or your payment provider, such as Stripe. Give Revnu your partner sign-up link to put in the email.

## Next step

[See what's on a lead](/docs/lead-details), then [set up your sequence](/docs/sequences).

## Frequently asked questions

### Where does Revnu get its leads and email addresses?

From Revnu's own database of more than 40 million companies and the people who work at them, packed with buying signals like funding, hiring and technology. Anything it doesn't hold in-house comes from third-party B2B data providers through waterfall enrichment. Then Revnu researches each company on public sources like its website, job posts and news. Every email address is checked before it's used, and each lead shows why it fits.

### What is waterfall enrichment?

Asking several data sources in turn until one has the answer. Revnu checks its own database first, then third-party B2B data providers one after another, so far more leads end up with the facts and checked work email they need than any single source would give. Everything it finds is saved back into Revnu's own database.

### Does Revnu use my LinkedIn account to find leads?

Lead research runs on Revnu's own database of companies and the people who work at them, third-party B2B data providers and public pages, so your LinkedIn stays untouched until you connect it.

### How long does it take to get leads?

The first five usually arrive within minutes. Lists of ten or more companies keep running in the background, and Revnu tells you when they're done.

### Can I get leads only from one country?

Yes. Say the country in your request. To make it permanent, add it to who you sell to in Settings > Memory, and Revnu follows it on every turn, including scheduled workflows. Glance at the first leads to confirm the list matches.

### Can I paste SIC or NAICS codes?

Yes. Revnu uses them as hints, and finds the best matches when you also describe the kind of company in words, such as "freight forwarders and customs brokers".

### Can Revnu find consumers instead of businesses?

Revnu reaches consumers through blog posts, search, AI answers and ads, and finds and emails the businesses that refer or serve them.

### Can Revnu find investors or acquirers instead of customers?

Yes. Describe who you want and why, for example heads of corporate development at companies that have made acquisitions. The leads and any emails work like any other list.

### What happens to my old leads if I change who I sell to?

They stay on Leads. Ask Revnu to decline the ones that no longer fit, or mark them Not a Fit from the status menu.

### Can Revnu manage my affiliate programme?

Revnu runs the recruiting side: it finds likely affiliates and pitches them your terms by email. Referral tracking and commission payouts stay in your referral tool or payment provider.

### How do I know how far along a directory list is?

Ask Revnu, for example "how far along is the UK forwarders list?". It answers with a count. Companies with no findable website or checked email end up Declined, with the reason on the lead.

### Why was a lead declined with "no email found"?

Revnu only emails addresses that pass its check. For this lead, neither the person's email nor a general company address passed, so Revnu moved on rather than guess.