An IQL Search allows you to uncover companies actively showing intent signals and reveal the right prospects inside those accounts. Unlike Contact Search, which starts from a blank canvas, Intent Searches begin with all filters applied — you remove or adjust them to narrow down results.
This guide walks you through creating an IQL Search step by step.
Step 1: Access IQL Search:
- From the left-hand menu, select Intent Search (IQLs).
- You’ll see a table of all your saved searches.
- Every account will include a Master Search — a fixed, system-generated search that covers all intent signals.
- You can save customised versions of this Master Search (e.g. filtered by geography, industry, or persona) for quick access later.
- Click on the search you want to use to open the results table with its filters applied.
Step 2: Selecting your IQL Type
When you open your IQL Search, the first filter you’ll see is IQL Type. This lets you choose which type of Intent Qualified Leads (IQLs) to view:
- All IQLs
Shows every contact surfaced from your search, across all match types.
Intent Qualified Prospect
Verified contacts who match your Target Persona at a company showing intent. These individuals are ICP-fit and validated in the Cognism database, but they may not be the person who directly triggered the intent signal.- All Person
Combines Person Matched and Person Verified (i.e., all person-level intent).
Person Matched – Direct Match
This contact is the individual who showed intent based on tracked behaviour (e.g. keyword research, competitor engagement).Person Verified – Direct Match
This contact is both the person who showed intent and is verified in the Cognism database..
Step 3: Use Intent Criteria:
The Intent Criteria section is unique to IQL searches. These filters help you target the right in-market accounts:
- Quadrant Phases → filter by research stage (Initial, Interested, Active, In-Depth).
- Intent Sources → select which providers to include.
- Triggers → narrow by topics, competitors, or events driving the intent signal.
- Spikes → show accounts where intent activity has surged recently.
Date Range → set the time period for activity.
Step 4: Add Contact Criteria:
Once you’ve filtered by intent, apply Contact Criteria to define who you want to see within those companies:
- Job Title → search by keyword (e.g. “CEO,” “Head of Marketing”).
Max Per Company → set the maximum number of contacts you want revealed per account.
Step 5: Apply Company Criteria:
Narrow your results further with company-level filters:
- Industry → focus on relevant verticals.
- Company Name → focus on specific target accounts.
- Size → segment by employee count.
Geography → target by country, region, or city.
Step 6: Review your results:
Your filtered IQLs will appear in the results table. For each row you’ll see:
- Contact details → name, job title, company.
- Company details → size, industry, location.
- Research phase → the stage of the buying journey.
- Reveal button → to unlock verified contact info.
You can also use the Quick View option for a deeper snapshot without leaving the table:
- Intent summary → shows which topics, keywords, or sources triggered the intent.
- Other prospects at the company → view additional contacts that may be relevant.
- Expanded company details → including headcount, locations, and industry info.
Step 7: Understanding crown icons in IQL Search:
When viewing your IQL Search results, you will see crown icons beside certain contacts. These indicate the type of intent match at the person level:
This contact is the individual who showed intent based on tracked behaviour (e.g. keyword research, competitor engagement).
This contact is both the person who showed intent and is verified in the Cognism database.
This contact has surfaced as an ideal persona match within a company showing intent. They may not be the one who personally triggered the signal, but they fit your Target Persona and are likely to be relevant in the buying process.
Step 8: Reveal prospects:
You have multiple ways to reveal contacts from your IQL search:
- Manual reveal → click Reveal on an individual contact.
- Bulk reveal → select multiple companies/contacts and reveal at once.
- Automated reveal → use a LeadFlow to automatically reveal contacts from new IQLs and push them into your lists, CRM, or ad platforms.
Best practices:
- Start broad → then refine with filters until you get the right volume and quality.
- Balance intent + ICP → always combine intent signals with persona/company filters to keep results relevant.
- Use LeadFlows for scale → automation ensures you never miss new in-market accounts.
- Set Max Per Company → to avoid flooding your lists with too many contacts from the same account.
FAQs:
How is IQL Search different from Contact Search?
- IQL Search = companies actively showing intent + persona/company filters.
- Contact Search = the entire contact database with no intent filters.
Do IQLs cost credits?
Yes. Credits are only consumed when you reveal a contact.
Can I change the Master Search?
No. The Master Search is system-generated and always includes all intent signals. However, you can save customised versions of it with your own filters (e.g. industry, geography, persona) for future use.
What happens if I don’t reveal a contact?
Unrevealed contacts will remain in your IQL Search results for 60 days. After that, new activity may replace them depending on your filters.
Do all contacts in IQL Search show crown icons?
No. Crown icons only appear where a direct person-level intent match is available. Other prospects may still be highly relevant but won’t carry a crown indicator.
What data is included in IQL Search?
IQL Search only shows companies that are actively showing intent signals. This means your results are limited to in-market accounts — you won’t see every contact in the database, only those tied to current intent activity.
Why can’t I search outside of these results?
Because IQL Search is intent-driven by design. It’s focused on surfacing warm, in-market opportunities, not cold outreach lists. If you want to access the full database of prospects (with no intent restriction), use Contact Search instead.
Next steps:
👉 What Are Intent Qualified Leads (IQLs)?
👉 When to Use an IQL vs. Contact Search