Contact Search is your gateway to finding the right B2B prospects. Powered by Cognism, the platform gives you access to over 100 million verified emails, direct dials, and professional profiles. With 30+ firmographic attributes, you can filter down to your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), reveal verified details, and export or sync contacts directly to your CRM or ad tools.
Before you start:
- Make sure you have access to the Contact Search tab.
- Check your Target Persona settings — they can help guide which contacts are most relevant.
- Decide how you want to use revealed contacts: export to CSV, add to a list, or send to Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics, or LinkedIn Ads.
Step 1: Create a New Search:
- From the dashboard, go to Contact Search > Searches.
- Click Create a Search.
- Enter a descriptive name that explains the focus of your search (e.g., UK SaaS Marketing Directors).
- Click Create Search to open the builder.
The search page is split into two areas:
- Search Criteria – where you apply filters.
- Search Results – where matching prospects appear.
Step 2: Apply filters:
You can filter contacts and companies to match your ICP.
- Contact filters: narrow results by job title, department, seniority, location, or even a specific name if you already know who you’re looking for.
- Company filters: refine by company size, revenue, founding year, industry, location, or technology used.
- LinkedIn & domain filters: upload LinkedIn profile URLs or company domains to target known individuals or accounts.
💡 Best practice: Don’t rely only on job titles. Combine seniority + department to capture decision-makers you might otherwise miss. For example, searching “HR Director” might exclude “Head of People” or “Director of Employee Engagement.”
Step 3: Run your Search:
Click Search to generate results. Each prospect row includes:
- Contact name
- Job title
- Company name
- Location
- Industry
- Website
Click the arrow beside a company name to expand and see more — like additional locations, company profile details, or intent data linked to that company.
Step 4: Reveal Prospects:
Contacts must be revealed to access their details.
- To reveal one contact, click Reveal beside their name.
- To reveal in bulk, multi-select several contacts or set the number to reveal per page.
When revealed, you’ll see:
- A verified email address
- A direct dial phone number (where available)
- A LinkedIn profile
Revealed contacts are automatically stored in two places:
- A master Search List
- A segment-specific list for that particular search
Step 5: Take Action:
Once revealed, you can send contacts straight into your outreach with a single click:
- Export to CSV
- Add to List
- Send to Salesforce, HubSpot, or Dynamics
- Add to a LinkedIn Ads Audience
This ensures your search results are not just insights — they’re immediately usable for outreach.
Step 6: Save your Search:
Click Save and Exit when finished. Saved searches let you quickly re-run or adjust your filters without starting from scratch. You can access all of them under Searches.
Best Practices:
- Use clear search names so you and your team know what each is for.
- Be specific, but not too narrow – starting with 4–5 filters is usually enough; too many can cut out good prospects.
- Think beyond obvious titles – pair broad keywords (e.g., Marketing) with seniority filters to capture a wider set of relevant contacts.
- Use exclusion filters – remove job titles like Assistant or Intern if you only want senior decision-makers.
- Experiment with email quality – start with High/High+ for accuracy; expand to Medium if you need more volume.
- Use LinkedIn or domain imports to go after specific accounts.
- Save searches for reuse – build standardised searches for territories, industries, or buying groups to save your team time.
FAQs
Why can’t I see contact details straight away?
Contacts must be revealed before their full details (email, phone, LinkedIn) are unlocked.
Why are my results limited?
Check that your filters aren’t too restrictive. Start with broader filters (like department + seniority) instead of only job titles.
Can I upload my own job titles or company lists?
Yes. You can upload a CSV of job titles, company names, or domains into the filters to run targeted searches.
What’s the difference between saving a search and exporting contacts?
- Saving a search stores the criteria so you can re-run it later.
- Exporting contacts takes the revealed contacts out of the platform into your CRM, list, or CSV file.
What’s the difference between “Contact Location” and “Company Location”?
- Contact Location = where the person is based.
- Company Location = the company’s HQ or office address.
Filtering by one or the other can significantly change your results.
What if I want to exclude certain roles or locations?
Use the Exclude Job Title or Exclude Location filters to remove prospects who don’t fit your ICP.
Can I search by industry codes (SIC/NAICS)?
Yes. The industry filter supports SIC, ISIC, and NAICS codes for precise targeting.
Can I quickly apply my Target Persona filters?
Yes. Use the Add Filters option when creating a search to instantly apply your saved Target Persona filters. This saves time and ensures consistency when multiple team members are building searches.
Why is email quality important?
High/High+ ensures maximum deliverability. Medium expands your pool but may include less-verified emails.
Can I clear and restart a search?
Yes. Use Clear filters to reset your search without losing saved searches.
Do searches use credits?
No credits are used to run a search. Credits are only consumed when you reveal contact details.
Why do some prospects have missing phone numbers?
Direct dials are included where available, but not every verified record will have a phone number. Email deliverability is always prioritised.