How do I move a Apollo.io list into Instantly?

Get a CSV of the list out of Apollo.io (In Apollo, open Search > People and filter to the contacts, saved search or list you want. Select the contacts, then click Export. Choose whether to export all selected contacts or only those with verified emails. Click Export records, then go to Settings > Import & Exports > CSV Exports and click Download.), verify it, then import the valid file into Instantly: In Instantly, go to the Engage tab and open the cold outreach campaign. Open the Leads section and click Upload CSV, then pick the valid file. Check the Select Type dropdown on each column: map the email column to Email and set columns you do not need to Do Not Import. Review the upload settings, then click Upload all.

Do I need to verify a Apollo.io export before Instantly?

Lead databases go stale as people change jobs, and a bounced cold email counts against your sending domain the same as any other. Verifying the Apollo export before it goes into a sequence keeps the bounce rate under the roughly 2% line where mailbox providers start filtering, and it catches catch-all domains you should not send to blind. Instantly's default auto-pause stops a campaign at a 5% bounce rate, once it has made more than 200 sends.

Which columns should I map in Instantly?

Email address to Email; First name to First Name; Last name to Last Name; Company name to Company Name; Anything your copy uses (title, city, an opening line) to Custom variable. Set every column your copy does not use to skip or ignore.

Should risky or catch-all addresses go into the campaign?

Usually a catch-all domain, which accepts every address so no verifier can confirm the mailbox. Leave it out, or load it into its own smaller campaign at low daily volume so any bounces stay visible and away from the main one.

What does verifying the list cost?

Your first 100 checks are free after Google sign-in, once per account. Then $9 for 2,500 emails one-time, or Pro at $29.99 a month with no cap on email verification. Files up to 100,000 rows.

Cold email workflow

Apollo.io to Instantly: verify the list before you import it

Workflow · SimpleVerifier Team · Steps checked 20 October 2026

Export your contacts from Apollo.io as a CSV, upload it to SimpleVerifier as it is, and import only the valid file into Instantly, mapping the email column to Email. Keep risky (usually catch-all) rows out of the main campaign and drop invalid ones.

Step 1

Get the CSV from Apollo.io

1In Apollo, open Search > People and filter to the contacts, saved search or list you want.
2Select the contacts, then click Export.
3Choose whether to export all selected contacts or only those with verified emails.
4Click Export records, then go to Settings > Import & Exports > CSV Exports and click Download.

Apollo's help notes that exporting contacts you have already saved uses no credits, while net-new people are saved first and can use credits.

Source: Apollo.io help centre · Apollo.io export guide

Step 2

Verify every address

1Sign in and upload the CSV as it came out of the export. The email column is found by its header or its contents.
2Every row gets a live mailbox check with catch-all, disposable and role-address detection.
3Download the valid, risky and invalid files. Each keeps every original Apollo.io column.

Check 100 emails free

Then $9 for 2,500 emails, or $29.99/mo unlimited.

Step 3

Import into Instantly

1In Instantly, go to the Engage tab and open the cold outreach campaign.
2Open the Leads section and click Upload CSV, then pick the valid file.
3Check the Select Type dropdown on each column: map the email column to Email and set columns you do not need to Do Not Import.
4Review the upload settings, then click Upload all.

Source: Instantly: How to import leads via CSV

Column mapping in Instantly

Column in the Apollo.io file	Instantly field	Note
Email address	Email	Required. The upload does not work without it.
First name	First Name
Last name	Last Name
Company name	Company Name
Anything your copy uses (title, city, an opening line)	Custom variable	Headers at most 20 characters, starting with a capital letter.

Column names in your Apollo.io file depend on your export settings, so match them by what they hold. Field names on the right are as Instantly’s help article writes them.

Row 1 holds column names: no duplicates, at most 20 characters each, starting with a capital letter.
At most 50 variables per upload; drop empty and unused columns first.
Save as CSV UTF-8 (comma delimited) from Excel.

Which results to send

validSend
The mailbox server confirmed the address. This is the file that goes into the main campaign.
riskyHold, or send separately
Usually a catch-all domain, which accepts every address so no verifier can confirm the mailbox. Leave it out, or load it into its own smaller campaign at low daily volume so any bounces stay visible and away from the main one.
invalidDrop
The server said the mailbox does not exist, or the domain cannot take mail. Sending will bounce.

Things to watch with Apollo.io and Instantly

Apollo's export dialog can limit the file to contacts with verified emails. That status is from Apollo's last check, not today, so the file still needs a fresh mailbox check before Instantly sends to it.
Instantly blocks duplicates across campaigns by default, so a contact you exported from Apollo twice is only loaded once. Dedupe before verifying anyway, so you only check rows you will send to.
Check for Duplicates Across All Campaigns/Lists is on by default and blocks leads already in another campaign or list. Leave it on unless you mean to re-contact someone.
The Verify Leads box charges Instantly credits per lead (0.25 per lead in its help article). If the file is already verified, you can untick it.
Instantly's default auto-pause stops a campaign at a 5% bounce rate, once it has made more than 200 sends. Source.

Skip the export: subscribers can connect Instantly and verify a campaign's leads directly. See the Instantly integration.

Estimate what an unverified list would do to the campaign with the cold email bounce cost calculator, or reshape the file for Instantly with the CSV import formatter.

Common questions

How do I move a Apollo.io list into Instantly?: Get a CSV of the list out of Apollo.io (In Apollo, open Search > People and filter to the contacts, saved search or list you want. Select the contacts, then click Export. Choose whether to export all selected contacts or only those with verified emails. Click Export records, then go to Settings > Import & Exports > CSV Exports and click Download.), verify it, then import the valid file into Instantly: In Instantly, go to the Engage tab and open the cold outreach campaign. Open the Leads section and click Upload CSV, then pick the valid file. Check the Select Type dropdown on each column: map the email column to Email and set columns you do not need to Do Not Import. Review the upload settings, then click Upload all.
Do I need to verify a Apollo.io export before Instantly?: Lead databases go stale as people change jobs, and a bounced cold email counts against your sending domain the same as any other. Verifying the Apollo export before it goes into a sequence keeps the bounce rate under the roughly 2% line where mailbox providers start filtering, and it catches catch-all domains you should not send to blind. Instantly's default auto-pause stops a campaign at a 5% bounce rate, once it has made more than 200 sends.
Which columns should I map in Instantly?: Email address to Email; First name to First Name; Last name to Last Name; Company name to Company Name; Anything your copy uses (title, city, an opening line) to Custom variable. Set every column your copy does not use to skip or ignore.
Should risky or catch-all addresses go into the campaign?: Usually a catch-all domain, which accepts every address so no verifier can confirm the mailbox. Leave it out, or load it into its own smaller campaign at low daily volume so any bounces stay visible and away from the main one.
What does verifying the list cost?: Your first 100 checks are free after Google sign-in, once per account. Then $9 for 2,500 emails one-time, or Pro at $29.99 a month with no cap on email verification. Files up to 100,000 rows.