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

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 Smartlead: In Smartlead, go to Engage > Campaigns, select the campaign and click Edit. In the Import Leads section, click Import CSV and pick the valid file. Choose the import settings (block list, unsubscribes, community bounces, leads in other campaigns) and click Save. Map the columns: Name, Email and Location map automatically; map the rest to custom variables or choose Ignore.

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

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. Smartlead can pause a campaign when bounces pass a percentage you set, measured against all leads in the campaign.

Which columns should I map in Smartlead?

Email address to Email; First and last name to Name fields (e.g. first_name, last_name); Location to Location; Company, title or anything your copy uses 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 Smartlead: 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 Smartlead, 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 Smartlead

1In Smartlead, go to Engage > Campaigns, select the campaign and click Edit.
2In the Import Leads section, click Import CSV and pick the valid file.
3Choose the import settings (block list, unsubscribes, community bounces, leads in other campaigns) and click Save.
4Map the columns: Name, Email and Location map automatically; map the rest to custom variables or choose Ignore.

Source: Smartlead: How to map CSV columns in campaigns · Smartlead: Community bounce feature

Column mapping in Smartlead

Column in the Apollo.io file	Smartlead field	Note
Email address	Email	Mapped automatically; check it.
First and last name	Name fields (e.g. first_name, last_name)
Location	Location	Mapped automatically.
Company, title or anything your copy uses	Custom variable	Up to 40 per lead. Placeholders like {{first_name}} must match the mapped names.

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 Smartlead’s help article writes them.

Blank cells do not populate in emails, so fill or drop columns your copy depends on.
Set unneeded columns to Ignore at the mapping step.

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 Smartlead

Apollo's verified-email filter reflects Apollo's last check. Verify the export again before the Smartlead campaign goes live: Smartlead's help says its own verification only runs before a campaign starts.
Smartlead measures its bounce auto-pause against every lead in the campaign, so a bad first batch looks smaller than it is. Clean the file first rather than relying on the pause.
Tick Skip leads that are already in another campaign if the list overlaps earlier sends, and keep Import leads that have bounced across the entire userbase switched the way you want: Smartlead's help notes that by default it imports them.
Smartlead can pause a campaign when bounces pass a percentage you set, measured against all leads in the campaign. Source.

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

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

Common questions

How do I move a Apollo.io list into Smartlead?: 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 Smartlead: In Smartlead, go to Engage > Campaigns, select the campaign and click Edit. In the Import Leads section, click Import CSV and pick the valid file. Choose the import settings (block list, unsubscribes, community bounces, leads in other campaigns) and click Save. Map the columns: Name, Email and Location map automatically; map the rest to custom variables or choose Ignore.
Do I need to verify a Apollo.io export before Smartlead?: 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. Smartlead can pause a campaign when bounces pass a percentage you set, measured against all leads in the campaign.
Which columns should I map in Smartlead?: Email address to Email; First and last name to Name fields (e.g. first_name, last_name); Location to Location; Company, title or anything your copy uses 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.