n8n & Apollo Lead Generation Finally Solved (Full Tutorial + Template)

Recent developments in LinkedIn cold outreach automation indicate significant disruption, as Apollo has reportedly taken action against services facilitating cheap lead sourcing. For years, users circumvented standard subscription fees by utilizing scrapers to obtain leads at a fraction of the official cost. While Apollo subscriptions typically range from $60 to several hundred dollars monthly depending on the tier, unauthorized methods allowed users to acquire leads for significantly less, sometimes costing only $150 for a thousand leads.

The consensus now is that the period allowing for a twenty-fold discount on Apollo leads has concluded. This necessitates a strategic pivot toward obtaining the same leads, albeit at a higher expense, or utilizing Apollo's alternatives. The proposed solution involves an n8n automation that manually sources leads, enriches them using Perplexity and direct LinkedIn profile scraping, customizes messaging, and uploads the final data set to the Instantly platform for campaign execution.

The provided automation template is available for free download via the comments section, allowing users to follow along and implement the workflow. While the focus remains on automation mechanics, deeper discussions regarding effective cold email conversion strategies are reserved for the Chase AI Plus community, which caters to agency and business operations.

The previous workflow relied on an API connection where natural language queries, such as requesting 'AI engineers in Chicago,' automatically populated the automation. The new methodology shifts control to the user for lead sourcing. This involves manually searching within Apollo, exporting the resulting list, and uploading it to Google Sheets. The n8n automation then processes this Sheet data to perform enrichment, generate outreach messages, and upload the finalized records to Instantly.

The flexibility of this new structure means the lead sourcing platform can vary, though the core enrichment logic remains. Current pricing structures reflect the increased cost; for instance, Instantly offers roughly 2,000 to 3,000 emails per month for $97, whereas Apollo's $99 tier provides 4,000 emails. This contrasts sharply with the previous scraper cost of 20 times less. It is important to note that most services utilize credits rather than fixed email counts.

For the demonstration, Apollo is selected as the lead source because it remains one of the most cost-effective options available and many users are already familiar with its interface and data quality. The walkthrough proceeds module by module to configure the setup necessary to resume large-scale cold email operations.

Finding decision-makers involves utilizing the extensive filters available on the left sidebar of the Apollo interface. In the example provided, filters are applied for Job Titles set to 'engineer,' Location set to 'Chicago,' and Industry Keywords specified as 'AI' and 'fintech.' This combination targets AI fintech engineers located in Chicago, populating the results list with relevant contacts.

Once the target list is displayed, users must select all visible leads and choose the export function, ensuring only verified emails are included. The resulting file must then be downloaded and imported into Google Sheets via File > Open > Upload. After importing, the sheet should be renamed for clarity within the n8n workflow, completing the manual sourcing phase.

There is an argument to be made that one actually has a little more control when getting inside these platforms and doing some of the filtering.

The n8n workflow is set to execute manually rather than relying on an automatic trigger. This manual execution is recommended for two primary organizational reasons: first, creating a new Google Sheet for every new batch of leads ensures better organization; second, it manages Instantly campaign IDs, which must be updated when running new batches.

The enrichment process is intentionally split into two parallel streams for maximum flexibility. The first stream scrapes the individual's LinkedIn profile directly, while the second uses Perplexity to conduct deeper background research on both the prospect and their company. Users can choose to utilize both streams, only one, or edit them based on specific needs.

The LinkedIn scraper node requires the user's unique Apify API key to function. The JSON body is simple, requiring only the LinkedIn URL, which is mapped from the data retrieved earlier from Apollo. The specific actor used is the 'mass LinkedIn profile scraper with email, no cookies,' which ensures user credentials are never exposed, making the process secure.

For background research, the Sonar model within Perplexity is employed. The system message guides the AI to focus on finding unique details about the person and company, which is crucial for personalization. The user message feeds the AI the necessary inputs: name, company name, and location.

No one cares when they get a crappy cold email that says generic stuff. Wow, Chase, I love your videos on AI. The amount I get that say that, it's like, okay, clearly you didn't even try.

The merged LinkedIn and background data are passed to the LLM to generate the outreach message. The system message dictates the tone and structure, focusing heavily on company uniqueness for the icebreaker—the first sentence of the email. Furthermore, company names are normalized by removing suffixes like LLC or Corp to ensure the resulting message, which includes a custom company name variable, sounds conversational and human when sent via Instantly.

The final n8n module connects to Instantly, requiring the user's API key and the specific Campaign ID where the leads should be uploaded. The data passed includes the email, name fields, the custom normalized company name, and the generated icebreaker message.

To configure this node, the Campaign ID is found by navigating to the campaign in Instantly and copying the numerical/alphanumeric string located in the URL after 'campaign/'. The API key is generated within the settings section, under Integrations > API Keys, where a new key must be created.

Arguably more simple than the last automation version, but I think I added a little more enrichment when it comes to directly scraping their LinkedIn profiles and also doing perplexity.

Ultimately, the industry must accept that the significant discounts previously available through scraping methods are gone. Accepting the current market price for leads is necessary for continued large-scale outreach success. The value proposition now lies in the quality of enrichment and personalization rather than the cheapness of the initial lead acquisition.