Agency outreach requires more steps than standard B2B database outreach.
A B2B database export gives you a name, company, and email address. An agency directory listing gives you a company profile and a domain. The email address discovery step between the profile and the outreach is where most of the complexity and quality risk enters the workflow.
This workflow applies to any agency directory source: Clutch, DesignRush, GoodFirms, UpCity, G2, Capterra, or Trustpilot.
The full agency email discovery and verification workflow.
Step 1: Selecting target companies from the directory.
Before running email discovery, define your targeting criteria clearly. Broad scraping of agency directories produces noisy lists with poor signal quality.
| Targeting criteria | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Service category | Agencies in your target category are more likely to need your offer |
| Company size | Affects email infrastructure quality and who makes decisions |
| Review count and recency | Indicates active business and higher-quality public presence |
| Location | May affect outreach relevance and language |
| Portfolio characteristics | Signals type of clients and deals — matching your ICP |
Step 2: Identifying the right contact within the company.
Agency outreach quality depends on reaching the right person. The decision-maker for most agency offers is the owner, CEO, or head of business development — not a project manager or developer.
| Agency size | Likely decision-maker | Email discovery approach |
|---|---|---|
| 1–10 employees | Founder or sole owner | LinkedIn profile + domain finder |
| 11–50 employees | CEO or business development lead | Named contact on website or LinkedIn |
| 51–200 employees | Head of partnerships or growth | Team page, LinkedIn, domain finder |
| 200+ employees | Business development team | Multiple contacts, multiple verification runs |
Step 3: Running the email finder.
Use a tool like Hunter, Apollo, or Snov.io against the company domain with the contact's name:
| What to input | Expected output |
|---|---|
| Company domain + first and last name |