Sending contacts to Lemlist, Instantly and Smartlead

Updated Markdown

You can push a list straight into a Lemlist, Instantly or Smartlead campaign without downloading a file first. This uses the same export wizard described in "Exporting your list" — pick one of these three as the destination instead of a file format.

Picking the destination#

Open the list, click Export in the list header, and on the destination step choose Lemlist, Instantly or Smartlead. These skip the column-selection step: every column in the list is sent, matched automatically to the target tool's fields (see "Which fields are sent" below) — there's nothing to pick or reorder.

Connecting and entering your API key#

  • Lemlist connects through an account picker: click Connect Lemlist Account, a popup opens for you to authorize ListPlus against your Lemlist account, and once connected you pick that account from a dropdown (you can connect more than one). You don't need to copy an API key.
  • Instantly and Smartlead ask you to paste your API key directly into the wizard (find it in the tool's API settings) and click Verify. The key is used only to load your campaigns and to send this export — it is not saved to your ListPlus account, so you'll paste it again next time you export to that tool.

Choosing the campaign#

After connecting (Lemlist) or verifying the key (Instantly, Smartlead), a campaign dropdown (Select Campaign for Lemlist, Campaign for Instantly and Smartlead) lists your campaigns in that tool, with their current status (running/active, paused, draft, done/completed). Pick one and click Push to Lemlist / Push to Instantly / Push to Smartlead to send the list.

Which rows and fields are sent#

Every row in the list is sent, including ignored ones, unless you start the export from Export Selected Records or Export Visible Records (see "Exporting your list").

Every lead needs an email, read from your column named email. Rows without one are not sent — Lemlist and Instantly count them as failed, and Smartlead leaves them out of its count. For the rest, ListPlus matches your list's columns to each tool's known fields (first name, last name, company, phone, website/domain, job title, LinkedIn URL, and a few more depending on the tool) by column name, and sends any extra columns as custom fields/variables — Smartlead accepts up to 20 extra columns as custom fields. If a standard field (name, company, phone, website, LinkedIn) is empty in the cell but Enrich already found a value for that row, that value is sent. Extra columns are only sent from what's in the cells.

Duplicates#

Rows that are already in the target campaign are skipped, not sent twice. This check happens inside Lemlist, Instantly or Smartlead itself (matching by email) — ListPlus doesn't pre-filter your list, it just reports how many the tool rejected as duplicates. Smartlead also skips leads that are already in another of your Smartlead campaigns or on its unsubscribe or block lists.

Result summary#

After the push finishes, Lemlist and Instantly show a message in the pattern "N leads added, N duplicates skipped, N failed" (failed covers, for example, insufficient data or a rejected value in that tool). Smartlead sends leads in batches of 100. Check the lead count in your Smartlead campaign to confirm the result.

Cost#

Pushing to Lemlist, Instantly or Smartlead costs no credits.

Alternative: a pipeline#

The export sends a whole list (or a selection) once, when you click Push. If you'd rather hand contacts to a Lemlist or Instantly campaign in smaller batches, from lists and Saved, and see per contact whether it was sent, set up a pipeline with the Lemlist or Instantly target (see "Pipelines to Slack, CRMs, sequencers, Sheets and webhooks"). Pipelines also send only when you click Send.

Related topics: export-overview · export-files · connect-crm-and-sheets · pipelines-crm-slack-and-webhook.

FAQ#

How do I send my list to Lemlist, Instantly or Smartlead?#

Click Export in the list header, choose Lemlist, Instantly or Smartlead as the destination, connect your account or paste your API key, pick a campaign, and click the Push button. There is no column-selection step — every column is sent automatically.

Do I need an API key for these?#

Instantly and Smartlead need an API key pasted into the wizard (found in that tool's API settings) and verified before you can pick a campaign. Lemlist instead uses a Connect Account popup — no key to copy.

Does ListPlus store my Instantly or Smartlead API key?#

No. The key you paste is used only to load your campaigns and send that one export; it is not saved to your ListPlus account, so you enter it again the next time you export.

Which campaign do my contacts go into?#

After connecting your account (Lemlist) or verifying your key (Instantly, Smartlead), a campaign dropdown (Select Campaign for Lemlist, Campaign for Instantly and Smartlead) lists your campaigns with their current status. Every row goes into the single campaign you select.

Which columns/fields actually get sent?#

All your columns are sent — there's no column picker for these three destinations. Common fields (name, company, phone, website, job title, LinkedIn URL) are matched to the tool's own fields by column name; anything else goes over as a custom field or variable (Smartlead accepts up to 20 extra columns).

What happens to rows without an email address?#

Every lead needs an email, read from your column named email. Rows without one are not sent — Lemlist and Instantly count them as failed, and Smartlead leaves them out of its count.

Will a contact be added twice if they're already in the campaign?#

No. Lemlist, Instantly and Smartlead each check by email and skip leads already in that campaign; ListPlus reports the duplicate count it gets back but does not send the row twice. Smartlead also skips leads already in another of your Smartlead campaigns or on its unsubscribe or block lists.

Does sending to a sequencer include enrichment data I haven't filled into the cells?#

Partly. Empty standard fields such as name, company, phone, website and LinkedIn are filled from enrichment results already found for that row, even if you haven't filled them into the cells. Custom columns are sent only from what's in the cells.

Does pushing to Lemlist, Instantly or Smartlead cost credits?#

No, sending your list to any of these three tools costs no credits.

What does the result message tell me after sending?#

Lemlist and Instantly show "N leads added, N duplicates skipped, N failed". Smartlead sends leads in batches of 100 — check the lead count in your Smartlead campaign to confirm the result.