Who this is for: self-serve plans (Free, Starter, Pro, Scale). If you bought a Cleanlist AppSumo lifetime deal, your features, limits, and pricing are different — see the AppSumo documentation instead. Support agent: confirm whether the user is self-serve or AppSumo before giving plan-specific advice.
TL;DR: Each recipe stacks one or more Smart Columns on a lead list. Filter first so you only spend credits on the rows that matter. Basic types (Starter+) cover enrichment and validation; AI types and agent columns (Pro+) add research and qualification.
Smart Columns Recipes
Each recipe adds one or more Smart Column types to a lead list. Filter the list first so you only spend credits on the rows you care about.
Recipe 1 — Qualify a fresh list
Goal: Decide which leads are worth working before SDRs touch them.
Requires: Saved ICP profile · Pro+
| Step | Column / action | Credits / row | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Make sure your ICP Profile is saved | — | Qualification and icp_fit_analysis both score against it |
| 2 | Qualification agent column | 5 | Fit score + fit level + reasons, with an automatic CRM presence check |
| 3 | Filter to high-fit, not-in-CRM rows | — | Your net-new, on-ICP working list |
The CRM presence check is built into Qualification, so you don't need a separate step to spot contacts you already own.
Lighter-weight alternative (Starter+): Use the icp_fit_analysis Basic Smart Column (0.5 credits/row) for a fast fit score without the CRM check or full agent reasoning.
Recipe 2 — Research target accounts before outreach
Goal: Build context on every account so reps open with something relevant.
Requires: Pro+
| Step | Column type | Credits / row | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | enrich_company Smart Column | 0.5 | Firmographics (industry, headcount, revenue) for each row |
| 2 | Research agent column, scope = Company | 3 | Positioning, signals, and a readable summary per account |
enrich_company is a Smart Column — add it as a column step directly. There is no separate "Enrich Company" bulk action.
Use scope Both (5 credits/row) instead of Company-only if you also want a contact-level brief on each person.
Recipe 3 — Qualify, then research only the winners
Goal: Spend the expensive Research budget only on leads worth pursuing.
Requires: Pro+
| Step | Column type | Credits / row | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qualification agent column | 5 | Score the whole list |
| 2 | Filter to high-fit rows | — | Drop the leads you'd never work |
| 3 | Research agent column (Both) on the subset | 5 | Deep brief on just the keepers |
The filter step is critical — it keeps the 5-credit Research runs off leads you'd never send to anyway.
Recipe 4 — Validate email and phone data
Goal: Flag bad contact data before enriching or pushing to a CRM.
Requires: Starter+ (both email_validation and phone_validation are Basic types)
| Step | Column type | Credits / row | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | email_validation | 0.5 | Returns deliverable, undeliverable, risky, or unknown via Emailable |
| 2 | phone_validation | 0.5 | Returns status, line type (mobile / landline / VoIP), and carrier via ClearoutPhone |
| 3 | Filter to email_validation = deliverable | — | Work only the rows with clean contact data |
Recipe 5 — Extract a custom field from each lead
Goal: Pull a specific fact that no built-in column returns — e.g., which CRM a company appears to use.
Requires: Pro+ (custom_ai is an AI Smart Column)
| Step | Column type | Credits / row | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | custom_ai Smart Column with your own prompt | 1 | Returns whatever your prompt asks for |
Example custom_ai prompt using /FieldName variable syntax:
Identify which CRM /company_name (/company_domain) appears to use,
based on what you can determine about the company.
Reply with exactly one of: hubspot, salesforce, pipedrive, zoho, other, unknown.
Output only the value, no explanation.Use /FieldName to reference another column's value in your prompt — for example /company_name, /primary_email, /title. Do not use {{ }} or any other template syntax.
Want the same extraction reusable across lists? Save it as a separate Custom AI Agent — a distinct AI Agent type, not this custom_ai column.
Related
- Smart Columns — full catalog of all 18+ column types with costs
- AI Agents — the Research, Qualification, and Custom engines
- ICP Profiles — what Qualification and icp_fit_analysis score against
- Action Columns — push rows to CRMs and sequencers after enrichment
- Credit Pricing — full credit cost reference