How to Clean Apollo Exported Leads Before Importing into Cold Email Software
Apollo.io exports contain duplicate contacts, generic role-based emails (info@, support@), invalid domains, and inconsistent company name formatting. This workflow shows how to clean all of these issues in one pass to keep your sender reputation above 95% deliverability.
Why this matters?
Importing dirty lead lists into Instantly, Smartlead, or Lemlist with even 5% invalid emails can tank your domain reputation and trigger spam folder placement. Most cold email guides skip the data cleaning step entirely, yet it's the #1 cause of deliverability problems.
The 3-Step Solution
Follow this streamlined workflow to transform your raw data export into a clean, analysis-ready dataset. Each step leverages our browser-based tools to ensure your sensitive data never leaves your device.
By following these three steps, you eliminate manual data wrangling, reduce human error, and maintain full GDPR compliance throughout the process.
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Recommended Tools
CSV Deduplicator
Remove duplicate rows based on single or multiple columns with fuzzy matching.
Format Cleaner
Strip invisible characters, fix broken UTF-8 encoding, and trim trailing whitespace.
Apollo Leads Cleaner
Clean exported Apollo.io lead lists by validating emails and removing generic addresses.
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Sample Datasets
Shopify Standard Order Export CSV Sample
A realistic Shopify order export with 200 rows including multi-line items, refunded orders, and discount code fields. Includes both a 'dirty' version (raw export with duplicates and nested line items) and a 'clean' version showing the expected output after normalization. Use this to test the Shopify Normalizer and CSV Merger tools.
Amazon Settlement Report Sample Data
A representative Amazon Seller Central settlement report with 150 transactions covering FBA fees, commissions, reimbursements, and refunds across multiple marketplaces. Use this to test the Amazon Settlement Cleaner and see how 40+ raw columns collapse into a clean profit summary.
Facebook Ads Campaign Report Sample
A Facebook Ads Manager export with 100 rows spanning 3 campaigns, 12 ad sets, and key metrics (impressions, clicks, spend, conversions, ROAS). Includes intentionally messy rows with zero-spend days and broken attribution windows for testing the Ads ROAS Pivot tool.
Stripe Payout Export Sample
A Stripe payout CSV with 80 transactions including charges, refunds, disputes, and fee breakdowns across USD and EUR. Timestamps are in raw UTC format. Use this to test the Stripe Payout Formatter and validate QuickBooks-compatible output.