How to check scraped emails and prepare your outbound strategy

Give yourself the right tools

The main tool you have to get yourself in order to kickstart an outbound strategy is the right emailing tools. For instance, Reply.io or Yesware.com (these are not affiliate links - just my main to go tools). Otherwise, at a cheaper cost, you can check out this one that directly setup into your Gmail account : https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/yet-another-mail-merge/mgmgmhkohaenhokbdnlpcljckbhpbmef

Check that your emails are accurate

Many emails scraper (such as DropContact or Hunter.io) will do it automatically for you.

But if you need to check the validity of a large number of email at the same time, this tool is where you should go : ListWise

No budget? You're covered as well. 

The results will be less precise, but you can use this tool for free: Email Verifier | Weed out disposable, non-existent domain or invalid emails

You can also add the verification live on Google Sheets, following these steps:

• Sign up on the website and get your free forever API Key, such as https://verifier.meetchopra.com/verify/{{email_address}}?token=xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• On Google Sheets, click on Tools > Script Editor
• We'll add a new fonction on Google Sheets, which will let use the tool. On the new script page, delete the default code and add this one :

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/**
  * Retrieves all the rows in the active spreadsheet that contain data and logs the
  * values for each row.
  * For more information on using the Spreadsheet API, see
  * <https://developers.google.com/apps-script/service_spreadsheet>
  */
 function readRows() {
   var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
   var rows = sheet.getDataRange();
   var numRows = rows.getNumRows();
   var values = rows.getValues();
 
   for (var i = 0; i <= numRows - 1; i++) {
     var row = values[i];
     Logger.log(row);
   }
 };
 
 /**
  * Adds a custom menu to the active spreadsheet, containing a single menu item
  * for invoking the readRows() function specified above.
  * The onOpen() function, when defined, is automatically invoked whenever the
  * spreadsheet is opened.
  * For more information on using the Spreadsheet API, see
  * <https://developers.google.com/apps-script/service_spreadsheet>
  */
 function onOpen() {
   var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
   var entries = [{
     name : "Read Data",
     functionName : "readRows"
   }];
   sheet.addMenu("Script Center Menu", entries);
 };
 
 /*====================================================================================================================================*
   ImportJSON by Trevor Lohrbeer (@FastFedora)
   ====================================================================================================================================
   Version:      1.1
   Project Page: <http://blog.fastfedora.com/projects/import-json>
   Copyright:    (c) 2012 by Trevor Lohrbeer
   License:      GNU General Public License, version 3 (GPL-3.0)
                 <http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html>
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   A library for importing JSON feeds into Google spreadsheets. Functions include:
      ImportJSON            For use by end users to import a JSON feed from a URL
      ImportJSONAdvanced    For use by script developers to easily extend the functionality of this library
   Future enhancements may include:
    - Support for a real XPath like syntax similar to ImportXML for the query parameter
    - Support for OAuth authenticated APIs
   Or feel free to write these and add on to the library yourself!
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Changelog:
   
   1.1    Added support for the noHeaders option
   1.0    Initial release
  *====================================================================================================================================*/
 /**
  * Imports a JSON feed and returns the results to be inserted into a Google Spreadsheet. The JSON feed is flattened to create
  * a two-dimensional array. The first row contains the headers, with each column header indicating the path to that data in
  * the JSON feed. The remaining rows contain the data.
  *
  * By default, data gets transformed so it looks more like a normal data import. Specifically:
  *
  *   - Data from parent JSON elements gets inherited to their child elements, so rows representing child elements contain the values
  *      of the rows representing their parent elements.
  *   - Values longer than 256 characters get truncated.
  *   - Headers have slashes converted to spaces, common prefixes removed and the resulting text converted to title case.
  *
  * To change this behavior, pass in one of these values in the options parameter:
  *
  *    noInherit:     Don't inherit values from parent elements
  *    noTruncate:    Don't truncate values
  *    rawHeaders:    Don't prettify headers
  *    noHeaders:     Don't include headers, only the data
  *    debugLocation: Prepend each value with the row & column it belongs in
  *
  * For example:
  *
  *   =ImportJSON("<http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/api/standardfeeds/most_popular?v=2&alt=json>", "/feed/entry/title,/feed/entry/content",
  *               "noInherit,noTruncate,rawHeaders")
  *
  * @param {url} the URL to a public JSON feed
  * @param {query} a comma-separated lists of paths to import. Any path starting with one of these paths gets imported.
  * @param {options} a comma-separated list of options that alter processing of the data
  *
  * @return a two-dimensional array containing the data, with the first row containing headers
  * @customfunction
  **/
 function ImportJSON(url, query, options) {
   return ImportJSONAdvanced(url, query, options, includeXPath_, defaultTransform_);
 }
 
 /**
  * An advanced version of ImportJSON designed to be easily extended by a script. This version cannot be called from within a
  * spreadsheet.
  *
  * Imports a JSON feed and returns the results to be inserted into a Google Spreadsheet. The JSON feed is flattened to create
  * a two-dimensional array. The first row contains the headers, with each column header indicating the path to that data in
  * the JSON feed. The remaining rows contain the data.
  *
  * Use the include and transformation functions to determine what to include in the import and how to transform the data after it is
  * imported.
  *
  * For example:
  *
  *   =ImportJSON("<http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/api/standardfeeds/most_popular?v=2&alt=json>",
  *               "/feed/entry",
  *                function (query, path) { return path.indexOf(query) == 0; },
  *                function (data, row, column) { data[row][column] = data[row][column].toString().substr(0, 100); } )
  *
  * In this example, the import function checks to see if the path to the data being imported starts with the query. The transform
  * function takes the data and truncates it. For more robust versions of these functions, see the internal code of this library.
  *
  * @param {url}           the URL to a public JSON feed
  * @param {query}         the query passed to the include function
  * @param {options}       a comma-separated list of options that may alter processing of the data
  * @param {includeFunc}   a function with the signature func(query, path, options) that returns true if the data element at the given path
  *                        should be included or false otherwise.
  * @param {transformFunc} a function with the signature func(data, row, column, options) where data is a 2-dimensional array of the data
  *                        and row & column are the current row and column being processed. Any return value is ignored. Note that row 0
  *                        contains the headers for the data, so test for row==0 to process headers only.
  *
  * @return a two-dimensional array containing the data, with the first row containing headers
  **/
 function ImportJSONAdvanced(url, query, options, includeFunc, transformFunc) {
   var jsondata = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url);
   var object   = JSON.parse(jsondata.getContentText());
   
   return parseJSONObject_(object, query, options, includeFunc, transformFunc);
 }
 
 /**
  * Encodes the given value to use within a URL.
  *
  * @param {value} the value to be encoded
  *
  * @return the value encoded using URL percent-encoding
  */
 function URLEncode(value) {
   return encodeURIComponent(value.toString());  
 }
 
 /**
  * Parses a JSON object and returns a two-dimensional array containing the data of that object.
  */
 function parseJSONObject_(object, query, options, includeFunc, transformFunc) {
   var headers = new Array();
   var data    = new Array();
   
   if (query && !Array.isArray(query) && query.toString().indexOf(",") != -1) {
     query = query.toString().split(",");
   }
   
   if (options) {
     options = options.toString().split(",");
   }
     
   parseData_(headers, data, "", 1, object, query, options, includeFunc);
   parseHeaders_(headers, data);
   transformData_(data, options, transformFunc);
   
   return hasOption_(options, "noHeaders") ? (data.length > 1 ? data.slice(1) : new Array()) : data;
 }
 
 /**
  * Parses the data contained within the given value and inserts it into the data two-dimensional array starting at the rowIndex.
  * If the data is to be inserted into a new column, a new header is added to the headers array. The value can be an object,
  * array or scalar value.
  *
  * If the value is an object, it's properties are iterated through and passed back into this function with the name of each
  * property extending the path. For instance, if the object contains the property "entry" and the path passed in was "/feed",
  * this function is called with the value of the entry property and the path "/feed/entry".
  *
  * If the value is an array containing other arrays or objects, each element in the array is passed into this function with
  * the rowIndex incremeneted for each element.
  *
  * If the value is an array containing only scalar values, those values are joined together and inserted into the data array as
  * a single value.
  *
  * If the value is a scalar, the value is inserted directly into the data array.
  */
 function parseData_(headers, data, path, rowIndex, value, query, options, includeFunc) {
   var dataInserted = false;
   
   if (isObject_(value)) {
     for (key in value) {
       if (parseData_(headers, data, path + "/" + key, rowIndex, value[key], query, options, includeFunc)) {
         dataInserted = true;
       }
     }
   } else if (Array.isArray(value) && isObjectArray_(value)) {
     for (var i = 0; i < value.length; i++) {
       if (parseData_(headers, data, path, rowIndex, value[i], query, options, includeFunc)) {
         dataInserted = true;
         rowIndex++;
       }
     }
   } else if (!includeFunc || includeFunc(query, path, options)) {
     // Handle arrays containing only scalar values
     if (Array.isArray(value)) {
       value = value.join();
     }
     
     // Insert new row if one doesn't already exist
     if (!data[rowIndex]) {
       data[rowIndex] = new Array();
     }
     
     // Add a new header if one doesn't exist
     if (!headers[path] && headers[path] != 0) {
       headers[path] = Object.keys(headers).length;
     }
     
     // Insert the data
     data[rowIndex][headers[path]] = value;
     dataInserted = true;
   }
   
   return dataInserted;
 }
 
 /**
  * Parses the headers array and inserts it into the first row of the data array.
  */
 function parseHeaders_(headers, data) {
   data[0] = new Array();
 
   for (key in headers) {
     data[0][headers[key]] = key;
   }
 }
 
 /**
  * Applies the transform function for each element in the data array, going through each column of each row.
  */
 function transformData_(data, options, transformFunc) {
   for (var i = 0; i < data.length; i++) {
     for (var j = 0; j < data[i].length; j++) {
       transformFunc(data, i, j, options);
     }
   }
 }
 
 /**
  * Returns true if the given test value is an object; false otherwise.
  */
 function isObject_(test) {
   return Object.prototype.toString.call(test) === '[object Object]';
 }
 
 /**
  * Returns true if the given test value is an array containing at least one object; false otherwise.
  */
 function isObjectArray_(test) {
   for (var i = 0; i < test.length; i++) {
     if (isObject_(test[i])) {
       return true;
     }
   }  
 
   return false;
 }
 
 /**
  * Returns true if the given query applies to the given path.
  */
 function includeXPath_(query, path, options) {
   if (!query) {
     return true;
   } else if (Array.isArray(query)) {
     for (var i = 0; i < query.length; i++) {
       if (applyXPathRule_(query[i], path, options)) {
         return true;
       }
     }  
   } else {
     return applyXPathRule_(query, path, options);
   }
   
   return false;
 };
 
 /**
  * Returns true if the rule applies to the given path.
  */
 function applyXPathRule_(rule, path, options) {
   return path.indexOf(rule) == 0;
 }
 
 /**
  * By default, this function transforms the value at the given row & column so it looks more like a normal data import. Specifically:
  *
  *   - Data from parent JSON elements gets inherited to their child elements, so rows representing child elements contain the values
  *     of the rows representing their parent elements.
  *   - Values longer than 256 characters get truncated.
  *   - Values in row 0 (headers) have slashes converted to spaces, common prefixes removed and the resulting text converted to title
 *      case.
  *
  * To change this behavior, pass in one of these values in the options parameter:
  *
  *    noInherit:     Don't inherit values from parent elements
  *    noTruncate:    Don't truncate values
  *    rawHeaders:    Don't prettify headers
  *    debugLocation: Prepend each value with the row & column it belongs in
  */
 function defaultTransform_(data, row, column, options) {
   if (!data[row][column]) {
     if (row < 2 || hasOption_(options, "noInherit")) {
       data[row][column] = "";
     } else {
       data[row][column] = data[row-1][column];
     }
   }
 
   if (!hasOption_(options, "rawHeaders") && row == 0) {
     if (column == 0 && data[row].length > 1) {
       removeCommonPrefixes_(data, row);  
     }
     
     data[row][column] = toTitleCase_(data[row][column].toString().replace(/[\\/\\_]/g, " "));
   }
   
   if (!hasOption_(options, "noTruncate") && data[row][column]) {
     data[row][column] = data[row][column].toString().substr(0, 256);
   }
 
   if (hasOption_(options, "debugLocation")) {
     data[row][column] = "[" + row + "," + column + "]" + data[row][column];
   }
 }
 
 /**
  * If all the values in the given row share the same prefix, remove that prefix.
  */
 function removeCommonPrefixes_(data, row) {
   var matchIndex = data[row][0].length;
 
   for (var i = 1; i < data[row].length; i++) {
     matchIndex = findEqualityEndpoint_(data[row][i-1], data[row][i], matchIndex);
 
     if (matchIndex == 0) {
       return;
     }
   }
   
   for (var i = 0; i < data[row].length; i++) {
     data[row][i] = data[row][i].substring(matchIndex, data[row][i].length);
   }
 }
 
 /**
  * Locates the index where the two strings values stop being equal, stopping automatically at the stopAt index.
  */
 function findEqualityEndpoint_(string1, string2, stopAt) {
   if (!string1 || !string2) {
     return -1;
   }
   
   var maxEndpoint = Math.min(stopAt, string1.length, string2.length);
   
   for (var i = 0; i < maxEndpoint; i++) {
     if (string1.charAt(i) != string2.charAt(i)) {
       return i;
     }
   }
   
   return maxEndpoint;
 }
   
 
 /**
  * Converts the text to title case.
  */
 function toTitleCase_(text) {
   if (text == null) {
     return null;
   }
   
   return text.replace(/\\w\\S*/g, function(word) { return word.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + word.substr(1).toLowerCase(); });
 }
 
 /**
  * Returns true if the given set of options contains the given option.
  */
 function hasOption_(options, option) {
   return options && options.indexOf(option) >= 0;
 }‍

• Call the project "ImportJSON.gs"
• Click Save
• Reload your Google Spreadsheet
• Add this formula - where A1 is the cell with the email adress and "xxxxx" your free API Key
• =IMPORTJSON(CONCATENATE("https://verifier.meetchopra.com/verify/";A1;"?token=xxxxxx");"/status";"noInherit,noTruncate,noHeaders")
• Click Enter and copy/paster the formula. The verified emails will be displayed as TRUE.

This technique is less precise that others - because you can get a lot of false positive. But for free, you'll save yourself a lot of Hard Bounces.

Prepare your outbound list

Take your filtered email list. Depending on how you made your enrichment, you can add data such as First Name, Company Name, Industry, etc. Each data should be a column. You can create personalized sentences, for example according to the industry. Depending on your Outbound Emailing Tool, connect your Sheet or upload it as a CSV. Using the preview feature, make sure you're using the accurate data in your emails.

Send the emails

Last advice before hitting "Send". Always send little batches of emails - a mistake can happen, and it's easier to deal with such a thing on 100 emails sent than 5000. And this will help keep your email reputation clean 😉

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