Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Lead List from LinkedIn

When it comes to growing your business, having a clean and organized Lead List is key.

LinkedIn is one of the best sources for building a list of potential clients, but many business owners don’t realize you can download your connections directly into Excel.

From there, you can organize, sort, and even link back to their profiles for easy access.

This guide walks you through, step by step, how to turn your LinkedIn connections into a professional Lead List you can actually use.

---

Step 1: Download Your LinkedIn Connections

1. Log into LinkedIn.
2. Click your profile photo in the top right corner and select “Settings & Privacy.”
3. In the Data Privacy section, choose “Get a copy of your data.”
4. Select Connections from the list of available data.
5. Click Request Archive.

LinkedIn will email you a file (usually in CSV format) that contains your contacts’ names, job titles, and profile URLs. This is the foundation of your Lead List.

---

Step 2: Open the File in Excel

1. Once downloaded, open the CSV file in Excel.
2. Save it as an Excel Workbook for easier editing.
3. You’ll see columns with data such as First Name, Last Name, Email, Company, and LinkedIn Profile URL.

This is raw data, so the next steps will help you organize it into a usable Lead List.

---

Step 3: Turn the Data Into a Sortable Table

1. Highlight all of the data (Ctrl + A on Windows or Command + A on Mac).
2. Go to the Insert tab and click Table.
3. Check the box that says “My table has headers.”
4. Click OK.

Now your Lead List is formatted as a table, meaning you can filter and sort by company, name, or any other column with ease.

---

Step 4: Create a Column for Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks make it easy to click directly into someone’s LinkedIn profile from your Lead List. Here’s how to add them:

1. Insert a new column titled “LinkedIn Link.”
2. In the first cell, type this formula: =HYPERLINK([@[LinkedIn Profile URL]], "View Profile") (Replace [@[LinkedIn Profile URL]] with the actual column name in your table where LinkedIn profile URLs are stored.)
3. Press Enter, and the cell will display “View Profile” as a clickable link.
4. Copy the formula down the entire column.

Now every entry in your Lead List has a direct link back to the person’s LinkedIn profile.

---

Step 5: Use Your Lead List Strategically

With your Lead List built, it’s time to use it as part of your marketing funnel:

• Prioritize outreach by sorting by company, title, or industry.
• Personalize communication by clicking directly into profiles to learn more before connecting.
• Track engagement by adding notes in new columns (e.g., “Contacted,” “Follow-Up Date,” or “Response”).

This organized approach makes it easier to move leads from LinkedIn into meaningful conversations—and eventually into clients.

---

Why a Lead List Matters

A well-structured Lead List saves time and helps you focus your efforts where they matter most.

Instead of juggling scraps of paper or disorganized notes, you’ll have a clean, sortable, and clickable database of potential clients.

At Cruz Web Designs, we help businesses not only build great websites but also create systems—like lead funnels and outreach strategies—that drive growth.

A simple tool like this can be the difference between random outreach and a focused, successful sales process.

---

Ready to turn LinkedIn into a lead-generating machine?

Visit Cruz Web Designs to learn how we help businesses create funnels, websites, and marketing strategies that actually convert.