Apollo.io + Clay: AI Outbound Prospecting Stack
Use Apollo for contact data and email sequences, layered with Clay's data enrichment and AI personalization. Build hyper-targeted prospect lists with 10+ data points per lead, then run personalized outbound at scale.
Tools in This Stack
Setup Guide
- 1Apollo Professional
$79/mo for 5,000 email credits, sequences, and data access.
- 2Clay Growth
$149/mo for data enrichment credits and AI personalization.
- 3Define enrichment waterfall
Configure which data providers to check in which order to maximize coverage at minimum cost.
- 4Build 3 sequence templates
Create cold outreach, warm follow-up, and re-engagement sequences in Apollo.
Integration Steps
- 1Build ICP in Clay
Define ideal customer profile with firmographic, technographic, and intent signals using Clay's 75+ data providers.
- 2Enrich leads
Pull contacts from Apollo, enrich in Clay with LinkedIn activity, tech stack, funding data, and hiring signals.
- 3Generate personalized copy
Use Clay's AI to write unique first lines and value props based on enrichment data.
- 4Push to Apollo sequences
Export enriched, personalized contacts back to Apollo for multi-step email sequences.
Cost Analysis
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Total | $228/mo |
| Clay Growth | $149/mo |
| Apollo Professional | $79/mo |
Ehsan's Recommendation
The Apollo + Clay combination produces response rates 2-3x higher than Apollo alone because Clay adds the personalization layer that generic "Hi {firstName}" emails lack. One SDR team I work with generates 15-20 qualified meetings per month per rep with this stack, up from 5-7 with Apollo only.
Alternative Stacks
Ehsan Jahandarpour
AI Growth Strategist & Fractional CMO
Forbes Top 20 Growth Hacker · TEDx Speaker · 716 Academic Citations · Ex-Microsoft · CMO at FirstWave (ASX:FCT) · Forbes Communications Council