TL;DR
Use a LinkedIn Profile Scraper to extract public profile data for lead generation. Works without logging in. About $0.01 per profile. No account risk.
What You Will Get
LinkedIn scrapers extract structured data from public profiles:
EXAMPLE OUTPUT
Name: Sarah Johnson
Headline: VP of Marketing at TechCorp
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Company: TechCorp (Current)
Industry: Software
Connections: 500+
Education: Stanford University, MBA
Full data includes:
- Name, headline, and summary
- Current and past positions with dates
- Education history
- Skills and endorsements
- Certifications and licenses
- Recommendations received
Before You Start
Important limitations:
- Public profiles only. LinkedIn has different visibility settings. Some profiles show limited data to non-connections.
- No direct emails. LinkedIn does not show email addresses publicly. You need a separate email finder tool.
- Respect privacy. Do not use scraped data for spam. Follow GDPR if targeting EU residents.
Step 1: Collect Profile URLs
Before scraping, you need a list of LinkedIn profile URLs. Ways to get them:
| Source | Best For |
|---|---|
| LinkedIn Search | Finding people by title, company, location |
| Sales Navigator | Advanced filters, larger result sets |
| Company Pages | All employees at a specific company |
| Google Search | "site:linkedin.com/in marketing manager chicago" |
Step 2: Enter URLs in the Scraper
Open a LinkedIn scraper on Apify. Find the "Profile URLs" field.
Paste your URLs, one per line:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/satyanadella/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffweiner08/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/raborchell/
You can add hundreds or thousands of URLs at once.
Step 3: Choose Data Depth
Most scrapers offer different detail levels:
- Basic: Name, headline, company, location. Fastest. Cheapest.
- Standard: Adds experience and education history.
- Full: Everything including skills, certifications, recommendations.
For lead generation, basic or standard is usually enough. Full takes longer and costs more.
Step 4: Run and Export
Click "Start" and wait for completion.
Run times depend on profile count:
- 100 profiles: 10-20 minutes
- 500 profiles: 30-60 minutes
- 1,000 profiles: 1-2 hours
Export as CSV for easy import into your CRM or spreadsheet.
Step 5: Find Email Addresses
LinkedIn does not show emails. To get them:
- Use an email finder tool (Hunter, Apollo, Clearbit)
- Input: Name + Company from your scraped data
- Output: Verified work email address
Most email finders charge $0.01-0.05 per email found.
Common Questions
Q: Is scraping LinkedIn legal?
A: Scraping public data is legal. The 2022 hiQ Labs v. LinkedIn ruling confirmed this. However, do not use the data for spam or harassment. Follow GDPR and CAN-SPAM laws.
Q: Will my LinkedIn account get banned?
A: No. The scraper does not use your account. It accesses public profiles without logging in.
Q: Why are some profiles missing data?
A: Users control their privacy settings. Some show limited info to people outside their network. The scraper can only get what is publicly visible.
Q: Can I scrape company pages?
A: Yes. Use a LinkedIn Company Scraper to get company data and employee lists.
CRM Integration
After scraping, import your data into your CRM:
- Salesforce: Import CSV via Data Import Wizard
- HubSpot: Import contacts with mapped fields
- Pipedrive: Use CSV import or Zapier
Map the scraped fields to your CRM fields. Most tools auto-detect common fields like Name, Company, and Title.