Documentation
Discovery
Find new prospects using natural language search powered by AI. Discovery combines professional email databases with social media activity to surface the most relevant contacts for your outreach.
What is Discovery?
Discovery is LeadMachine's contextual prospecting engine. Instead of manually searching LinkedIn or purchasing lead lists, you describe who you're looking for in plain English - and Ledo finds them.
How It Works:
- You enter a natural language query (e.g., "Marketing VPs at tech companies who posted about AI")
- Ledo parses your intent and runs parallel searches
- Results from email databases and social activity are merged
- AI scores and ranks prospects by relevance
- You review and add the best matches to your leads
Data Sources:
- Hunter.io - Professional email addresses and contact info
- EXA.ai - Social media activity and content engagement
- AI Scoring - Gemini analyzes and ranks the best matches
Getting Started
Access Discovery
- Click Discovery in the sidebar
- You'll see the Ledo search bar at the top
Note: Discovery requires company-level access. If you don't see it in the sidebar, contact support to enable it.
Your First Search
Type a natural language query describing who you're looking for:
Example Queries:
- "Find marketing managers at Nike who talk about sustainability"
- "People at Hershey's who posted about CES"
- "CMOs in Austin, Texas interested in AI"
- "Sales directors at software companies discussing remote work"
Click the search button or press Enter to start the search.
Understanding Results
Prospect Cards
Each result appears as a card showing:
Contact Information:
- Full name
- Job title
- Company
- Email address (when available)
- Phone number (when available)
Social Links:
- LinkedIn profile
- Twitter/X handle
Activity Context:
- Original post or activity that matched your query
- When they posted it
- Link to view the original content
Relevance Scoring
Ledo assigns a relevance score to each prospect based on:
- How well they match your search criteria
- Quality of contact information
- Recency of activity
- Job title seniority
Higher-scored prospects appear first.
Advanced Filters
Click "Advanced filters" to access additional search controls:
Domain
- Search a specific company domain (e.g., "hersheys.com")
- Focuses Hunter.io search on that company
Topic/Keywords
- Specific topics to search for in social activity
- Multiple keywords separated by commas
Location
- City, state, or region
- Helps narrow results geographically
Date Range
- Filter by when content was posted
- Examples: "January 2026", "past week", "last month"
You can combine advanced filters with your natural language query for more precise results.
Working with Results
Selecting Prospects
Check the checkbox on any prospect card to select them. You can select multiple prospects at once.
Export to CSV
Click Export to download all search results as a CSV file:
- Includes name, title, company, email, LinkedIn, Twitter
- Contains relevance score and match reason
- Opens in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet app
Add to Leads
Select the prospects you want and click Add to Leads:
- Creates new leads in LeadMachine
- Sets lead type to "Prospect"
- Includes social post as a note (for context)
- Skips duplicates (matched by email)
After adding, you'll be asked if you want to view your new prospects in the Leads page.
Saved Queries
Save frequently-used searches for quick access:
To Save a Query:
- Run a search
- Click Save Query button
- Query appears as a badge below the search bar
To Use a Saved Query:
- Click any saved query badge to run it again
To Delete a Saved Query:
- Click the X on the query badge
Saved queries are tied to your user account and persist across sessions.
Tips for Better Results
Query Writing
Be Specific:
- "Marketing directors at Fortune 500 companies discussing digital transformation" is better than "marketing people"
Include Context:
- Mention events, topics, or trends they might discuss
- Reference specific industries or company types
Use Location:
- Add city or region for local prospecting
- Helpful for in-person meeting opportunities
Filtering Strategy
Company-Focused:
- Use the Domain filter when targeting a specific company
- Combine with topic to find the right people at that company
Topic-Focused:
- Leave domain empty to search across companies
- Use specific topics that indicate buying intent
Event-Based:
- Search for trade show hashtags (CES, SXSW, etc.)
- Look for conference speakers and attendees
Best Practices
Before Outreach
Verify Information:
- LinkedIn URLs are usually accurate
- Email addresses should be verified before mass outreach
- Check the original post for conversation starters
Personalize Your Message:
- Reference their social post or activity
- Show you understand their interests
- Don't send generic templates
Lead Management
Organize Prospects:
- Add relevant tags after creating leads
- Set appropriate lead types
- Assign to team members for follow-up
Track Progress:
- Use lead statuses to track outreach stages
- Add notes about conversations
- Set tasks for follow-up actions
Troubleshooting
No Results Found
Try these adjustments:
- Broaden your search terms
- Remove some filters
- Check spelling of company names
- Try a different date range
Results Don't Match Intent
Refine your query:
- Be more specific about job titles
- Add company or industry context
- Use the advanced filters
Missing Contact Information
This is normal:
- Not all social profiles have email addresses
- Some companies aren't in email databases
- Use LinkedIn for direct outreach when email isn't available
Requirements
To use Discovery:
- Your company must have Discovery access enabled
- Contact support to request access
- Hunter.io and EXA.ai API keys must be configured (admin)
Privacy & Compliance
Data Sources:
- All data comes from publicly available sources
- Email addresses are from professional contexts
- Social activity is from public posts
Best Practices:
- Respect unsubscribe requests
- Follow CAN-SPAM and GDPR guidelines
- Don't use for unsolicited mass email campaigns
FAQ
Q: How many searches can I run? A: Depends on API rate limits. Typically several hundred per month.
Q: Are the email addresses verified? A: Hunter.io provides confidence scores. High confidence emails are more reliable.
Q: Why do some prospects only have LinkedIn? A: Email addresses aren't always available. Use LinkedIn for direct outreach.
Q: Can I search for people at my competitors? A: Yes, use their domain in the advanced filters.
Q: How recent is the social activity data? A: EXA.ai indexes content regularly. Most results are from the past few months.
Q: What happens when I add prospects as leads? A: They're created as "Prospect" lead type with the search context saved as a note.
Getting Help
Need assistance with Discovery?
- Check this documentation first
- Contact support via the in-app support ticket system
- Email [email protected] for technical issues