Updated September 15, 2025

TL;DR: Plug Instantly into HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive to verify emails before outreach. You cut bounces, protect sender reputation, and keep CRM fields standardized without adding manual work. The guide below shows step-by-step setup for each CRM, plus API options for custom workflows, ongoing hygiene checklists, and a quick comparison of verification options.

Sales leaders feel the pain of bounces and stale records in quota math. Dirty CRM data wastes rep time, hurts deliverability, and skews reports. This guide shows how to integrate Instantly.ai's email verification directly into your CRM workflows so every lead is validated and your team sends with confidence.

What is email verification? Why it matters for sales

Email verification confirms an address is real and safe to send to. Lists degrade fast. Independent analyses find at least 28% of addresses decay every year, and only about 62% of addresses checked in 2024 were valid and safe. See guidance on list decay and re-verification in the Instantly playbook on how to verify email addresses and avoid costly bounces.

Deliverability benchmarks show the average provider lands about 83.1% of messages in the mailbox. If you feed unverified contacts into sequences, you raise bounces and spam placement, which drags performance below that benchmark and burns domain trust. Verification reduces that risk before your first send, as shown in this independent deliverability benchmark.

How email verification works: the checks that matter

• Syntax check: Flags typos and malformed addresses.
• DNS and MX lookups: Confirms the domain can receive mail.
• SMTP ping: Non-sending handshake to see if the mailbox exists.
• Spam trap screening: Avoids known traps that harm reputation.
• Disposable detection: Filters throwaway inboxes.
• Catch-all detection: Labels unverifiable domains as risky so you can throttle or exclude.

These checks keep bad records out of sequences, which improves deliverability and protects your domain over time.

The benefits of a clean email list for sales teams

• Improved deliverability: Verifying addresses raises the chance your messages land in the mailbox. With a global average deliverability of 83.1%, starting from verified data is the fastest way to outperform that baseline, based on the public deliverability benchmark.
• Lower bounce rates: Keep bounces under 2% and aim closer to 1% as your standard. That protects reputation and prevents blocks that disrupt a month's targets. See practical thresholds and fixes in how to verify email addresses and avoid costly bounces.
• More reliable analytics: Clean lists mean opens, replies, and meetings reflect reality, so you can coach reps and forecast with confidence.
• Stronger pipeline health: Reps reach real people sooner, book more meetings, and move deals forward without rework from bad data.
• Audit-friendly operations: Verification status, dedupes, and list sources are trackable, which makes RevOps reviews faster.

Choosing the right email verification approach

What to evaluate before you commit:

• Accuracy and speed: Run test batches. Confirm SMTP and catch-all handling.
• Integrations: Native connections for HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive reduce manual CSV work. API and webhooks matter if you automate.
• Pricing model: Prefer predictable pricing. Penalizing per seat raises total cost without improving deliverability.
• Deliverability tooling: Inbox placement tests, blacklist checks, and authentication guidance help maintain inbox placement.
• Reporting and controls: You need audit trails, dedupe logic, and admin guardrails.
• Compliance: Confirm a DPA and lawful transfer terms for GDPR and CCPA.

Comparison snapshot

Note: Use a 10 day pilot to compare bounce rate, placement, and rep time saved.

How to integrate Instantly for CRM email verification

Goal: Import only verified leads into sequences and keep CRM fields consistent. The fastest path is to connect your CRM, import a saved list or filter, and verify on import. Instantly dedupes and can skip blocked contacts automatically, as shown in the HubSpot import guide.

Connecting Instantly to HubSpot

Use a HubSpot list as your single source of truth and import it directly.

1. Connect HubSpot. Done when HubSpot shows Connected in Instantly's Integrations. Follow the HubSpot connection guide.
2. Create a HubSpot list for import. Done when your list is visible in HubSpot.
3. Import the list into Instantly. Done when the list appears in Add Leads and you select it for upload. See the HubSpot import guide.
4. Enable dedupe checks. Done when the upload dialog confirms duplicates and blocked contacts are skipped, as described in duplicate lead checks.
5. Verify on import. Done when leads show In verification queue, then Verified, Risky, or Invalid. Verification consumes 0.25 credits per address, noted in email verification.

Tip: Use OutboundSync or iPaaS if you need to log Instantly sends, replies, and lead status back into HubSpot automatically. See the OutboundSync integration overview.

Connecting Instantly to Salesforce

Work from Contact list views and verify on import.

1. Connect Salesforce. Done when Salesforce shows Connected in Instantly's Integrations after OAuth or token auth. Use the Salesforce connection guide.
2. Use Contacts list views. Done when your target list view is ready for import. Convert Leads to Contacts before import, as outlined in importing from Salesforce.
3. Import the view. Done when you select Salesforce in Add Leads and choose the correct filter, as shown in the Salesforce import guide.
4. Map fields and dedupe. Done when Email is mapped correctly and duplicates are set to skip. See mapping and dedupe.
5. Verify on upload. Done when you tick Verify leads. Each address uses 0.25 Instantly credits, per email verification.

Optional: Use OutboundSync or webhooks to log sends, replies, and status changes in Salesforce for full-funnel attribution. See the OutboundSync integration overview.

Connecting Instantly to Pipedrive

Import a saved filter of People and standardize fields as part of the upload.

1. Connect Pipedrive. Done when Pipedrive shows Connected after you Allow and Install. Follow the Pipedrive connection guide.
2. Prepare a People filter. Done when the filter returns your target contacts, shown in importing from Pipedrive.
3. Import the filter. Done when you select Pipedrive in Add Leads and click Import, as outlined in the Pipedrive import guide.
4. Verify and dedupe. Done when the upload skips duplicates and verification statuses appear for each lead, noted in email verification.

Custom integrations via API for advanced workflows

Sales Ops teams often automate verification when a record enters the CRM. Instantly's REST API v2 supports real time verification and deliverability testing.

• Verify any email programmatically with the email verification endpoint, then check status with GET /api/v2/email-verification/{email}.
• Automate placement checks with the inbox placement test endpoint and retrieve analytics via the related endpoints.
• Scope API keys to specific actions. API v2 introduces granular scopes so you can lock down keys used by your automations. See email verification endpoint.

Use cases

• Verify on create: When a new Contact is created in your CRM, call Instantly to verify. If Risky or Invalid, route to a review queue.
• Schedule placement tests: Run weekly tests for key senders and pause mailboxes that dip below your threshold, using automated inbox placement tests.

Best practices for ongoing list hygiene and deliverability

Use this checklist to keep domain health stable and reports trustworthy.

• Verify all new leads: Make verification a default step in your intake flow.
• Re-verify stale records: Recheck lists older than 3 to 6 months. Lists decay by about 28% each year, as covered in how to verify email addresses and avoid costly bounces.
• Monitor bounce rate: Keep bounces under 2%. Investigate anything higher. Aim closer to 1%. See practical thresholds in how to verify email addresses and avoid costly bounces.
• Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC: Authenticate sending domains to protect trust. Instantly's inbox placement tooling checks these and related signals. Read how to master SPF, DKIM, and DMARC and use Inbox Placement.
• Warm new inboxes: Ramp sensibly before production sends.
• Deduplicate on import: Prevent double touches that frustrate prospects, using duplicate lead checks.
• Use placement tests: Test frequently and set auto-pauses for problem accounts, guided by automated inbox placement tests.
• Provide one-click opt outs: Reduce spam complaints and protect sender reputation. Gmail and Yahoo now require easy unsubscribe and authentication for bulk senders. Review Gmail's email sender guidelines and Yahoo's sender requirements update.

Addressing sales leader needs with Instantly

• Deliverability crashes: Automated Inbox Placement tests, blacklist monitoring, and authentication checks surface issues early so you can pause, fix, and protect monthly targets. Explore Inbox Placement and the inbox placement feature overview.
• Clunky rollouts: Help Center integrations for HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive make setup straightforward. Your team imports lists directly from saved views and verifies on upload, using the integrations import overview.
• Analytics you can trust: Instantly logs verification status and skips blocked or duplicate contacts on import, which makes reporting cleaner, as shown in the HubSpot import guide.
• Guardrails for reps: Centralized verification and dedupe prevent rogue uploads of unsafe lists and reduce domain risk.
• Privacy and compliance: Instantly provides a GDPR and CCPA-aligned DPA with SCCs for lawful transfers, detailed in the data processing addendum.
• Pricing that maps to value: Growth is $37 per month with unlimited email accounts and warmup, so you do not pay per seat as you scale. See Growth pricing.

What users say

"Instantly is for me the Apple of Cold Outreach tools. Easy to use, intuitive, minimal clicks/steps to get stuff done, and things just work."

• G2 review by Thomas D.

"I appreciate that Instantly AI saves me a significant amount of time every week... Emails go out on time and land where they should. The warm-up feature runs automatically, so I don't have to worry about deliverability."

• G2 review by Corey B.

"Service: Great! This is our go-to platform to warm up email addresses, and we recommend it to all our clients... Support: Awesome! We had a stressful and urgent issue... They were very responsive and solved it fast."

• G2 review by Loïc S.

"Being able to set up bulk outreach campaigns and with a fraction of the time & energy that manual outreach requires is priceless. This service is GOLD."

• G2 review by William M.

Helpful add-ons

• Use AI Copilot to generate target lists, draft sequences, and schedule recurring analytics summaries so ops stays tight and reps move faster. Explore AI Copilot and the Copilot help guide.

Pre-integration checklist

• Define your source lists: Use saved lists or filters in your CRM.
• Decide on field mapping: Confirm standard fields for email, company, role, and owner.
• Pick your dedupe rule: Check duplicates across all campaigns and lists, using duplicate lead checks.
• Set verification defaults: Enable Verify leads on import and budget credits. Each email uses 0.25 credits, as noted in email verification.
• Choose sync back logic: Use OutboundSync, webhooks, or iPaaS to write replies and status changes into the CRM, following the OutboundSync integration overview.

Post-integration QA checklist

• Test an import: Confirm duplicates are skipped and statuses populate, using the HubSpot import guide.
• Send a small batch: Keep bounce rate under 2% on day one, guided by how to verify email addresses and avoid costly bounces.
• Run a placement test: Verify inbox placement before scaling, using automated inbox placement tests.
• Review logs: Confirm sends, replies, and status updates are reaching the CRM if you enabled sync, per the OutboundSync integration overview.

Drive cleaner sales data and better inbox placement

Clean, verified data is now a core sales system. Integrating Instantly.ai with your CRM keeps bad addresses out of sequences, stabilizes deliverability, and makes your analytics credible, so your team spends time with real buyers and your forecasts hold up.

Ready to clean your sales data? Try Instantly free and connect your CRM to verify emails on import.

Helpful resources

• Read the main email verification guide for step-by-step verification techniques in email verification techniques.
• Explore Inbox Placement for proactive deliverability checks.
• See how AI Copilot accelerates prospecting and campaign creation.

FAQ

• How much do credits cost to verify emails?
  Verification consumes 0.25 Instantly credits per address when you enable Verify leads on upload, as noted in email verification.
• Which CRMs connect natively?
  HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive connect from Instantly's Integrations tab. Import saved lists or filters into campaigns, as shown in the integrations import overview.
• What bounce rate should I target?
  Stay under 2% and push for closer to 1%. Above 2% needs list cleaning and verification. See guidance in how to verify email addresses and avoid costly bounces.
• How do I monitor inbox placement at scale?
  Use Instantly's Inbox Placement to test across providers and set automations that pause or re-warm problem accounts, per automated inbox placement tests.
• Is Instantly compliant for B2B data processing?
  Yes. Instantly provides a GDPR and CCPA-aligned DPA, including SCCs for cross-border transfers. Review the data processing addendum.

Key terminology

• Email verification: Checking if an address is valid, active, and safe to send to.
• Bounce rate: Percent of emails that fail to deliver.
• Deliverability: Ability for emails to reach the primary inbox.
• Spam trap: Honeypot address used to flag senders with poor hygiene.
• Catch-all: Domain that accepts any mailbox. Higher bounce risk.
• Disposable email: Temporary address used for short term sign-ups.
• Primary inbox: The folder people actually read, not spam or promos.
• Sender reputation: Domain and IP trust score used by mailbox providers.
• SMTP check: A handshake with the mail server to validate a mailbox.
• DNS or MX check: Confirms the domain and mail exchange records exist.