Learning Objective

By the end of this guide, you'll know how to connect lemlist with Salesforce, set up Salesforce list views for filtering, import Salesforce leads/contacts into a lemlist campaign, and configure activity syncing back to Salesforce.

Why This Matters

Integrating Salesforce with lemlist lets you launch outreach campaigns directly from your CRM data. Import Salesforce leads into campaigns, keep your CRM updated with outreach activity, and reduce manual data entry.

Prerequisites

Before you start:

Active lemlist account
Active Salesforce account (Salesforce Essentials doesn’t support API access)
Admin or appropriate permissions in Salesforce
Leads/Contacts in Salesforce ready to contact

⚠️ Note: Salesforce Essentials edition doesn't support API access and won't work with this integration.

Step 1: Connect lemlist to Salesforce

In lemlist, go to Settings > Integrations, then find Salesforce and click Connect.

Authorize the connection

If prompted, log in to Salesforce.
Authorize lemlist to access your Salesforce account.

✅ Result: Salesforce appears as connected in lemlist, and you can use it as a source for CRM imports.

Step 2: Create a Salesforce List View (Lead View) to filter what you import

What is a Lead View?

A Salesforce Lead List View is a filtered list of Leads (or Contacts) based on criteria you define. lemlist can use these views as import filters.

Create a list view in Salesforce

In Salesforce, go to the Leads tab.
Create a new list view and add the filters you want (example: Lead Status, Owner, Country, Industry, etc.).
Save the view with a clear name (example: “Lemlist – Cold Outreach”).

💡 Tip: Use descriptive names so you can easily find the correct view later during import.

Important requirement (Reports-based imports)

If you import from a Salesforce Report (instead of a List View), make sure the Report includes:

Lead ID or Contact ID
Email (the default Salesforce Email field, not a custom email field)

Step 3: Import Salesforce leads/contacts into a lemlist campaign

Open the campaign Lead list and start an import

Open your campaign, go to the Lead list tab, then click Import new leads.

Select CRM import

In the import window, click CRM import.

Choose your Salesforce account and filter type

Select the Salesforce account you want to use for the import.

Choose what you want to import using one of the available options:
- Use LEAD view filters (imports from Salesforce Lead list views)
- Use CONTACT view filters (imports from Salesforce Contact list views)
- Use REPORT view filters (imports from Salesforce Reports)

(Optional) Automatically pause leads that no longer match the Salesforce filter

If needed, enable the option to Automatically pause lead(s) in lemlist when they no longer match the selected Salesforce view/report.

(Optional) Enrich leads during import, then confirm

Select any enrichment options you want (for example: Find verified emails, Find phone numbers, Find LinkedIn profiles and enrich data, Verify existing emails), then click Confirm.

✅ Result: Leads/Contacts matching your Salesforce selection are imported into your lemlist campaign.

Activity Tracking: Syncing lemlist activity back to Salesforce

Once connected, lemlist can log campaign activity back to Salesforce so you can track engagement from within your CRM.

Configure Salesforce activity logging and export rules (per campaign)

In your campaign, click the Settings (gear) icon, open CRM integration, then configure:
- Configure data export to CRM (choose what lemlist should write back to Salesforce and in what order)
- Log lemlist activity into Salesforce (toggle the activity types you want to sync)

Best Practices

Use descriptive Salesforce view names so they’re easy to recognize during import.

Test with a small list first (10–20 records) to confirm filters and field mapping are correct.

Be careful with “My Leads” filters: if a view uses “My Leads” and is shared, other users may see different results based on their own ownership.

Ensure sharing/visibility in Salesforce: if a list view/report isn’t shared correctly, it may not be available to other users for import.

Troubleshooting

Can’t connect to Salesforce

Fix: Confirm you’re not using Salesforce Essentials (no API access). Verify Salesforce permissions and try reconnecting.

My Salesforce list view/report doesn’t appear during import

Fix: Confirm you created it in the correct object (Leads vs Contacts) and that it’s shared/visible to your Salesforce user. Then retry the import.

Different users get different leads from the “same” filter

Cause: The Salesforce view uses “My Leads” or owner-based filters.

Fix: Use team-wide filters and confirm proper sharing settings.

Report import fails or imports 0 leads

Fix: Make sure the Report includes Lead ID/Contact ID and the default Email field (not a custom email field).

Activities aren’t syncing to Salesforce

Fix: Confirm Salesforce is still connected in lemlist and that campaign CRM integration settings are enabled for the activity types you want to sync.