I ordered 7000 leads and got 1700 — why?

AI Lead Search does not deliver addresses from an old saved email list. When you confirm an import, the platform finds and verifies emails live for matching people. If you asked for 7,000 and got 1,700, the remaining people usually could not be delivered with a current verified email.

That can happen because the email could not be found, the address was invalid, or the person appears to have moved company.

Why the pool shrinks

Tight filters. "CFOs at SaaS companies in Manchester with 51 to 100 employees and Series B funding" matches a fraction of what "CFOs at SaaS companies in the UK" matches. Every filter you add narrows the pool.

Email not found. The person matched your search, but the platform could not find a current work email for them.

Invalid or outdated email. The email exists in a source somewhere, but it no longer verifies safely enough to send to. This often happens when someone has changed company or the mailbox was closed.

Already-owned leads. In standalone Acquisity, leads in another non-archived campaign in your workspace can be filtered out before import. This can cut the available pool for niches where you've already run campaigns. If Instantly is connected, duplicates may still appear in preview and only get blocked during upload.

Recently-contacted leads. Leads that someone else on the platform recently contacted are excluded to protect their deliverability.

How to get a realistic count before ordering

Use the live count preview as a guide. On the scrape flow, a badge labelled "Leads in search" shows estimated matches as you change filters. Watch it as you add or remove filters.

If the count is already below what you want, widen filters before confirming. If the count looks high enough but the delivered count is lower, the difference is usually live email lookup and verification.

What to do differently next time

• Start broad, narrow step by step. Begin with country + role level + industry. See the count. Then add one filter at a time until you hit your desired size.
• Accept fewer, better leads. A tight 1,700 often outperforms a loose 7,000. Targeting beats volume.
• Re-read your niche description. If the AI's pre-filled filters don't match what you actually wanted, correct them before launching.
• Check the count before confirming. The confirmation dialog shows the requested import size and credit impact before you start.

Will credits be wasted?

Credits are used on verified delivery, not on request. In standalone Acquisity, you pay for the 1,700 verified leads actually delivered, not the 7,000 you asked for. So you didn't "waste" 5,300 credits — they're still in your balance.

If Instantly is connected, duplicate leads are the exception: a duplicate can consume a credit during import and then be blocked when the platform tries to upload it to the campaign.

But you did waste effort running the scrape. Use the live count next time to avoid it.

Related

• Scraping leads (AI lead finder) — full walkthrough including how to use the count preview
• Why did my AI Lead Search show fewer leads after I imported some?
• Credits — how credit usage works