How to Automate LinkedIn Lead Gen with PhantomBuster in 2025
Knowing how to reach the right people on LinkedIn can make or break your lead generation strategy. But if you’re tired of clicking, copying, pasting, and messaging manually every day, there’s good news: you don’t have to anymore.
Hey—it’s Eli Mercer here. I help solopreneurs, marketers, and founders cut through the AI and SaaS noise so they don’t waste days messing with tools that just don’t deliver. I’ve tested more automation tools than I care to admit, and one that keeps impressing in 2025 is PhantomBuster.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through exactly how you can use PhantomBuster to automate LinkedIn lead generation—safely, efficiently, and without writing a single line of code.
Let’s go.
What Is PhantomBuster—and Why Use It for LinkedIn?
PhantomBuster is a cloud-based automation tool that lets you scrape data, send messages, and run entire lead funnels on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and more. Think of it like Zapier, but made specifically for growth, scraping, and outreach campaigns.
It handles repetitive tasks like:
- Visiting LinkedIn profiles and extracting enriched data
- Sending personalized connection requests
- Following up with message sequences
- Exporting lead info to Google Sheets or your CRM automatically
And the best part: it runs in the cloud 24/7 so your automations keep working even if your laptop’s closed.
Step-by-Step: How to Use PhantomBuster to Automate LinkedIn Lead Generation in 2025
Step 1: Set Up Your PhantomBuster Account
- Go to PhantomBuster.com
- Sign up for the free 14-day trial (no credit card needed right away)
- You’ll get access to 10 Phantoms and 1,000 AI credits to start
Once you’re in, dashboard time.
🎯 Pro Tip: Use a separate LinkedIn account if you’re experimenting heavily—especially for aggressive outreach.
Step 2: Choose the Right LinkedIn Phantoms
PhantomBuster offers a bunch of ready-made “Phantoms” (pre-built automation bots). For LinkedIn lead gen, here are essentials:
- LinkedIn Search Export – Scrapes profile data from search results
- LinkedIn Profile Scraper – Visits individual profiles to extract info
- LinkedIn Network Booster – Sends auto connection requests with custom notes
- LinkedIn Message Sender – Sends messages to 1st-degree connections
👉 Start with just one or two to test the waters.
Step 3: Collect Your LinkedIn Leads
Here’s the combo I use:
- Use LinkedIn Search Export to scrape a list of target profiles
- Then feed that list into LinkedIn Network Booster to send a connection request
- Once they accept? Use LinkedIn Message Sender to follow up
You can export leads into Google Sheets in real-time for CRM syncing later.
Personal touch idea: I use AI in Google Sheets (via ChatGPT plugin or Excel formula) to generate custom message intros based on job title + location.
Step 4: Automate with “Flows”
This is where PhantomBuster gets super powerful and most underrated.
“Flows” let you chain Phantoms together automatically.
Example Flow:
- 🟢 Scrape Sales Navigator search
- 🟡 Visit each profile
- 🟢 Send invite with a custom note
- 🟡 Wait 2 days
- 🟢 Send message 1
- 🟢 Wait 3 more days
- 🟢 Send message 2
All this runs on autopilot… while you’re doing literally anything else.
Step 5: Keep It Safe — Don’t Get Banned
PhantomBuster is powerful. But if you go too fast, LinkedIn will notice.
✅ Best Practices for 2025:
- Set daily limits (30–50 actions/day per Phantom is safe)
- Add random delays between actions
- Use warm-up periods—don’t blast 200 invites on Day 1
- Stick to real user behavior (standard hours, consistent frequency)
If you follow LinkedIn’s unofficial limits and keep activity human-like, you’ll be just fine.
Step 6: Enrich and Export Your Lead Data
Once you’ve scraped the basics—name, job title, location—it’s time for enrichment.
PhantomBuster connects with:
- Dropcontact (to find verified emails)
- Google Sheets (for bulk edits)
- HubSpot or Salesforce (for auto-import into CRM)
This setup lets your outreach team work only on warm leads with valid contact info.
Pro Tips for Personalizing Your LinkedIn Outreach in 2025
AI makes personalization at scale finally doable.
Here’s what I do:
- Pull job title and first name into a formula like:
“Hi [First Name], always great to see [Job Title] folks doing incredible work in the [Industry] space.” - Use OpenAI GPT-based tools to rewrite intros for tone and context
- Test multiple versions of your connection note or message to improve response rates
Outreach hacks are cool, but empathy still wins. Don’t be that person mass-blasting pitchy intros.
Real-World Workflow Example for B2B Founders
Let’s say you’re a SaaS founder selling to marketing managers in fintech companies.
Your PhantomBuster workflow might look like:
- Target “Marketing Manager” in “Fintech” using LinkedIn Search
- Scrape 200 results into a spreadsheet
- Send customized invites to 30/day with friendly connection note
- Message them 1 day after they connect using soft intros
- Export warm leads + email to HubSpot triggered sequence
Set that once, and let it keep running…
❓ Is PhantomBuster safe to use with LinkedIn?
Yes, when used properly. Set daily limits, avoid suspicious speeds, and don’t abuse actions like profile visits or messaging. The tool has built-in safety timers too.
❓ Can I use it without coding?
100% Yes. PhantomBuster is made for marketers, not developers. It’s click-and-play.
❓ Does it work with Sales Navigator?
Absolutely. Several Phantoms are built directly for LinkedIn Sales Nav searches.
❓ Can I personalize messages before sending?
Yes. You can include dynamic fields (like first name, job title) and use AI tools to batch-write engaging intros and messages.
❓ What happens if someone replies?
You’ll get a notification inside LinkedIn as usual. PhantomBuster doesn’t reply for you—it gets them to that point 👌
Final Thoughts: Automate the Grunt Work, Focus on What Matters
LinkedIn still works in 2025—but not if you’re copying/pasting one message at a time. PhantomBuster gives you the playbook and the power to scale prospecting without scaling your effort.
Thousands of growth teams, solo founders, agencies, and recruiters trust PhantomBuster to do just that. And so do I.
If you’ve been on the fence, this is the sign to act. Automate smarter, expand faster, and focus on the parts of your business only you can do.
Thanks for reading,
—Eli @ NextGenAIFinder