AI Lead scraper

Are you a small business looking to get some cold outreach. This new AI tool will gather a list of leads according to you criterion and will send tailored automated emails/sms to these target leads.

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Inspiration

What inspired me and led me to the creation of this project is my own startup that I hope to expand in the future. Initially I was handcrafting cold outreach emails to potential clients and leads, this took time, I made tons of typo's, and I had a 0% conversion rate. After crafting up this tool, I was able to output a lot more cold emails and cold SMS in volume, and as a result was able to land a contract at a local accounting firm.

What it does

This app essentially does the cold outreach process from start to end. Fully automated. It will scrape the leads (or you can feed them in), then it will tailor each cold email/SMS to the target businesses pain points and your own custom email structure. Then it will automatically send these emails and SMS's for you on a schedule.

How we built it

To build this, I first had to craft a Product requirement document, this helped me map out each workflow and the general flow of data within the app. Then I laid out the general code and let Claude code do the rest. I went through 8 iterative testing and debugging loops to remove any vulnerabilities within the app, then I made a custom Claude skill to do a final quality control check, and then I shipped it!

Challenges we ran into

A major challenge I ran into was linking this app to various communication mediums, such as Gmail, but most notably SMS. Gmail was a simpler fix: I did some research and decided to use Google app scripts. But SMS was a whole different monster: initially I implemented a Twilio link, but this had the disadvantage of the user having to go through a very tenuous process of setting up a Twilio account and getting approved, I solved this by making things simpler, I simply implemented an SMS link, where the user would tap the link, and it would take the user to their native sms app with the pasted message ready to send.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I'm really proud of the strength and integrity of the final product, in terms of cyber security and its consistency when working. We note that there are some flaws, but we have well documented error codes and workarounds related to these flaws within the apps settings.

What we learned

In the process of making this, I have learnt several new skills and lesson: I have learnt how to use google app scripts, I have deepened my understanding on how to use Claude code, and finally I have learnt the importance of cyber security, especially with apps that deal with lots of API keys.

What's next for AI Lead scraper

Next is simply me using it more and more in my day to day workflow for my startup, and I eventually plan to offer it as a service.

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