Back to Blog
AI-Powered Source Discovery: Find Leads You Never Knew Existed
aisource-discoveryautomation

AI-Powered Source Discovery: Find Leads You Never Knew Existed

Learn how to use Scrappy's AI to automatically discover high-quality lead sources based on natural language descriptions.

Scrappy Team
January 5, 2025
4 min read

Stop spending hours manually searching for lead sources. Let AI do the heavy lifting.

The Old Way vs. The AI Way

Traditional lead sourcing involves:

  • Hours of Google searches
  • Bookmarking dozens of directories
  • Manually checking if sites have useful contact data
  • Missing niche sources you didn't know existed

AI-powered discovery means:

  • Describe what you're looking for in plain English
  • Get curated, relevant sources in seconds
  • Discover niche directories and databases you'd never find
  • Focus on outreach instead of research

How AI Source Discovery Works

Scrappy uses advanced AI to understand your needs and find relevant websites.

Step 1: Describe Your Ideal Leads

Be specific. The more context you give, the better results you'll get.

Good prompts:

  • "SaaS startups in the fintech space with 10-50 employees"
  • "Marketing agencies in Los Angeles that specialize in healthcare"
  • "E-commerce brands selling sustainable products"

Vague prompts (less effective):

  • "Companies"
  • "Startups"
  • "Businesses in California"

Step 2: Review AI Suggestions

For each source, you'll see:

  • Name and URL of the directory or website
  • Category - What type of source it is
  • Estimated leads - Rough count of available contacts
  • Scrape type - How Scrappy will extract data
  • AI reasoning - Why this source was recommended

Step 3: Approve and Scrape

Click to add any source to your project. Scrappy handles the rest.

Real Examples

Finding Agency Leads

Prompt: "Digital marketing agencies in New York that work with enterprise clients"

AI finds:

  • Clutch.co agency listings
  • Agency Spotter directories
  • LinkedIn company pages
  • Industry-specific directories like AgencyList

Finding SaaS Companies

Prompt: "B2B SaaS companies in the HR tech space"

AI finds:

  • G2 software listings
  • Capterra directories
  • Product Hunt launches
  • AngelList company profiles
  • Industry reports and lists

Finding Local Businesses

Prompt: "Dentists in Miami with their own practice"

AI finds:

  • Healthgrades listings
  • Zocdoc profiles
  • Google Business directories
  • Local dental association member lists
  • Yelp business pages

Tips for Better Results

1. Include Geographic Context

"Tech startups" is okay, but "tech startups in Austin, Texas" is much better.

2. Specify Company Size

AI can filter for:

  • Startups (1-10 employees)
  • SMBs (10-100 employees)
  • Mid-market (100-1000 employees)
  • Enterprise (1000+ employees)

3. Mention Industry Verticals

The more specific, the better:

  • "Healthcare" → "Telehealth platforms"
  • "Finance" → "Cryptocurrency exchanges"
  • "Retail" → "DTC skincare brands"

4. Describe Your Ideal Customer

If you know your ICP well, describe it:

  • "Companies that recently raised Series A"
  • "Agencies with 5+ years in business"
  • "Brands with strong social media presence"

Combining AI with Manual Sources

AI discovery doesn't replace manual research—it enhances it.

Best workflow:

  1. Start with AI discovery to build a foundation
  2. Add any manual sources you already know
  3. Let AI suggest similar sources based on your additions
  4. Scrape everything and consolidate leads

Credits and Pricing

AI source discovery uses minimal credits:

  • 5 suggestions - Free tier
  • 10 suggestions - 1 credit
  • 25 suggestions - 2 credits

Compare that to hours of manual research!

Get Started

Ready to let AI find your leads?

  1. Go to Sources in your dashboard
  2. Click AI Discovery
  3. Describe your ideal leads
  4. Watch the magic happen

Stop searching. Start closing.