Démarrage rapide
This guide covers every Clay feature:
- Commencer — Créer un compte et effectuer la configuration de base
- How to Use Account and Lead Scoring — Rank every account so your sales team works the best leads first
- How to Use Claygent — Send an AI powered agent to run account research on any company
- Comment utiliser Email Finder — Find verified work emails using a waterfall across many data sources
- How to Use Formula Generator — Write formulas in plain English with no technical skills required
- How to Use Signal Setup — Track job changes, new hires, and funding so you catch new leads early
- How to Use Sculptor — Turn raw account research into personalized messages you can send at scale
- How to Use Growth Marketing Engine — Build repeatable marketing plays that run on a schedule without you
- How to Use Automated Inbound — Enrich and route inbound signups the second someone signs up
- How to Use TAM Sourcing — Build a full list of companies that match your ideal customer profile
Temps nécessaire : 5 minutes par fonctionnalité
Vous trouverez également dans ce guide : Conseils de pro | Erreurs courantes | Dépannage | Tarification | Alternatives
Pourquoi faire confiance à ce guide ?
I’ve used Clay for eight months and tested every feature covered here.
Ce tutoriel est basé sur une véritable expérience pratique, et non sur des arguments marketing ou des captures d'écran de fournisseurs.
Clay is one of the most powerful lead generation tools available today.
Mais la plupart des utilisateurs n'exploitent qu'une infime partie de ses possibilités.
This guide shows you how to use Clay feature by feature.
Étape par étape, avec captures d'écran et conseils de pro.
A quick note before we start: at first glance Clay looks like a plain spreadsheet.
It behaves much more like a research engine bolted onto one.
Clay Tutorial
This Clay tutorial walks you through every feature, from first login to the powerful workflows that make you a power user.
Argile
Build lead lists that actually convert. Clay enriches données from over 100 premium sources and writes personalized emails from real account research. Start free, no credit card needed.
Getting Started with Clay
Avant d'utiliser une quelconque fonctionnalité, veuillez terminer cette configuration unique.
Cela prend environ trois minutes.
Here is my honest take after eight months of daily use:
Passons maintenant en revue chaque étape.
Étape 1 : Créez votre compte
Go to the Clay website and click Sign Up.
Saisissez votre adresse courriel professionnelle et créez un mot de passe.
✓ Point de contrôle: Vérifiez votre boîte de réception pour l'e-mail de confirmation.
Step 2: Create Your Workspace
Clay requires you to create a workspace after signing up.
Name it after your company, then invite your sales team.
✓ Point de contrôle: The clay logo sits top-left above your empty table list.
Step 3: Connect Your Data Sources
Open Settings and connect the other tools you already run.
You can connect over 100 apps to sync data with Clay, including Salesforce, HubSpot, and Google Sheets.
Clay connects with Zapier for additional app integrations, and syncing runs in real time.
✅ Terminé : Vous êtes prêt à utiliser n'importe quelle fonctionnalité ci-dessous.
How to Use Clay Account and Lead Scoring
Account and Lead Scoring lets you rank every account so your sales team works the best leads first.
Voici comment l'utiliser étape par étape.
Step 1: Add Your Scoring Inputs
Open a Clay table and pick the columns you want to score on.
Company size, job titles, and tech stack all work well here.
Step 2: Build the Score Column
Add a scoring column and set point values for each condition.
Voici à quoi cela ressemble :
✓ Point de contrôle: Your list is ranked from best to worst fit.
Step 3: Sort and Route
Sort by score, then push hot accounts to your CRM.
✅ Résultat : Every account carries a fit score your sales team can use to qualify leads fast.
💡 Conseil de pro : Score on job changes too. A new VP is far likelier to reply than a five-year veteran.
How to Use Clay Claygent
Claygent lets you send an AI powered agent to run account research on any company.
Voici comment l'utiliser étape par étape.
Step 1: Add a Claygent Column
Click Add Column, then choose Claygent from the AI menu.
Point it at your website column so it knows where to look.
Step 2: Write the Research Prompt
Ask a plain question, like whether the company runs a partner program.
Voici à quoi cela ressemble :
✓ Point de contrôle: Claygent fills the column with sourced answers and citations.
Step 3: Run and Review
Run it on ten rows first, read the answers, then fine tune the prompt.
✅ Résultat : You automate research that used to eat a full afternoon.
💡 Conseil de pro : Ask for a one-word answer when you plan to filter on it. Long prose is hard to sort.
How to Use Clay Email Finder
Recherche d'email lets you find verified work emails using a waterfall across many data sources.
Voici comment l'utiliser étape par étape.
Step 1: Add the Find Email Column
Choose Find Work Email and map the name and domain columns.
Clay needs both to match a person to a company.
Step 2: Set the Waterfall Order
Drag providers into the order you want Clay to try them.
Voici à quoi cela ressemble :
✓ Point de contrôle: A clean column of deliverable addresses with no guesswork.
Step 3: Filter by Confidence
Keep only verified results, then export data to your outreach tool.
✅ Résultat : The waterfall technique lifts match rates without manual data entry.
💡 Conseil de pro : Stop the waterfall after three providers. Beyond that you burn credits for very little extra match rate.
How to Use Clay Formula Generator
Formula Générateur lets you write formulas in plain English with no technical skills required.
Voici comment l'utiliser étape par étape.
Step 1: Open the Formula Column
Add a column and pick Formula, then click the AI helper icon.
Étape 2 : Décrivez ce que vous souhaitez
Type something like: pull the domain out of the website column.
Voici à quoi cela ressemble :
✓ Point de contrôle: A working formula runs across your whole table.
Step 3: Test and Apply
Test it on one row, then apply the formula to all the data.
✅ Résultat : You manipulate data like a spreadsheet pro without writing code.
💡 Conseil de pro : Paste two example inputs and outputs into your request. Clay gets it right far more often.
How to Setup Clay Signal
Signal Setup lets you track job changes, new hires, and funding so you catch new leads tôt.
Voici comment l'utiliser étape par étape.
Step 1: Pick Your Signal
Open the Signals menu and choose job changes or new hires.
Both work from LinkedIn profiles you already track.
Step 2: Set the Filters
Narrow by job titles, company size, and region so the list stays useful.
Voici à quoi cela ressemble :
✓ Point de contrôle: New rows appear each morning without you lifting a finger.
Step 3: Turn On the Schedule
Set it to run daily. Clay adds fresh rows on its own.
✅ Résultat : You catch buying moments while competitors are still guessing.
💡 Conseil de pro : Watch your closed-lost accounts for job changes. A new decision maker resets the whole deal.
How to Use Clay Sculptor
Sculptor lets you turn raw account research into personalized messages you can send at scale.
Voici comment l'utiliser étape par étape.
Step 1: Add a Sculptor Column
Select Sculptor and choose the research columns it should read.
Step 2: Give It Your Voice
Paste two emails you actually sent so the tone matches yours.
Voici à quoi cela ressemble :
✓ Point de contrôle: Each row holds a first line written from real research.
Étape 3 : Générer et modifier
Generate in bulk, then edit the weak ones by hand.
✅ Résultat : Cold emails keep a human touch even at volume.
💡 Conseil de pro : Cap the opener at two sentences. Long AI intros read like AI and kill reply rates.
How to Use Clay Growth Marketing Engine
Growth Marketing Engine lets you build repeatable marketing plays that run on a schedule without you.
Voici comment l'utiliser étape par étape.
Step 1: Start From a Template
Open Templates and pick a pre-built play close to your goal.
Clay offers pre-built templates for most common lead generation workflows.
Step 2: Chain Your Steps
Add filters and branching logic so odd records skip ahead.
Voici à quoi cela ressemble :
✓ Point de contrôle: One workflow now handles sourcing through send.
Step 3: Schedule the Run
Set a weekly run and connect the output to your other tools.
That is how you automate outreach without hiring another rep.
✅ Résultat : Marketing gets powerful workflows that repeat every single week.
💡 Conseil de pro : Add a branch that dumps low-score rows into a nurture list instead of deleting them.
How to Use Clay Automated Inbound
Automated Inbound lets you enrich and route inbound signups the second someone signs up.
Voici comment l'utiliser étape par étape.
Step 1: Connect Your Source
Link your form, Google Sheets, or CRM as the trigger.
Clay can create records from new Google Sheets rows automatically.
Step 2: Enrich on Arrival
Add enrichment columns so each signup lands with company data attached.
Voici à quoi cela ressemble :
✓ Point de contrôle: Inbound leads arrive fully enriched and already sorted.
Step 3: Route by Score
Send strong fits to sales and everyone else to a nurture sequence.
✅ Résultat : No lead sits in a queue waiting on manual data entry.
💡 Conseil de pro : Reply inside five minutes. Speed beats polish on inbound almost every time.
How to Use Clay TAM Sourcing
TAM Sourcing lets you build a full list of companies that match your ideal customer profile.
Voici comment l'utiliser étape par étape.
Step 1: Define Your Criteria
Set industry, company size, region, and tech stack filters.
Step 2: Pull the List
Run the source. Clay returns a list of companies row by row.
Voici à quoi cela ressemble :
✓ Point de contrôle: Your whole market sits in one table, ready to work.
Step 3: Enrich and Split
Enrich the rows, then split them into own lists per rep.
✅ Résultat : List building takes minutes instead of a full week.
💡 Conseil de pro : Pull 500 rows first and check them by hand. Bad criteria at scale wastes real credits.
Clay Pro Tips and Shortcuts
After eight months in the clay app, here are the tips I actually use.
They save time and keep your systems clean as the entreprise grandit.
Raccourcis clavier
| Action | Raccourci |
|---|---|
| Add a new column | Cmd + Shift + K |
| Search all the data in a table | Cmd + F |
| Run the selected row | Cmd + Enter |
| Save and close the editor | Échap |
Fonctionnalités cachées que la plupart des gens ignorent
- Bulk auto-enrich: Clay auto-enriches new rows in bulk or one by one, so you never re-run a whole table by hand.
- Recurring CRM audits: Point Clay at your CRM records monthly to catch stale titles and merge duplicate records.
- Conditional runs: Add a condition so paid enrichment only fires when cheaper data sources come back empty.
Clay Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake #1: Running Enrichment on Your Whole List First
❌ Faux : Importing 10,000 rows and enriching all of them before you check quality.
✅ À droite : Test on 50 rows, read the output, then run the rest. This one habit will save your credits.
Mistake #2: Sending Generic AI Copy
❌ Faux : Letting Clay write the whole email and blasting it to new leads unread.
✅ À droite : Use Clay for the research line only. Personalized messages still need a human touch to lift reply rates.
Mistake #3: Treating Clay Like Google Sheets
❌ Faux : Building one giant table for every campaign and every account.
✅ À droite : Break work into small tables by use case. Smaller tables run faster and are easier to manage.
Clay Troubleshooting
Problem: Enrichment Columns Return Blank
Cause: The input column is messy, so Clay cannot match a company to a domain.
Réparer: Clean the website column first, strip the https prefix, then re-run those rows only.
Problem: Credits Drain Faster Than Expected
Cause: Every provider in a waterfall bills separately, even on a failed lookup.
Réparer: Trim the waterfall to three providers and add a condition so it stops at the first match.
Problem: Rows Stay Stuck on Queued
Cause: A large bulk run is competing with your scheduled workflow automation.
Réparer: Pause the schedule, let the bulk job finish, then restart it. Speed returns right away.
📌 Note: If none of these fix your issue, contact Clay support.
Qu'est-ce que l'argile ?
Argile is an AI powered lead generation tool that pulls data from more than 100 premium sources into one table.
Think of it like Google Sheets that researches for you.
Clay lets you source, enrich, score, and message the same list in one place.
Regardez ce bref aperçu :
The longer walkthrough on YouTube shows a great use case for each feature.
Il comprend les fonctionnalités clés suivantes :
- Account and Lead Scoring: Scores accounts on company size, job titles, and fit signals you define
- Claygent: An AI powered research agent that reads websites and returns relevant information
- Recherche d'email : Runs a waterfall across premium providers until a verified email is found
- Formula Generator: Turns a written request into a working formula inside your table
- Signal Setup: Watches your accounts and adds new leads the moment something changes
- Sculptor: Writes personalized emails from the research already sitting in your table
- Growth Marketing Engine: Chains sourcing, enrichment, and messaging into one workflow automation
- Automated Inbound: Catches new signups, enriches them, and routes them by fit score
- TAM Sourcing: Pulls your total addressable market into one table you can filter
Clay uses a waterfall technique for data enrichment, checking one provider after another until it finds a verified answer.
That is the whole reason match rates beat any single database.
Pour une analyse complète, consultez notre Clay review.
Tarification de l'argile
Here’s what Clay costs in 2026:
| Plan | Prix | Idéal pour |
|---|---|---|
| Gratuit | 0 $/mois | Testing Clay and running small enrichment jobs |
| Démarreur | 134 $/mois | Solo founders doing list building on a budget |
| Explorateur | 314 $/mois | Small sales team running weekly outreach |
| Pro | 720 $/mois | Marketing and RevOps teams at scale |
| Entreprise | Crédits personnalisés | Large orgs with custom data sources |
Essai gratuit : Yes. The Free plan gives you credits every month with no card required.
Garantie de remboursement : No formal refund window, so start free and upgrade once you see results.
💰 Meilleur rapport qualité-prix : Explorer at $314/month — enough credits for a real sales team without Pro-level spend.
Argile contre alternatives
How does Clay compare? Here’s the competitive landscape.
Regardez cette comparaison :
| Outil | Idéal pour | Prix | Notation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argile | Custom research and enrichment | 134 $/mois | ⭐ 4,6 |
| Apollon io | Prospection tout-en-un | 49 $/mois | ⭐ 4,7 |
| ZoomInfo | Profondeur des données d'entreprise | Coutume | ⭐ 4,4 |
| Make.com | General automation | 9 $/mois | ⭐ 4,6 |
| Floqer | Budget enrichment | 99 $/mois | ⭐ 4,3 |
| PhantomBuster | Social scraping | 69 $/mois | ⭐ 4,4 |
Sélection rapide :
- Meilleur résultat global : Clay — nothing else combines sourcing, enrichment, and copy in one process.
- Meilleur budget : PhantomBuster — cheapest way to pull LinkedIn profiles into your own lists.
- Idéal pour les débutants : Apollo io — the database and the sending live in one place.
- Best for list building at scale: Clay — TAM Sourcing builds a list of companies in minutes.
🎯 Alternatives à l'argile
Vous cherchez des alternatives à l'argile ? Voici les meilleures options :
- 🚀 Apollo io : Huge built-in contact database with sequencing included, so smaller teams get sourcing and sending in one outreach tool.
- 🏢 ZoomInfo : Enterprise-grade firmographic depth and intent data, built for large sales team rollouts with strict data governance needs.
- 🔧 Make.com : General workflow automation across thousands of apps, useful when your process reaches well beyond lead generation.
- ⚡ Floqer : Lighter AI powered research and enrichment at a lower entry price, aimed at small teams learning list building.
- 💰 PhantomBuster : Scrapes LinkedIn profiles and social platforms cheaply, great for founders who mostly need raw list extraction.
Pour la liste complète, consultez notre Clay alternatives guide.
⚔️ Comparaison avec l'argile
Here is how Clay stacks up against each competitor:
- Clay contre Apollo io : Apollo io owns the database. Clay wins when you need custom research and enrichment across many data sources.
- Clay contre ZoomInfo : ZoomInfo has deeper intent data. Clay costs far less and lets you manipulate data however you want.
- Clay contre Make.com : Make.com automates anything. Clay is purpose-built for lead generation workflows and enrichment, so setup is much faster.
- Clay contre Floqer : Floqer is cheaper to start. Clay has more data sources, better templates, and a far bigger community.
- Clay contre PhantomBuster : PhantomBuster scrapes well. Clay adds scoring, waterfall enrichment, and messaging on top of the same raw data.
Start Using Clay Now
You learned how to use every major Clay feature:
- ✅ Account and Lead Scoring
- ✅ Claygent
- ✅ Recherche d'email
- ✅ Formula Generator
- ✅ Signal Setup
- ✅ Sculptor
- ✅ Growth Marketing Engine
- ✅ Automated Inbound
- ✅ TAM Sourcing
Étape suivante : Choisissez une fonctionnalité et essayez-la dès maintenant.
Most people start with TAM Sourcing to find companies worth contacting.
It takes less than five minutes to start building your first table.
Foire aux questions
How much does Clay com cost?
Clay starts free at $0/month. Paid plans run $134/month for Starter, $314/month for Explorer, and $720/month for Pro. Enterprise uses custom credits.
How hard is it to learn Clay?
Most people learn Clay in a weekend. The clay app looks like Google Sheets, so if you can build a spreadsheet you can build a table.
How to use Clay AI?
Add a Claygent column, write your research question in plain English, and run it. Clay reads each company website and returns relevant information per row.
Is Clay.com worth it?
Yes, if you send cold emails weekly. Clay replaces several enrichment tools and cuts manual data entry. Light users should stay on the free plan.
How to use Clay in sales?
Source a list of companies, enrich it, score every account, then write personalized messages with Sculptor. Export data to your CRM and send emails.
English 
Spanish 
Chinese 
German 
French 
Arabic 
Russian 
Portuguese 
Japanese 
Korean 
Italian 
Turkish 
Dutch 
Polish 
Indonesian 
Thai 
Vietnamese 