How to Use Clay: Complete Feature Guide (2026)

Quick Start

This guide covers every Clay feature:

• Getting Started — Create account and basic setup
• 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
• How to Use 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

Time needed: 5 minutes per feature

Also in this guide: Pro Tips | Common Mistakes | Troubleshooting | Pricing | Alternatives

Why Trust This Guide

I’ve used Clay for eight months and tested every feature covered here.

This tutorial comes from real hands-on experience, not marketing fluff or vendor screenshots.

Clay is one of the most powerful lead generation tools available today.

But most users only scratch the surface of what it can do.

This guide shows you how to use Clay feature by feature.

Step by step, with screenshots and pro tips.

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.

Clay

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Getting Started with Clay

Before using any feature, finish this one-time setup.

It takes about three minutes.

Here is my honest take after eight months of daily use:

Now let’s walk through each step.

Step 1: Create Your Account

Go to the Clay website and click Sign Up.

Enter your work email and create a password.

✓ Checkpoint: Check your inbox for the confirmation email.

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.

✓ Checkpoint: 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.

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.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

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.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: Your list is ranked from best to worst fit.

Step 3: Sort and Route

Sort by score, then push hot accounts to your CRM.

How to Use Clay Claygent

Claygent lets you send an AI powered agent to run account research on any company.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

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.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: 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.

How to Use Clay Email Finder

Email Finder lets you find verified work emails using a waterfall across many data sources.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

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.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: 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.

How to Use Clay Formula Generator

Formula Generator lets you write formulas in plain English with no technical skills required.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Step 1: Open the Formula Column

Add a column and pick Formula, then click the AI helper icon.

Step 2: Describe What You Want

Type something like: pull the domain out of the website column.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: 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.

How to Setup Clay Signal

Signal Setup lets you track job changes, new hires, and funding so you catch new leads early.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

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.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: 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.

How to Use Clay Sculptor

Sculptor lets you turn raw account research into personalized messages you can send at scale.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

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.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: Each row holds a first line written from real research.

Step 3: Generate and Edit

Generate in bulk, then edit the weak ones by hand.

How to Use Clay Growth Marketing Engine

Growth Marketing Engine lets you build repeatable marketing plays that run on a schedule without you.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

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.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: 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.

How to Use Clay Automated Inbound

Automated Inbound lets you enrich and route inbound signups the second someone signs up.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

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.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: 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.

How to Use Clay TAM Sourcing

TAM Sourcing lets you build a full list of companies that match your ideal customer profile.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

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.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: 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.

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 business grows.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Hidden Features Most People Miss

• 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

Mistake #2: Sending Generic AI Copy

Mistake #3: Treating Clay Like Google Sheets

Clay Troubleshooting

Problem: Enrichment Columns Return Blank

Cause: The input column is messy, so Clay cannot match a company to a domain.

Fix: 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.

Fix: 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.

Fix: 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.

What is Clay?

Clay 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.

Watch this quick overview:

The longer walkthrough on YouTube shows a great use case for each feature.

It includes these key features:

• 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
• Email Finder: 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.

For a full review, see our Clay review.

Clay Pricing

Here’s what Clay costs in 2026:

Free trial: Yes. The Free plan gives you credits every month with no card required.

Money-back guarantee: No formal refund window, so start free and upgrade once you see results.

💰 Best Value: Explorer at $314/month — enough credits for a real sales team without Pro-level spend.

Clay vs Alternatives

How does Clay compare? Here’s the competitive landscape.

Watch this comparison:

Quick picks:

• Best overall: Clay — nothing else combines sourcing, enrichment, and copy in one process.
• Best budget: PhantomBuster — cheapest way to pull LinkedIn profiles into your own lists.
• Best for beginners: 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.

🎯 Clay Alternatives

Looking for Clay alternatives? Here are the top 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.

For the full list, see our Clay alternatives guide.

⚔️ Clay Compared

Here is how Clay stacks up against each competitor:

• Clay vs Apollo io: Apollo io owns the database. Clay wins when you need custom research and enrichment across many data sources.
• Clay vs ZoomInfo: ZoomInfo has deeper intent data. Clay costs far less and lets you manipulate data however you want.
• Clay vs Make.com: Make.com automates anything. Clay is purpose-built for lead generation workflows and enrichment, so setup is much faster.
• Clay vs Floqer: Floqer is cheaper to start. Clay has more data sources, better templates, and a far bigger community.
• Clay vs 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
• ✅ Email Finder
• ✅ Formula Generator
• ✅ Signal Setup
• ✅ Sculptor
• ✅ Growth Marketing Engine
• ✅ Automated Inbound
• ✅ TAM Sourcing

Next step: Pick one feature and try it now.

Most people start with TAM Sourcing to find companies worth contacting.

It takes less than five minutes to start building your first table.

Frequently Asked 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.