Create a Signal

Signals find leads for you automatically. This guide walks through creating a keyword signal — the most common starting point. The same general flow applies to all signal types.

Prerequisites

• At least one connected LinkedIn account
• A clear idea of who you're looking for (job title, industry, keywords)

Create a keyword signal

1. Click Signals in the left sidebar.
2. Click Create Signal in the top-right corner.
3. Select Keyword Search as the signal type.

4. Enter your search keywords. Use LinkedIn search syntax for precision:

   • "VP of Sales" — exact phrase match
   • "VP of Sales" SaaS — phrase plus keyword
   • "VP of Sales" OR "Head of Sales" — match either

5. Configure the search filters:

   • Connection depth — 1st, 2nd, or 3rd degree connections
   • Posting frequency — only find people who post actively
   • Minimum engagement — filter by post engagement levels

6. Select which LinkedIn account to use for searching.

7. Click Preview to see a sample of matching results before committing.

8. Click Save and Activate to start the signal.

The signal begins scanning immediately. Check back in a few minutes to see discovered leads.

Route leads to a list automatically

By default, discovered leads go to your main lead database with "Pending" status. To route them to a specific list:

1. Open the signal you just created.
2. Go to the Auto-Add settings.
3. Select one or more lists to receive matching leads.
4. Leads are automatically added to those lists each time the signal runs.

This is useful when different signals feed different campaigns or outreach strategies.

What happens after creation

• The signal runs immediately, then continues on its configured schedule.
• Discovered leads appear in Leads → Pending Approval for your review.
• Each run is logged under the signal's Runs tab with counts of new leads, duplicates, and errors.
• If a discovered lead already exists in your database, Obert skips it — no duplicates.

Tips for effective signals

• Start specific, then broaden. A narrow keyword signal with 20 high-quality leads per week beats a broad one with 200 irrelevant results.
• Combine signal types. Use keyword signals for volume and influencer signals for intent — different discovery methods surface different people.
• Preview before activating. Always use the preview feature to validate your criteria before going live.
• Use multiple keywords. Create separate signals for different ICPs or personas rather than one signal that tries to cover everything.