Block lists vs exclusion lists
When to use this guide: Use this guide when tuning day-to-day sync behavior and data hygiene.
Block lists and exclusion lists are not the same.
Email block lists are supported by Smartlead, Instantly, EmailBison, and Lemlist. HeyReach uses exclusion lists of individual B2B social profiles. Lemlist can also take LinkedIn profile URLs as a social block-list channel — that is still Lemlist Unsubscribe, not a HeyReach exclusion / leads list.
This article explains the difference between them. It also includes some general guidance to ensure you maintain compliance, and don’t suffer negative consequences from your outreach by messaging people you shouldn’t.
Block lists
Section titled “Block lists”Smartlead, Instantly, EmailBison, and Lemlist (email channel) all offer block lists. These are lists of email addresses or email domains that you do not want to contact. They can be applied both before and after campaign enrollment.
In other words, if an email address or email domain is added during a campaign, no further communication will go to that email address or email domain.
Lemlist stores those values on Settings → Unsubscribe as channel-level variables (an email or @domain). That skips the email channel only. It is not Lemlist’s global “do not contact,” which would also block LinkedIn and phone. For Lemlist’s social channel, OutboundSync pushes LinkedIn profile URLs the same way — still Unsubscribe variables, still one channel.
Block lists govern automated sequencer outreach — campaign enrollment and sequenced sends in the connected platform. They do not stop manual replies, inbox CCs, or reply-thread activity involving a blocked address or domain. For CRM-driven setup, see Updating block and exclusion lists (HubSpot) or Updating block and exclusion lists (Salesforce).
Exclusion lists
Section titled “Exclusion lists”On the other hand, HeyReach offers only exclusion lists based on individual B2B social profiles. An exclusion list is applied only before a lead is enrolled in a HeyReach campaign.
In general, OutboundSync recommends using more caution when it comes to exclusion lists because they can’t be applied mid-campaign.
When doing campaigns with HeyReach, it’s best to make sure they are eligible rather than relying on the exclusion list. And shipping more campaigns, that are shorter in duration, and have fewer steps, can reduce the likelihood of outreach to social profiles who should be excludued.
Who can see block lists in OutboundSync
Section titled “Who can see block lists in OutboundSync”Block and exclusion list configs in the OutboundSync admin UI are scoped to the creating user profile. Non-Admin / non-Manager teammates may not see lists another profile created. Admins and Managers see all lists. For multi-seat accounts, designate one owner (or an Admin) to create the workspace list — one synced list is enough.
Considerations for omnichannel outreach
Section titled “Considerations for omnichannel outreach”Given the nature of how these two types of lists work, you can thread email more tightly with other channels when running omnichannel sequences because the block list can be applied at any time.
Many OutboundSync users will do a staggered omnichannel approach, going one channel at a time, to reduce the likelihood of channel conflict.
Another method would be to reserve social channels for automation (like send connection requests, follow requests, or liking posts), while reserving other steps (like direct message) to manual delegation to a sales representative.
