> log #02 — Clay + ChatGPT + Apollo {!FAIL}

Goal: Grab relevant, recent company information + write an outbound email.

---

// process:

1. Keep enriching what I already built:

   1. Add company descriptions from Apollo, which I omitted last time for speed. Why? Gives a starting point for GPT-4, otherwise it will hallucinate.

   2. Add enrichment → Apollo → Enrich company

   3. Company domain: Normalized URL

   4. Choose your fighters: Industry, Employees, SEO Description, Short Description, Tech Stack, Industries, Keywords, etc.

2. Custom GPT

   1. New AI column: GPT-4o

   2. Ask ChatGPT for the short prompt, let Clay refine the prompt.

3. Run

   1. Done! …. sorta. It failed.

Initial prompt:

Here is the company description: {{Company Description}}. Now summarize any relevant 2025 updates that would matter to a CRO at {{Company}} considering a sales acceleration platform like Fluint.

Clay suggested prompt:

#CONTEXT#

You are provided with a company description: {{Short Description}}. The target audience is the CRO at {{Company}}, who is considering a sales acceleration platform like Fluint.

#OBJECTIVE#

Summarize any relevant 2025 updates from the company description that would be important for a CRO evaluating sales acceleration solutions.

#INSTRUCTIONS#

1. Carefully read the provided company description {{Short Description}}.

2. Identify and extract any updates, changes, or new initiatives mentioned for 2025.

3. Focus on updates that would specifically impact or interest a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), such as sales strategies, technology enhancements, go-to-market changes, or revenue-driving initiatives.

4. Summarize these updates in clear, concise language, highlighting their relevance to a CRO considering a platform like Fluint.

5. If no 2025 updates are found, state "No relevant 2025 updates found in the company description."

#EXAMPLES#

Example input:

Company description: "In 2025, Acme Corp will launch a new AI-powered sales analytics tool and expand its global sales team."

CRO company: "Beta Inc."

Expected output:

"Relevant 2025 updates for a CRO at Beta Inc. considering a sales acceleration platform: Acme Corp will launch an AI-powered sales analytics tool and expand its global sales team in 2025, which may impact sales processes and technology integration."

// results:

Total fail. Sounded good. Followed ChatGPT’s advice. Plot twist:

🔍 GPT-4 in Clay = No Browsing

Even though GPT-4 (in ChatGPT) can browse the web when enabled, Clay’s OpenAI integration uses the standard API, which means:

• No real-time web access

• Knowledge cutoff is still April 2023

• It can only reason off what you feed it (e.g., company description, funding, titles, etc.)

🧠 So What’s Actually Happening?

When you ask Clay’s GPT-4 to “summarize recent 2025 updates,” it’s:

• Looking at the company description

• Trying to fabricate realistic-sounding summaries if possible

• Returning “no relevant updates” if it doesn’t want to hallucinate

This is good (Clay’s setup is safe by default), but not helpful when you want timely, real news.

// second try:

1. New plain-text enrichment with Google Search enrichment. Returns rows full of useless URLs I don’t want to click on.

2. Ask ChatGPT to summarize: Based on the results of /Perform Search, summarize any 2025 company news that would trigger outreach to /Company Name

3. Clay suggests using Claygent Argon instead of OpenAI to run this request.

#CONTEXT#
You are tasked with monitoring company news for outreach opportunities in 2025. The results of {{Perform Search}} contain relevant company news and updates.

#OBJECTIVE#
Summarize any 2025 company news from the results of {{Perform Search}} that would trigger outreach to {{Company Name}}.

#INSTRUCTIONS#
1. Review the results in {{Perform Search}} for any news, press releases, or updates related to the company for the year 2025.
2. Identify news items that could be considered triggers for outreach (e.g., funding announcements, product launches, leadership changes, partnerships, expansions, regulatory changes, or other significant events).
3. Summarize each relevant news item in 1-2 sentences, focusing on why it would be a trigger for outreach.
4. If no relevant 2025 news is found, return "No 2025 company news found that would trigger outreach."
5. Ensure the summary is clear, concise, and actionable.

#EXAMPLES#
Example input:
- {{Perform Search}}: ["Acme Corp announces $10M Series B funding in January 2025.", "Acme Corp launches new AI platform in March 2025."]
- {{Company Name}}: "Acme Corp"

Example output:
- "Acme Corp announced a $10M Series B funding round in January 2025, which could indicate new growth opportunities. Acme Corp launched a new AI platform in March 2025, suggesting potential interest in technology partnerships."

// results:

1 of 3 test companies returned usable results:

SmartBear honored Dominik Krichbaum of ING Germany with the 2025 Quality Champion Award on July 9, 2025, indicating their engagement with industry leaders. On June 25, 2025, SmartBear won the AI Software Development Solution of the Year Award, showcasing their innovation in AI. Additionally, SmartBear announced a CEO transition on January 8, 2025, appointing Dan Faulkner, which could signal new strategic directions. SmartBear was also involved in M&A deals in December 2024 (reported in January 2025), suggesting potential growth or restructuring activities.

// write an email:

1. Clay suggests Claude… more API keys. Next time. I’m forcing it to use OpenAI since I just spent $60 on credits.

2. Only run on the one company with valid output: !{{2025 Outreach Triggers Summary}}?.toLowerCase()?.includes("no 2025 company news found")

#CONTEXT#
You are generating a personalized cold outbound email based on recent company news and recipient details.

#OBJECTIVE#
Write a cold outbound email to {{First Name - People - Results}}, the {{Title - People - Results}} at {{Company Name}}, referencing the 2025 company news ({{Company Name}}) found in {{Use AI summary}}. The email should connect the news to what Fluint does: helping sales teams accelerate deal cycles and align stakeholders through strategic workflows and real-time insights.

#INSTRUCTIONS#
1. Create a short, 2–3 word subject line that relates directly to the news or opportunity mentioned in {{Company Name}}.
2. Write a 40–60 word email body that:
   - References the specific news item and its relevance to {{Company Name}}.
   - Clearly connects the news to Fluint’s value proposition (accelerating deal cycles, aligning stakeholders, strategic workflows, real-time insights).
   - Uses a smart, founder-style tone: confident, peer-level, and not pushy.
   - Includes a soft, peer-level call to action (CTA).
   - Avoids generic cold openers like “hope you’re well.”
   - Focuses on value and momentum.
3. Do not exceed the word limit for the body. Do not include generic or filler content.

#EXAMPLES#
Example Input:
- First Name - People - Results: Alex
- Title - People - Results: VP of Sales
- Company Name: Acme Corp
- f_0sz5032UANhaYFkoTTf: "Acme Corp launches AI-driven sales platform"
- f_0sz5gfaKAAvKsNKcc7P: "TechCrunch"

Example Output:
Subject: AI Sales Momentum

Hi Alex,
Saw Acme Corp’s AI-driven sales platform launch in TechCrunch. At Fluint, we help teams like yours accelerate deal cycles and align stakeholders through strategic workflows and real-time insights. Would love to connect and share how we can support your next phase of growth.

// results:

SUBJECT: AI & Leadership Shift

Hi Martin,

Noticed SmartBear’s AI accolade and CEO transition—exciting times! At Fluint, we empower sales teams to fast-track deal cycles and unify stakeholders with strategic workflows and real-time insights. Curious to explore synergies during your period of innovation? Let's connect.

Best, [Your Name]

// fin:

Welp, this was a bit of a ChatGPT disaster. Took me about an hour, 30 minutes of which were ChatGPT giving me incorrect suggestions and me not knowing any better than to follow them. Left with a much better understanding of Clay tables, prompts, and the breadth of Clay integrations. Got an email researched + written.

Overall: It was a win.

→ next up:

Feels like treat time. 🥛🍪

// P.S.

I had to load $60 to OpenAI to run anything with Clay. My free trial expires today. I have $59.98 remaining after this experiment.