Observable Filters Guide

Observable Filters Guide

Observable filters are searchable criteria that can identify companies or people in databases, LinkedIn, or public records.

The Searchability Test

Ask: "Could I build a prospect list using this filter in LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Crunchbase, or a similar tool?"

• Yes → Valid observable filter
• No → Psychographic trait (avoid)

Valid Observable Filters by Category

Company Size

Examples:

• "Companies with 100-500 employees"
• "Series B+ funded startups"
• "Revenue $5M-$25M"

Industry / Vertical

Examples:

• "E-commerce, NAICS 454110"
• "Healthcare SaaS"
• "Manufacturing, automotive tier-1"

Technology Stack

Examples:

• "Uses Shopify Plus"
• "Salesforce customers"
• "AWS infrastructure"
• "Job postings mention Kubernetes"

Geography

Examples:

• "US-based, headquarters"
• "EMEA region"
• "Tier-1 US cities (NYC, SF, LA, Chicago)"

Behavioral / Operational

Examples:

• "Hiring 3+ engineers this quarter"
• "Monthly active users >100K"
• "Return rate >20%" (via review analysis)
• "NPS mentioned in reviews <30"

Role / Title (B2B)

Examples:

• "VP of Engineering"
• "Head of Operations"
• "Director+ in Finance"

Invalid Filters (Psychographic)

These cannot be searched — avoid them:

Filter Specificity Levels

Too Broad (avoid)

• "Tech companies"
• "SMBs"
• "E-commerce stores"

Appropriate Specificity

• "B2B SaaS companies, 50-200 employees, Series A-B"
• "E-commerce stores with $1M+ GMV on Shopify"
• "Manufacturing companies in automotive supply chain"

Too Narrow (watch out)

• "Shopify Plus stores in Austin selling pet products with >$5M revenue founded after 2020"

Overly narrow = tiny addressable market. Aim for segments of 1,000+ potential customers.

Combining Filters

Use 2-4 filters per segment. More filters = smaller segment.

Good combination:

Industry: E-commerce (fashion)
Size: 10K+ monthly orders
Technology: Modern platform (Shopify, BigCommerce)
Geography: US-based

→ ~3,000 companies

Over-filtered:

Industry: E-commerce (fashion)
Size: 10K+ monthly orders
Technology: Shopify Plus specifically
Geography: US-based
Revenue: $10-50M
Founded: 2018-2022
Funding: Series A+

→ ~200 companies (too small)

Data Source Reference

Validation Checklist

For each filter, confirm:

• Can search this in at least one database
• Returns 1,000+ results (not too narrow)
• Returns <50,000 results (not too broad)
• Clearly differentiates from other segments
• Data source identified