Intent signals are third-party indicators found in public domains that suggest a company's current priorities, challenges, changes, or opportunities. These signals make your outreach timely and highly relevant by referencing specific, recent information about each company.
Intent signals are real-world events, announcements, and activities that indicate:
Timing: The company may be ready for your solution now
Relevance: They're experiencing situations your product addresses
Personalization: You can reference specific, current information
Examples of Intent Signals:
Growth Signals: Funding rounds, acquisitions, new office locations, significant headcount increases
Technology Signals: New tool adoptions, integration announcements, technology stack changes
Partnership Signals: Strategic partnerships announced, channel partner programs launched
Product Signals: New product launches, major feature releases, product updates
Customer Signals: Notable customer wins, case studies published, user milestone announcements
Leadership Signals: Executive hires (especially C-suite), organizational restructuring, promotions
Industry Recognition: Awards won, analyst reports, industry rankings
Expansion Signals: Market expansion, international growth, new verticals entered
For each company in your ICPs, Eve:
Scans Public Sources: Monitors company websites, press releases, news articles, social media, job boards, and other public data sources
Identifies Relevant Events: Extracts signals that could indicate buying interest or current priorities
Scores by Relevance: Rates each signal based on how strongly it relates to your product and value proposition using your GTM AI Profile
Categorizes Signals: Groups signals by type (growth, technology, partnership, etc.) for easy filtering
Dates Signals: Notes when each signal occurred to ensure timeliness
Accessing Intent Signals:
Navigate to ICPs and Leads in the left menu
Click on an ICP to view companies
Click on a company to view its details
Click the Intent Signals tab or section
You'll see a list of intent signals for that company, each showing:
Signal Description: What happened (e.g., "Raised $50M Series C funding")
Relevance Score: High, Medium, or Low relevance to your offering
Category: Type of signal (Growth, Technology, Partnership, etc.)
Date: When the signal occurred or was published
Source: Where the information came from (link to original source)
Relevance Scoring:
High Relevance (Green/Strong):
Signal directly relates to pain points you solve
Indicates immediate potential need for your solution
Strong alignment with your value proposition
Example: SaaS company selling to growing businesses sees "Series B funding announced" signal
Medium Relevance (Yellow/Moderate):
Signal has some connection to your offering
Suggests potential but not immediate need
Moderate alignment with value proposition
Example: HR software company sees "New office location opened" (hiring likely follows)
Low Relevance (Gray/Weak):
Signal has tangential connection at best
Limited indication of need for your solution
Weak or unclear alignment
Example: Sales enablement tool seller sees "New partnership with accounting firm"
Focus on High-Relevance Signals: These provide the strongest personalization opportunities and indicate the best timing for outreach.
Intent signals can be referenced in your campaign messages to create highly personalized, timely outreach.
In Campaign Messages:
When creating or editing campaigns, you can insert intent signal references:
Position cursor where you want the signal reference
Click the Intent Signal button in the message editor
Select which signal category to reference
Eve dynamically inserts relevant signals for each company when messages send
Example Message Without Intent Signal: "Hi {{first_name}}, I noticed that {{current_company}} is focused on scaling operations. Many companies at your stage struggle with [pain point]..."
Example Message With Intent Signal: "Hi {{first_name}}, I saw that {{current_company}} recently raised $50M in Series C funding to scale operations. Fast growth often creates challenges with [pain point]..."
The intent signal makes the message specific, timely, and demonstrates you've done research.
Best Practices for Intent Signals in Messages:
Do:
Reference high-relevance signals in your first message
Connect the signal to a relevant pain point or outcome
Keep signal references natural and conversational
Use signals to establish credibility and relevance
Don't:
Reference low-relevance signals (feels forced)
Use multiple signals in one message (overwhelming)
Reference outdated signals (older than 6 months)
Make the entire message about the signal (balance needed)
Effective Signal-to-Pain Point Connection:
"I saw [Company] just [Intent Signal]. In our experience, companies going through [related change] often face [Pain Point]. We help by [Outcome]."
This structure: Signal → Insight → Pain Point → Solution creates compelling, relevant messaging.
In the Companies View:
You can prioritize outreach based on intent signals:
Filter by signal category: Show only companies with growth signals, technology signals, etc.
Sort by signal recency: Prioritize companies with the most recent signals
Sort by relevance: Focus on companies with high-relevance signals
Strategic Use Cases:
Prioritize High-Intent Companies:
Create campaigns targeting companies with high-relevance signals first
These prospects are most likely to be receptive to outreach right now
Segment by Signal Type:
Create different campaigns for different signal categories
Example: One campaign for funded companies, another for companies hiring rapidly
Time-Sensitive Outreach:
Act quickly on very recent signals (within last 30 days)
Timeliness increases relevance and response rates
What Intent Signals Are NOT:
Not exhaustive: Eve captures many signals but may not catch everything
Not predictive guarantees: Signals indicate potential interest, not confirmed need
Not always actionable: Some signals have low relevance to your specific offering
Not real-time: There may be a delay between when something happens and when Eve identifies it
Managing Expectations:
Intent signals are conversation starters and personalization tools, not magic bullets. A company with strong intent signals is more likely to be receptive to outreach, but signals don't replace:
Strong value proposition
Relevant pain point alignment
Quality messaging
Appropriate targeting
Think of intent signals as accelerants for your outreach strategy, not replacements for fundamentals.
Q: How recent are the intent signals? A: Most intent signals are from the past 3-6 months, with emphasis on more recent events. Eve filters out very outdated signals. You can see the date of each signal to assess timeliness. Signals from the last 30-60 days are generally most effective for outreach.
Q: What if a company doesn't have any intent signals? A: This is normal—not every company will have publicly visible signals at any given time. Companies without signals can still be excellent prospects. Focus on strong pain point and value proposition messaging instead. You can still create effective campaigns without intent signals.
Q: Can I add my own intent signals that I've discovered? A: Currently, you cannot manually add intent signals. Eve automatically identifies signals from public sources. However, you can manually reference information you've found in your campaign messages even if it's not captured as a formal intent signal.
Q: How does Eve determine if a signal is high, medium, or low relevance? A: Eve analyzes the signal against your GTM AI Profile—specifically your products, pain points, value propositions, and outcomes. Signals that strongly align with what you solve and who you serve are rated high relevance. The more detailed and accurate your GTM profile, the better the relevance scoring.
Q: Should I only reach out to companies with high-relevance signals? A: No. High-relevance signals indicate better timing and provide personalization opportunities, but companies without signals or with lower relevance signals can still be great prospects. Use signals strategically for prioritization and personalization, but don't exclude companies solely because they lack signals.
Q: Can I filter my company list to show only companies with intent signals? A: Yes. In the companies view, you can filter by signal presence and category. This helps you prioritize outreach to companies with the most timely and relevant signals. You can also sort by signal recency to focus on the most recent activities.
Q: How often are intent signals updated? A: Eve continuously monitors for new signals. The frequency of updates depends on how actively companies publish information. High-growth, publicly visible companies tend to have more frequent signal updates than smaller, quieter companies. Check back periodically for new signals on target companies.
Q: What if an intent signal is incorrect or outdated? A: While Eve strives for accuracy, public data can sometimes be incorrect or outdated. If you notice an incorrect signal, avoid using it in your outreach. Focus on other signals or standard messaging. You can also report issues to support to help improve signal quality.
Q: Should I mention the intent signal source in my outreach? A: Generally, no. Simply reference the signal naturally without citing where you found it. Example: "I saw you raised Series B funding" is better than "I read in TechCrunch that you raised Series B funding." The reference itself demonstrates research—you don't need to cite sources.
Q: Can I use intent signals for companies I find outside of my ICPs? A: Intent signals are available for companies Eve has researched, which primarily includes companies in your ICPs. If you add companies manually or through AI Lead Search, Eve will research them and identify relevant signals, which may take some time to populate.
Q: Do intent signals guarantee better response rates? A: They generally improve response rates by making outreach more timely and personalized, but they're not a guarantee. Response rates depend on many factors: overall targeting quality, message relevance, value proposition strength, and timing. Intent signals are one powerful tool among many, not a silver bullet.
Q: What's the best intent signal category to focus on? A: It depends on your product and value proposition. If you sell to growing companies, focus on growth signals (funding, hiring, expansion). If you sell integrations, focus on technology signals. If you sell to companies undergoing change, focus on leadership signals. Choose categories that align most closely with your ideal buying scenarios.
