An email lead is any contact whose address you’ve collected, whether through a form, a purchased database, or a public listing, without an established two-way relationship yet. Leads are the raw material of outreach, but they need to be qualified, verified, and approached carefully to avoid high bounce rates and spam complaints. Our full explainer on what email leads are and why your business needs them covers how to use them responsibly. For legal outreach standards in the U.S., see the FTC’s CAN-SPAM guide.