You want to find the right decision-makers. Fast.

The Persona filter on LinkedIn Sales Navigator is one of the most underrated features to do exactly that.

You define your ideal lead profile once. Then LinkedIn highlights the right contacts for you, across every account you look at.

No more manually applying the same filters over and over.

In this quick guide, I’ll show you everything you need to know about the Persona feature:

• What the Persona filter is (and how it actually works)

• How to create a Persona step by step

• The 3 best ways to use it to find leads

• How to export those leads with verified emails

Let's start!

🎥 If you prefer to watch the video tutorial on how to use the Persona feature, you can check this video:

What Is the Persona Filter on LinkedIn Sales Navigator?

The Persona filter lets you save a lead profile based on job-related criteria.

Think of it like a saved template for your ideal buyer.

Once you create a Persona, LinkedIn will use it to surface matching contacts, whether you're searching for leads or browsing company accounts.

You access the Persona feature from two places inside Sales Navigator:

1. The lead search page (left sidebar, under filters)

2. The account pages (inside the Relationship Map and Relationship Explorer)

💡 Pro tip: The Persona Filter is only available for Sales Navigator users. If you’re on a Premium plan, you won’t see it.

When you click on “Personas”, a panel will open on the right side of your screen.

From there, you can:

• View your existing personas

• Edit or delete personas you’ve already created

• Create a new persona from scratch

How to Create a Persona on LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Creating a Persona takes less than 2 minutes.

Here's how to do it.

Step 1: Open Sales Navigator and go to the lead search page.

Step 2: Click on "Personas" in the left sidebar. A panel will open on the right side of your screen.

Step 3: Click "Create a new persona" and give it a name.

Use something clear and specific. For example: "VP of Sales - SaaS - US" or "Head of Marketing - Series B".

Step 4: Set your filters. You only have 4 options:

💡Pro tip: Skip the "Function" and "Seniority level" filters. They're notoriously inaccurate on LinkedIn. Stick with "Current job title" and use boolean operators like ("VP Sales" OR "Head of Sales" OR "Sales Director") to get precise results.

Once you’re done, hit “Save” to create your new Persona.

And that’s it. Your new Persona is now live and ready to use.

You can create up to 5 Personas per account.

How to Use the Persona Filter to Find Leads

There are 4 main ways to use the Persona filter. Each one fits a different use case.

1 - Use the Persona on the Lead Filters Page

This is the fastest way to build a targeted lead list.

Go to the lead filters page. Scroll down to the Persona section. Select the Persona you created.

LinkedIn will apply your criteria automatically and show you matching leads.

From there, you can stack additional filters on top. Sales Navigator gives you 40+ filters total. Use them.

Good combinations:

• Persona + Posted on LinkedIn = find active leads who are already engaging on the platform

• Persona + Years in current role = target people who've been in their job long enough to have budget authority

• Persona + Company headcount = match your ICP's company size

Once you're happy with your results, save the leads to a list and save your search. Sales Navigator will alert you when new matching leads appear.

Finally, you can save your leads in a list. And save your search.

🎥 If you want to check what are the filters to find your ideal clients, you can check this video:

2 - Use It on Account Pages to Find Decision-Makers

This is the most powerful use case, especially if you're doing Account-Based Marketing (ABM).

Here's the workflow:

Step 1: Build an account list using company-level filters:

• Industry

• Company headcount

• Annual revenue

• Growth rate

• Hiring activity

• Location

Step 2: Once your account list is ready, go to the Accounts tab and select your Persona.

Step 3: Check the "Lead recommendations" section.

Sales Navigator will suggest leads inside each company that match your Persona. These are your target contacts.

Each recommendation also shows useful context:

• Recently hired or promoted

• Recent LinkedIn activity

• Mutual connections

• Job change alerts

This context matters. A recently promoted VP is far more likely to be evaluating new tools than someone who's been in the same role for 5 years.

Click "See other top leads" next to any contact to open the Relationship Explorer and discover more key contacts inside that account.

3 - Use Persona in the Relationship Explorer

Now we’re diving deep into the heart of the Persona feature.

On this page, you can select your Persona, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator will present leads that "match" your filters.

I say "match" because Sales Navigator slightly broadens your filter criteria.

Here, you can:

• View the lead’s profile

• Send a connection request

• Send an InMail

• Save the lead to your list

Now, let’s save some leads to an account.

Simply click on “Save” to add them to your account.

4 - Use Persona in the Relationship Map

The Relationship Map lets you visualize the org chart of any target account.

Add your saved leads to the map. Then organize them by their role in the buying process.

Sales Navigator lets you tag each contact as:

• Decision Maker

• Champion

• Evaluator

• Influencer

• Procurement

This is a game-changer for complex B2B sales. You can see at a glance who you've already contacted, who's missing, and where to focus next.

How to export your leads found with the Persona feature

You've created a list of leads with the Persona feature.

Now, you probably want to get them into your CRM—or grab their contact info to start your outreach.

But here’s the problem:

LinkedIn Sales Navigator doesn’t let you export leads natively…

That's why you need LinkedIn scraping tool to export your leads from LinkedIn Sales Navigator into a CSV file.

That’s where GiveMeLeads comes in.

With GiveMeLeads, you can:

• Filter out the leads that don’t match your criteria perfectly

• Clean messy data (no more rocket emojis, random capital letters, or weird formatting)

• Get verified emails for your leads

• Use the strengths of your LinkedIn account (1st-degree connections, company followers, profile viewers, etc.)

So you don't need to spend hours of manuel (and boring) work.

You get a clean leads file with all the informations you need:

• First name

• Last name

• Company name

• Current job title

• LinkedIn URL

• Verified emails

• And much more

FAQ

How Many Personas Can I Create in LinkedIn Sales Navigator?

You can create up to 5 Personas per account. If you need a new one, edit or delete an existing Persona to free up a slot.

Can I use multiple Personas at the same time?

No. You can only apply one Persona at a time when filtering leads or browsing accounts. If you need to combine multiple profiles, you'll need to run separate searches.

Is the Persona filter available on all LinkedIn plans?

No. The Persona filter is exclusive to LinkedIn Sales Navigator. It's not available on LinkedIn Premium, LinkedIn Recruiter, or any other plan.

Does the Persona filter replace manual lead search filters?

Not exactly. Think of it as a shortcut on top of your regular filters. You still have access to all 40+ Sales Navigator filters. The Persona just applies your saved job criteria in one click. You can then layer more filters on top for better precision.

What's the difference between the Persona filter and the Lead filter?

The Lead filter gives you full control over every search parameter. The Persona filter is a saved subset of job-related filters (title, seniority, function, geography). Use both together to get the best results.

Why is my Persona showing leads that don't match my criteria?

This happens especially in the Relationship Explorer. Sales Navigator intentionally broadens your Persona criteria to surface more results. Always double-check job titles before adding a lead to your outreach list.

Can I export Persona-based leads with their emails?

Yes, but not through LinkedIn directly. You need a third-party tool like GiveMeLeads to export leads and get verified emails. Sales Navigator doesn't offer a native export feature.