Instead of manually building “similar accounts” or “similar buyers” lists, you send the API a set of existing contacts or companies, and it returns recommended contacts/companies that match their profile by role, seniority, company type, and more.
Lusha’s Lookalike (Previously Recommendations) API helps you:
Discover similar contacts based on people you already know convert well (ICP champions, power users, decision makers).
Discover similar companies based on your best customers or target accounts.
Feed those recommendations directly into your CRM, MAP, or any workflow that already uses Lusha enrichment.
You can call the API in batch and paginate using a requestId to fetch additional recommendation pages from a previous query.
For lookalike API formal documentation, press here.
Example Use Cases
1. Build “lookalike” target lists from won deals
Take a list of Closed Won opportunities.
Send the primary buyer/contact IDs to the Contact Recommendations endpoint.
Push recommended contacts back into your CRM as new leads in similar roles at similar companies.
2. Expand within key accounts (land & expand)
For high-priority customers, send one or more champion contacts.
Get recommendations for colleagues with similar roles in the same or adjacent departments.
Route them to the account team for expansion plays.
3. ABM list generation and refinement
Send your top 100 customer companies into the Company Recommendations endpoint.
Use the recommended companies as a lookalike account list for ABM campaigns.
Layer additional filters in your CRM or MAP (industry, ARR band, region).
API Endpoints
The Lookalike API is part of Lusha’s public REST API set, available via https://api.lusha.com
Endpoint | Method | Description |
https://api.lusha.com/v3/lookalike/contacts | POST | Get lookalikes for similar contacts. |
https://api.lusha.com/v3/lookalike/companies | POST | Get lookalikes for similar companies. |
All endpoints:
Are HTTPS-only
Use JSON request and response bodies
Require the
api_keyheader for authentication
Contacts:
POST https: https://api.lusha.com/v3/lookalike/contacts
api_key: YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json
Companies:
https://api.lusha.com/v3/lookalike/companies
api_key: YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json
Authentication, Limits & Errors (Quick Recap)
Lookalike uses the same framework as the rest of Lusha’s API:
Authentication:
Header:
api_key: YOUR_API_KEYRetrieve your key from the Lusha dashboard: https://dashboard.lusha.com/api
Error handling:
Standard HTTP status codes (200, 400, 401, 403, 404, 429, 5xx).
Error body format:
{
"error": {
"code": 400,
"message": "Invalid request parameters"
}
}
Contact Lookalike
Use Contact Lookalike to get similar contacts.
Endpoint
A typical request might look like this:
curl -i -X POST \
https://docs.lusha.com/_mock/apis/openapi/v3/lookalike/contacts \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H 'api_key: YOUR_API_KEY_HERE' \
-d '{
"seeds": {
"linkedinUrls": [
"https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndoe"
],
"emails": [
"[email protected]",
"[email protected]"
],
"contacts": [
{
"firstName": "Alice",
"lastName": "Smith",
"companyDomain": "sap.com"
}
],
"contactIds": [
1234,
4567
]
},
"exclude": {
"emails": [
"[email protected]"
],
"linkedinUrls": [
"https://www.linkedin.com/in/already-contacted/"
],
"contactIds": [
9999
]
},
"limit": 25
}'
Company Lookalike
Use Company Lookalike to get a list of similar companies.
Endpoint
A typical request might look like this:
curl -i -X POST \
https://docs.lusha.com/_mock/apis/openapi/v3/lookalike/companies \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H 'api_key: YOUR_API_KEY_HERE' \
-d '{
"seeds": {
"domains": [
"sap.com",
"oracle.com",
"the-company.com"
],
"linkedinUrls": [
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/google",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/someone"
]
},
"exclude": {
"domains": [
"existingcustomer.com",
"already-sent.com"
],
"linkedinUrls": [
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/already-sent/"
]
},
"limit": 100
}'
FAQs
Q: What identifiers should I send for contacts/companies?
A:
For contacts: Lusha person ID
For companies: Company ID
Check the Recommendations section in the API docs for the precise request schema.
Q: How do I get more results after the initial call?
A: Use the requestId returned in the response as part of your next request. This tells the API to continue from the previous lookalike set instead of starting a new one.
Q: How is billing handled for Lookalikes?
A: Lookalike uses Lusha’s standard public API credit and rate limit framework. Exact pricing/credit consumption depends on your plan, so refer to your commercial agreement or contact your Lusha CSM for details.
Q: Is the Lookalike API available on all plans?
A: Availability may depend on your Lusha subscription and API package. If you’re unsure, reach out to your Lusha account team or support ([email protected]).