Validate & Log Leads Automatically with n8n Forms and Hunter

1. Opening Problem Statement

Meet Anna, a marketing manager who runs online campaigns to capture potential customer leads daily. Anna uses a simple web form to gather names, emails, and queries. But she faces a major headache: many fake or invalid email submissions flood her form. This means wasted time chasing non-existent leads, cluttered spreadsheets, and missed genuine prospects. Additionally, manually logging each new lead into Google Sheets and sending email notifications eats up hours each week.

Anna needs an automated system that not only captures leads effortlessly but also validates the authenticity of email addresses in real-time before storing and notifying her team. The stakes are high — every fake lead she ignores is lost opportunity; every manual login costs valuable working hours.

2. What This Automation Does

This n8n workflow solves Anna’s lead capture dilemma by automating the entire process end-to-end. Here’s what happens when this workflow runs:

• The n8n Form Trigger captures form submissions with fields for Name, Email, and Queries.
• The Hunter node verifies the email address authenticity instantly to prevent fake leads.
• If the email is valid, the workflow updates existing rows or inserts new lead data in Google Sheets for organized record-keeping.
• Gmail sends notification emails with lead details straight to Anna’s inbox, keeping her promptly informed.
• A Discord webhook sends a nicely formatted embed message to a channel for team visibility without cluttering emails.
• If the email is invalid, the workflow stops further actions, saving resources and avoiding irrelevant updates.

Thanks to this automation, Anna saves hours each week, drastically reduces fake leads, and ensures her team has timely, trustworthy updates on new potential customers.

3. Prerequisites ⚙️

• n8n account with access to build and run workflows
• Google Sheets account with a spreadsheet prepared for storing leads data 📊
• Gmail account configured with OAuth2 credentials 📧
• Hunter.io account API credentials for email verification 🔐
• Discord webhook URL configured for team notifications 💬

Optionally, if you want full control, you can self-host your n8n instance. Hosting providers like Hostinger offer easy, affordable plans to get started.

4. Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Set Up n8n Form Trigger Node

Navigate to Nodes → Add Node → Form Trigger. Configure the form path as form. Add three form fields:

• Name (Required)
• Email (Required)
• Let us know your queries (Textarea)

> Visual: You should see the form preview with these fields defined.

This node starts the workflow whenever someone submits the form, capturing the input data.

Step 2: Add Hunter Node for Email Verification

Add the Hunter node, select the emailVerifier operation, and map the email input to {{$json.Email}}. Connect the Form Trigger node to this node.

This node verifies if the email is valid or fake. If you receive many leads, this helps eliminate invalid emails early.

Step 3: Insert an If Node to Filter Valid Emails

Add the If node to check the Hunter verification result. Configure the condition to only pass the workflow forward if the email field is not empty or invalid. For this workflow, it checks if the email equals an empty string to identify invalid entries.

Step 4: Configure the Google Sheets Node

Add the Google Sheets node, configure your spreadsheet ID, and sheet name. Map the columns to correspond with the form fields:

• Name → {{$json.Name}}
• Email → {{$json.Email}}
• Query → {{$json['Let us know your queries']}}
• Submitted On → {{$json.submittedAt}}

Set the operation to update so it updates existing rows where names match, or inserts new rows.

Step 5: Set Up Gmail Node for Notifications

Add the Gmail node to send an email when a valid lead is captured. Use dynamic content in the message body to include the lead’s details:

Name: {{ $json.Name }}
Email: {{ $json.Email }}
Query: {{ $json['Let us know your queries'] }}
Submitted on: {{ $json.submittedAt }}

Set the recipient email and subject dynamically as well.

Step 6: Configure Discord Node for Team Alerts

Add the Discord node, select Webhook Authentication, and configure an embed message with color and fields for Name, Email, Query, and submission date.

This is useful to notify the whole team in a channel without clogging email inboxes.

Step 7: Add No Operation Node for Handling Invalid Emails

Connect the If node’s false output to a No Operation node which stops the workflow gracefully if the verification fails.

Step 8: Add Sticky Notes for Guidance

Use Sticky Note nodes to add helpful instructions inside your workflow editor, reminding you about email configuration, data mapping, and fallback notifications.

5. Customizations ✏️

• Customize form fields: In the n8n Form Trigger, add or remove fields to capture more or different lead information.
• Change Google Sheets update conditions: Modify the Google Sheets node’s matching columns to update leads based on Email instead of Name.
• Modify email notification formatting: Update the Gmail node’s HTML template or add attachments.
• Switch notification channel: Replace the Discord node with Slack or Microsoft Teams node for team alerts.

6. Troubleshooting 🔧

• Problem: “Emails not sent from Gmail node”
  Cause: Incorrect OAuth credentials or Gmail API quota exceeded.
  Solution: Verify OAuth setup under Credentials, check Gmail API quota, and ensure Gmail account has permission to send emails.
• Problem: “Google Sheets update not working properly”
  Cause: Incorrect spreadsheet ID, sheet name, or data mapping.
  Solution: Double-check spreadsheet ID and correct worksheet name “Sheet1” or respective tab. Map columns exactly with form fields as in the workflow.
• Problem: “Hunter node fails to validate emails”
  Cause: Invalid API key or rate limits.
  Solution: Confirm your Hunter API key in credentials, and review your plan limits.

7. Pre-Production Checklist ✅

• Verify all credentials for Gmail, Google Sheets, and Hunter are authorized and active.
• Test the form submit manually to verify data flow correctly triggers the workflow.
• Check that emails appear in Gmail inbox and Discord messages show up as expected.
• Test invalid email submissions and confirm workflow halts as designed.
• Backup your Google Sheets data regularly before mass imports.

8. Deployment Guide

Activate your workflow by toggling the enable switch in n8n.

Monitor executions via the n8n dashboard to check for errors or failures.

Adjust the Gmail recipient or Discord webhook as team members change.

You can also set up n8n’s webhook system to trigger the form externally via HTTP requests if needed.

9. FAQs

• Can I replace Hunter with another email verification service?
  Yes, use an HTTP Request node to integrate alternative APIs if Hunter isn’t your choice.
• Does this workflow consume many API calls?
  Hunter node calls count per lead; Gmail and Discord have sending limits depending on recipients and frequency.
• Is my data secure?
  All data flows are encrypted and rely on OAuth tokens. Keep API credentials private and rotate keys regularly.

10. Conclusion

By implementing this n8n workflow, you’ve built a robust lead capture system that filters out fake emails using Hunter, logs valid leads to Google Sheets, and sends timely notifications via Gmail and Discord. This automation saves you hours of manual entry weekly and boosts lead quality significantly.

Next, consider adding SMS notifications or CRM integrations to further streamline your lead management process. You’re now set to handle leads professionally and efficiently with n8n!