Create and Sync Custom Objects from Salesforce

Overview

Custom objects let your team bring business-specific Salesforce data into Apollo and use it when prospecting. A custom object can represent any data that isn't already captured by Apollo's standard contacts or accounts, such as campaign members, subscriptions, workspaces, product instances, or teams.

Admin can create a custom object in Apollo, select the Salesforce object that provides its data, map the fields they want to sync, and associate each record with Apollo contacts or accounts. After setup, Apollo regularly pulls new and updated records from Salesforce and displays associated records on the contact or account.

Reps can then use custom object fields to filter people or companies in search. For example, they can find contacts associated with a specific Salesforce campaign or prioritize accounts based on product tier, subscription status, or feature adoption.

Custom object data is read-only in Apollo. You can use it to filter contacts and accounts, but you can't create lists from custom object records or edit their data in Apollo. Each custom object can sync data from one Salesforce object.

Custom objects can only be associated with contacts or accounts. You can't associate custom objects with each other or use custom object data to trigger workflows.

Check out the following sections to create and sync a custom object from Salesforce.

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Create a Custom Object

To create a custom object:

1. Launch Apollo, and click Settings > Objects, fields, stages > Custom objects.
2. Click New object.

3. Select a data source from Salesforce, such as Campaign Member.
4. Apollo matches the object name to the data source in Salesforce, but you can edit the name if needed.

5. Click Next.
6. Select Salesforce fields to import into the custom object. Choose fields that your team wants to view or use as filters in Apollo, such as status, product tier, subscription type, or response date. For supported relationships, you can also select fields from associated Salesforce records, such as Campaign Name or Campaign Type for a Campaign Member. Be sure to also select the contact ID or account ID field used to associate the imported records in the next step.

7. Click Next.
8. Select which imported fields hold the IDs that link your object to contacts or accounts. Choose at least one association to continue.

9. Finally, verify the field that uniquely identifies each record.

10. When finished, click Activate and start sync.

You have now created the custom object on Apollo. Apollo starts syncing records from Salesforce immediately. You can check the status by clicking the custom object from Settings > Objects, fields, stages > Custom objects. Depending on how many records you have in your object, it may take several hours for the initial sync to complete.

Next, filter prospects by your custom object on Apollo.

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Use a Custom Object Filter

You can only filter saved contacts or accounts with custom object filters.

To use a custom object filter:

1. Launch Apollo and click People or Companies > Saved.
2. Click Show filters > More filters, then select the object under custom object.
3. Click Add field filter, then select a field like Responded.

4. Configure the field filter. For example, for the Responded field, select Is exactly, then select Yes.
5. Click Apply filters.

Apollo filters your saved contacts or accounts based on the custom object fields you selected.

You have now used custom object data to identify relevant prospects. Next, select the results you want to act on:

• Save contacts or accounts to a list to organize the records for follow-up.
• Enrich prospect data to access additional contact or company details before reaching out.
• Add contacts to a sequence to automate outreach across email, calls, and other engagement steps.
• Use the dialer to call selected contacts directly from Apollo.

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FAQs

How do I view custom object data on a contact or account?

Open the contact or account in Apollo, then click Custom objects to view the custom object records associated with it.

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Can a custom object be associated with both contacts and accounts?

Yes, you can associate a custom object with both contacts and accounts when the Salesforce object contains supported contact and account lookup fields.

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How do I map additional fields from my custom object?

Click Settings > Objects, fields, stages > Custom objects. Click . . . > Edit for the custom object you want to update, then select the additional Salesforce fields you want to import.

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What if my Salesforce object is associated with both contacts and leads?

If your Salesforce object has a Lead ID field, Apollo automatically associates it with Apollo contacts that were synced from Salesforce leads. You don't need to map Lead ID when configuring the custom object's associations.

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How frequently does Apollo sync new or updated custom object data?

Apollo incrementally syncs custom object data every 15 minutes. If you add new records or update existing records in Salesforce, the changes should appear in Apollo after the next incremental sync.

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How long does the initial custom object sync take?

The initial sync time depends on the number of records in your custom object. Smaller syncs may complete quickly, while larger custom objects may take several hours to finish syncing.

You can check the current sync status from Settings > Objects, fields, stages > Custom objects.

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Next Steps

Keep building on your custom object setup with these next steps.

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