Key takeaways
- Intent data is a hint about timing and topic, not proof that someone wants to buy.
- First-party data is your own and usually more reliable; third-party data covers more of the market.
- Most B2B intent data is inferred at company level, not for named people.
- Privacy law shapes how intent data may be collected and used, so its origin matters.
How B2B intent data is collected
B2B intent data is collected by recording research behaviour and linking it to an organisation. On your own channels that means page views, content downloads, webinar sign-ups, email clicks and product usage.
Third-party providers gather activity from networks of publishers, review sites and other sources, then match it to companies, often through IP addresses. They look for a rise in reading on particular topics compared with that company's usual pattern and report it as a surge or a score.
First party vs third party intent data
First-party intent data is what people do on channels you own, while third-party intent data is what they do elsewhere, as reported by someone else. First-party data is narrower but you know exactly where it came from and under what consent.
Third-party data shows interest before a buyer ever reaches your website, which is its main appeal. In exchange you rely on the provider's methods, coverage and consent chain, and the same signals are often sold to your competitors too.
- First party: your site, emails, events and product; precise, limited to people who already found you.
- Third party: other publishers and networks; broader, inferred and shared with other buyers of the data.
What buyer intent data can and cannot tell you
Buyer intent data can tell you that people at a company are reading about a topic more than usual; it cannot tell you who they are, why they are reading or whether they have budget. The reader might be a student, a consultant, a competitor or an employee preparing for a meeting.
Treat it as one input to prioritising accounts that already fit your ideal customer profile. A fit account showing interest deserves a closer look; an unsuitable account showing interest is still unsuitable.
Intent data and privacy rules
Intent data is subject to privacy law wherever it touches identifiable people. In the UK and EU, GDPR covers personal data such as names, emails and, in many cases, IP addresses, and PECR requires consent for most cookies and similar tracking.
Before buying third-party data, ask the provider where it comes from, what consent or lawful basis covers it and whether it identifies individuals or only companies. Company-level data carries less risk than person-level tracking. Take legal advice for your own case.
How to use intent based leads well
Use intent based leads by combining the signal with fit and acting while it is fresh. Interest in a topic can fade within weeks, so a slow follow-up loses most of its value.
Write about the problem the topic points to, not about the data. An email that opens with a useful observation reads well; one that says you noticed the reader researching your category reads as surveillance and tends to end the conversation.
Where Pebbles Ai fits
- CapabilityResearch & analysisPebbles Ai does not supply or monitor intent data. Once you have chosen an account, an assistant researches its website and public sources and returns findings with numbered citations.
- CapabilityProspecting & customer recordsTo build the list itself, ask an assistant for companies that match your ideal customer by keyword, industry, headcount and HQ location, up to 50 a search. That is a fit search, not a reading of intent.
Common questions
Is intent data accurate?
It is directional rather than exact. Company matching can be wrong, and a rise in reading does not show who is reading or why, so confirm interest in conversation before acting on it.
Is third-party intent data legal under GDPR?
It can be, when the provider has a valid lawful basis and the consents its sources require. Check the provider's documentation and your own privacy notice, and take advice for person-level data.
What does an intent signal mean?
An intent signal is a single action that suggests interest, such as repeated visits to a pricing page or a surge in reading on a topic. Intent data is the collection of those signals over time.
Can Pebbles Ai show which companies are researching my category?
No. Pebbles Ai finds companies that match a description of your ideal customer and researches named companies from public sources, but it holds no intent data.
About this page. Written by the Pebbles Ai team for people who run sales, marketing and growth. Last updated .
