Custom fields on a lead record what to add, what to skip
A few well chosen custom fields make a lead record easy to filter, segment and pick up again. Too many and nobody fills them in.
- No credits, no data tax
- Your data stays yours
- Email only, on purpose
- Unlimited users
A field earns its place when you use it
Custom fields are the columns you add to a lead record yourself, next to the standard ones like company name, website and email address. On a small team they decide whether a list is easy to work with or turns into a wall of half-empty cells.
The test for each custom field is simple: do you filter on it, write with it or decide with it? If the answer is no for all three, leave it out. A niche, a region and the reason to write usually pass that test. A field for the founding year of the company usually does not.
Riftjaw does not force a fixed CRM layout on you: each lead file gets the fields you need. The four statuses New, Contacted, Replied and Customer stay the same for everyone, so segments and campaigns can rely on them, and everything else is yours to shape.
Custom fields that usually help on a lead record
Status, notes, source file and email history are already on every record; you do not need custom fields for those.
| Field | Example value | What you use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Niche | Dental practice | Segment by trade and write a message that fits it |
| Region or town | Utrecht | Save a filter per area and mention the place |
| Reason to write | New location opened | The first line of the email, in your own words |
| Signal date | 2026-10-20 | See whether the reason to write is still fresh |
| Contact met | Met at the spring fair | Remember who knows you before you write |
| Next step | Call after the holidays | Pick up the record without reading all the notes |
Common mistakes with custom fields
A field for everything
Twenty fields look thorough but stay empty. Start with three to five and add one only when you miss it twice.
Free text where a choice works
If a field has a handful of possible values, write them the same way every time. "Dentist", "dental" and "Dental practice" become three segments.
Copying what the status already says
A custom field called "contacted yes/no" next to the status Contacted will drift apart. Let the status do that job.
Fields nobody owns
Agree as a team who fills which field and when, for example the reason to write at import and the next step after a reply.
Set up custom fields in this order
- Write down the segments you want to send to.
- Add a field for each thing you filter those segments on.
- Add one field for the reason to write.
- Agree on fixed spellings for choice fields.
- Remove a field nobody filled in after a month.
Frequently asked questions
What custom fields should a lead record have?
Only the ones you filter on, write with or decide with. For most small B2B teams that is a niche, a region or town, the reason to write and sometimes a next step. Standard details like status, notes and source are already there.
How many custom fields is too many?
There is no fixed number. A good sign that you have too many is a field that is empty on most records. Start with three to five and add more only when you need them.
Can I filter and segment on custom fields?
Yes. You can filter on your own fields, save the filters you use every week and send to a saved segment. See segments.
Can I add custom fields when I import a spreadsheet?
Each lead file gets the fields you need, so a column such as niche or region in your spreadsheet can go into a field of its own when you import.
Is a custom field the same as a lead score?
No. Riftjaw gives no automatic score. You can keep your own rating in a field and filter on it; you decide what it means. More in simple lead scoring.
What is Riftjaw?
Riftjaw is a B2B lead database you own: import the companies you collect, keep every record with its source, sort them into segments and reach them by email in small batches. Each account runs on its own private server with its own database.
Give your lead records the fields you use
Start with three to five custom fields, save a filter on them and keep every record easy to pick up. See lead records or start free.
Start free