# How to add website leads to the Pipedrive Leads Inbox

> Send each website enquiry to Pipedrive as a person plus a lead in the Leads Inbox, without duplicate people. Your API token, the requests and the order.

Source: https://roughfigure.com/blog/add-leads-to-pipedrive-leads-inbox (updated 2026-11-11)

To add website leads to Pipedrive’s **Leads Inbox**, use your API token to first find or create the **person** (by email), then create a **lead** linked to that person with a title that describes the job. Leads sit in the Leads Inbox until you qualify them and turn them into deals, which keeps your pipeline for real jobs only.

## Why the Leads Inbox, not a deal

A website enquiry isn’t a deal yet. You don’t know if the customer is in your area, if the job is one you do, or if the budget is right. Pipedrive’s Leads Inbox is built for exactly this: a holding area you work through, converting the good ones to deals with one click and archiving the rest. Your pipeline stages and win rates stay honest.

## Step 1: get your API token

In Pipedrive, click your account name at the top right, then **Company settings → Personal preferences → API**, and copy your personal API token. If you don’t see an API tab, your admin may have turned it off for your role.

## Step 2: find the person first

Search by exact email so a returning customer isn’t added twice:

```http
GET https://api.pipedrive.com/api/v2/persons/search?term=ben.foster%40mail.test&fields=email&exact_match=true&limit=1
x-api-token: <your API token>
```

If a person comes back, keep their `id`. If not, create one:

```http
POST https://api.pipedrive.com/api/v2/persons
x-api-token: <your API token>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Ben Foster",
  "emails": [{ "value": "ben.foster@mail.test", "primary": true }],
  "phones": [{ "value": "+447700900789", "primary": true }]
}
```

## Step 3: create the lead

```http
POST https://api.pipedrive.com/api/v1/leads
x-api-token: <your API token>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "title": "Garden clearance and new turf: estimate £1,400–£1,900",
  "person_id": 12345
}
```

Make the title do the work. When you open the Leads Inbox in the morning, “Garden clearance and new turf: estimate £1,400–£1,900” tells you more than “Website enquiry”.

## Tips that save time later

- **Use lead labels** (Hot, Warm, Cold) for how ready the customer is, and set them in a Pipedrive automation.
- **Send the API token in the header**, as above, not in the address, so it doesn’t end up in logs.
- **Retry on 429 and 5xx**, but re-run the search first, so a retry never creates a second person.
- **Don’t store the estimate only in the title** if you report on value. Leads have a `value` field with an amount and currency too.

## Doing it in RoughFigure

In RoughFigure we’ve built this exact flow into a ready-made Pipedrive connection. Under **Integrations → Send leads to your CRM**, choose **Pipedrive**, paste your API token and click **Connect**. Every new estimator lead becomes a person (found by email first, so there are no duplicates) and a lead in your Leads Inbox titled with the job and the price range your customer saw.

[See the Pipedrive integration](https://roughfigure.com/integrations/pipedrive), or read about [following up a quote](https://roughfigure.com/blog/how-to-follow-up-on-a-quote) once the lead is in.

## Questions

### What’s the difference between a lead and a deal in Pipedrive?

A lead is an unqualified enquiry in the Leads Inbox. A deal is an opportunity you’re actively working in a pipeline stage. You convert a lead to a deal once it’s worth pursuing.

### Can I send leads straight to a pipeline stage instead?

Yes, by creating a deal rather than a lead. Most trades find it clutters the pipeline with jobs they’ll never quote.

### Does the API token give full access to my account?

It has the same access as your own user, so treat it like a password. Use a dedicated user with limited visibility if several people share the account.