Push GitHub Leads to Reply.io: Automate Developer Outreach Sequences

Reply.io is a multichannel sales engagement platform built for automated email, LinkedIn, SMS, and call sequences. When you connect it to GitLeads, every developer who stars a tracked repo or matches a keyword on GitHub can be automatically enrolled in a Reply.io sequence — enriched with their GitHub profile, bio, company, top languages, and the exact signal that triggered the lead.

Why Reply.io + GitLeads?

Most Reply.io users import contacts from a CSV or CRM. GitLeads gives you a live feed of high-intent developer leads sourced directly from GitHub activity — no cold lists, no guessing. The combination means your sequences reach developers at the moment of peak interest, not weeks after they moved on.

• Stargazer signals: new stars on your repo or a competitor repo trigger lead creation
• Keyword signals: GitHub issues/PRs/discussions mentioning your target keywords create contacts
• Enriched data: name, email (if public), GitHub username, company, location, followers, top languages, signal context
• Reply.io receives contacts via API, webhook, or Zapier — your choice

Integration Method 1: Webhook → Reply.io via Zapier

The simplest path is through Zapier. GitLeads fires a webhook for each new lead; Zapier catches it and creates a Reply.io contact or adds them to a sequence.

1. In GitLeads dashboard → Integrations → Webhook, copy your webhook URL
2. In Zapier, create a new Zap: Trigger = Webhooks by Zapier (Catch Hook)
3. Paste your GitLeads webhook URL into the Zapier trigger
4. Action = Reply.io: Create or Update a Contact
5. Map fields: email → email, name → first/last name, bio → custom field "GitHub Bio", company → company
6. Add a second action: Reply.io → Add Contact to Sequence, pick your developer-targeted sequence
7. Turn the Zap on

Integration Method 2: Reply.io API directly

For tighter control, use GitLeads webhooks to call the Reply.io REST API directly. This lets you set custom fields, assign sequences, and add tags without a middleware layer.

import crypto from 'crypto';

// GitLeads webhook payload shape
interface GitLeadsPayload {
  event: 'lead.created';
  lead: {
    name: string;
    email?: string;
    githubUsername: string;
    profileUrl: string;
    bio?: string;
    company?: string;
    location?: string;
    followers: number;
    topLanguages: string[];
    signalType: 'stargazer' | 'keyword';
    signalContext: string;
  };
}

// Verify GitLeads webhook signature
function verifySignature(payload: string, signature: string, secret: string): boolean {
  const expected = crypto
    .createHmac('sha256', secret)
    .update(payload)
    .digest('hex');
  return crypto.timingSafeEqual(
    Buffer.from(signature),
    Buffer.from(expected)
  );
}

// Push lead to Reply.io
async function pushToReply(lead: GitLeadsPayload['lead']): Promise<void> {
  const REPLY_API_KEY = process.env.REPLY_API_KEY!;
  const SEQUENCE_ID = process.env.REPLY_SEQUENCE_ID!; // numeric sequence ID

  // Step 1: Create/update contact
  const contactRes = await fetch('https://api.reply.io/v1/people', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      'x-api-key': REPLY_API_KEY,
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      firstName: lead.name.split(' ')[0] ?? lead.githubUsername,
      lastName: lead.name.split(' ').slice(1).join(' ') || '',
      email: lead.email ?? `${lead.githubUsername}@github-noreply.com`,
      company: lead.company ?? '',
      title: '',
      // Custom fields — configure these in Reply.io Settings → Custom fields
      customFields: {
        github_username: lead.githubUsername,
        github_bio: lead.bio ?? '',
        top_languages: lead.topLanguages.join(', '),
        signal_type: lead.signalType,
        signal_context: lead.signalContext,
        github_followers: lead.followers,
      },
    }),
  });

  if (!contactRes.ok) {
    const err = await contactRes.text();
    throw new Error(`Reply.io create contact failed: ${err}`);
  }

  // Step 2: Add contact to sequence
  const addRes = await fetch(
    `https://api.reply.io/v1/actions/addtosequence?api_key=${REPLY_API_KEY}`,
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        sequenceId: parseInt(SEQUENCE_ID, 10),
        email: lead.email,
      }),
    }
  );

  if (!addRes.ok) {
    const err = await addRes.text();
    console.warn(`Reply.io add to sequence failed: ${err}`);
  }
}

// Next.js / Express webhook handler
export async function POST(req: Request): Promise<Response> {
  const rawBody = await req.text();
  const sig = req.headers.get('x-gitleads-signature') ?? '';

  if (!verifySignature(rawBody, sig, process.env.GITLEADS_WEBHOOK_SECRET!)) {
    return new Response('Unauthorized', { status: 401 });
  }

  const payload: GitLeadsPayload = JSON.parse(rawBody);
  if (payload.event === 'lead.created' && payload.lead.email) {
    await pushToReply(payload.lead);
  }

  return new Response('ok');
}

Sequence Strategy for Developer Leads

Developer leads respond differently than typical B2B contacts. Keep sequences short (3–4 steps), lead with technical value, and reference the GitHub signal explicitly. A message that says "I noticed you starred X repo" gets 2–3x the reply rate of a generic opener.

• Step 1 (Day 0): Personalized email referencing the signal — "Saw you starred [repo], thought you might be evaluating [problem category]..."
• Step 2 (Day 3): Technical content — link to a relevant doc, benchmark, or comparison post
• Step 3 (Day 7): Direct ask — short CTA for a demo or free trial
• Step 4 (Day 14): Breakup email — keep it brief, leave the door open

Tips: Filtering Before Reply.io

Not every GitHub signal warrants a sequence. Filter in your webhook handler before calling Reply.io:

• Only enroll leads with a public email (higher deliverability)
• Skip bots: filter githubUsername patterns ending in [bot] or containing -bot
• Prioritize leads with followers > 50 or company field set — these are likely decision-makers
• Use signalType to route: stargazer leads go to "Evaluation" sequence, keyword leads to "Pain Point" sequence