Ian McDonald AIFind leads with AI. Then actually follow up.
Use Gemini to find relevant opportunities, check the sources, and create a Google Sheet with a status and next action for every lead. Ask Gemini inside Sheets to format it. Back in the Gemini conversation, draft your first outreach message. My example is speaking opportunities for hands-on AI workshops.
Watch the earlier walkthrough
2 min 56 secBefore you start
One useful lead
is a good first win.
Suggested first session: 30 minutes. Research and account setup may take longer.
- Bring
- Your public website or a short bio, who you help, and what you offer.
- Open
- Gemini on desktop and Google Sheets. Connected Workspace context is optional; your website is enough to start.
- Make
- A lead tracker with source links, review status, a next action, and an outreach draft you check before sending.
The connected Drive/Gmail actions and Gemini inside Sheets depend on your account’s access. If an option is missing, keep the table and email draft in Gemini, copy the table into Sheets, and continue reviewing your leads. Formatting can wait.
Tools used
Google Gemini
LLM / AI assistantFind opportunities, research the details, and draft your next step.
by GoogleGoogle Sheets
Spreadsheet / Lead trackerOrganize your leads, track their status, and plan the follow-up.
by Google
How they connectGemini Create a Sheet with Google Drive Ask Gemini in Sheets
The whole method fits in four moves.
Give AI context once. Then find, verify, and organize on repeat. Your follow-ups tell you what to search for next.
Start with your website
Start with your website, then name your audience and offer. Read Gemini’s summary and correct anything it misses before searching. If it cannot open a page—or you do not have a website—paste the relevant text or a short business bio.
Background
Expertise
Target audience
Review my website(s): [WEBSITE]. I help [AUDIENCE] with [OFFER]. Use the website context to summarize my expertise, audience, and what makes a good opportunity for me. Ask about anything important that is missing. If you cannot access a page, tell me so I can paste the relevant text.
Optional, recommended context: connect Google Workspace to draw on relevant business files or messages you choose. This prepared workshop example uses that connection too. You can still start with your website or a short bio.
Ian’s example: ianmcdonald.ai and disruptiv.solutions; small-business owners; hands-on AI workshops. The prepared conversation began with a short bio, so this website prompt is the reusable template, not a transcript of that first message.
Find leads that fit
Use your business brief to decide what a useful opportunity looks like. Gemini should explain why each candidate fits. A search result is a candidate to investigate, not a confirmed client or an available speaking slot.
Personalize four search fields
Now that Gemini has your context, personalize four fields: opportunity type, location, dates, and offer. The expert role, five-result count, output columns, and source instructions stay fixed. Tap a field to find its place in the prompt, then replace every bracketed value before sending.
Act as an expert lead generator. Find five upcoming [OPPORTUNITY TYPE] in [LOCATION], happening [DATES], where I could offer a [OFFER]. Return the event name, audience, location, date, why it fits, and official source URL. Use official organizer sources. If a date or speaker call is not published, say so. Do not invent contacts or imply that a speaking slot is available.
See Ian’s filled-in example
Business, tech, or AI events · greater Houston or online · November 2026 through January 2027 · hands-on AI workshop for small-business owners.
Research the gaps
Research the organizer, a public contact route or submission form, the pitch angle, and the official sources. Missing contact details should stay missing. A form-only lead can still have a useful next action; Gemini must not invent an email address.
Before we export this conduct some deeper research, find the event organizer and a public contact route or speaker submission link. Add a suggested pitch angle and the official source for each detail. Mark missing information as not found. Separate confirmed opportunities from organizations worth contacting.
“Confirmed” still needs a source check. A real event or published application route does not establish available speaking space.
Check the source. Every time.
AI can hand you outdated or flat wrong information. Dates move and contacts leave. Open every source link and confirm the details yourself before you reach out.
Gemini prepares. You approve.
The prepared response called it a “Confirmed Event Opportunity” and described the speaker application as open.
Workshop example checked October 22, 2026. Read the current official event page and speaker submission terms yourself. A confirmed event or an application form does not confirm an available Houston speaking slot. Keep this row marked Needs review until your decision is made.
Give every lead a next step
Choose @Google Drive in Gemini and use the prompt below in the same conversation. In the workshop run, Gemini created a native Google Sheet and returned a file card with an Open button. Open that created file, then check its sources, Status, and Next action.
@Google Drive Put the researched leads into one table. Include opportunity, date, location, contact, public email or phone, why it fits, pitch angle, apply link, and official source URL. Add Status and Next action. Mark unverified items Needs review and give each row a specific next action. Do not treat an unpublished date as confirmed.
If your account returns only a table, use Export to Sheets when offered, or copy it into a new Sheet. This is a fallback; the prepared workshop uses the created-file card and Open button. Keep unpublished dates unconfirmed and check suggested next actions against the terms you found.
Make it easy to use
Open the created tracker in Google Sheets. Click the Gemini sparkle button at the top right of the sheet, then paste this tested prompt into the side panel. Use the Gemini button inside Sheets; Chrome’s separate Ask Gemini control is a different interface.
Give this tracker a clean, polished look: dark blue headers, subtle alternating rows, wrapped text, and readable column widths. Keep all data and links unchanged.
Review the formatting plan and choose Approve if your interface offers it. Let Gemini finish, then check that the rows, details, and links are intact. The prepared Workspace example showed a “Format Lead Tracker Layout” plan, approval, and a completed result with dark blue headers, alternating rows, wrapped text, and readable widths. It is already formatted in the presentation. Other interfaces may offer Apply or make the changes directly; review the result either way.
Gemini in Sheets is available to eligible Google accounts. If you do not see the sparkle button in Sheets, keep using your tracker; you can still complete the research and organize your next actions.
Simplified before/after illustration. The workshop’s actual Sheet has eleven columns and five lead rows; formatting should leave their content unchanged.
| Row | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Event Name | Date | Why it's a good fit | Status |
| 2 | [EVENT NAME] | [DATE] | [A LONG SENTENCE ABOUT WHY THIS EVENT FITS YOUR OFFER] | Needs review |
| 3 | [EVENT NAME] | [DATE] | [A LONG SENTENCE ABOUT WHY THIS EVENT FITS YOUR OFFER] | Needs review |
| 4 | [EVENT NAME] | [DATE] | [A LONG SENTENCE ABOUT WHY THIS EVENT FITS YOUR OFFER] | Needs review |
| Event Name | Date | Why it's a good fit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [EVENT NAME] | [DATE] | [A LONG SENTENCE ABOUT WHY THIS EVENT FITS YOUR OFFER] | Needs review |
| [EVENT NAME] | [DATE] | [A LONG SENTENCE ABOUT WHY THIS EVENT FITS YOUR OFFER] | Needs review |
| [EVENT NAME] | [DATE] | [A LONG SENTENCE ABOUT WHY THIS EVENT FITS YOUR OFFER] | Needs review |
Run it for your business
Use your website, audience, and offer for the brief. Then replace opportunity type, location, dates, and offer in the search prompt. Find five candidates, check one against an official source, and choose its next action.
What your tracker looks like
Keep all eleven columns, including the official source URL. This is a template with three illustrative rows, not the prepared five-lead Sheet. Start unverified rows at Needs review and give each a specific next action.
| Event | Date | Location | Contact | Email or phone | Why it fits | Pitch angle | Apply link | Official source URL | Status | Next action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [EVENT NAME] | [DATE] | [CITY] | [ORGANIZER] | [EMAIL] | [ONE LINE] | [YOUR ANGLE] | [LINK] | [OFFICIAL URL] | Needs review | Confirm the date on the official site |
| [EVENT NAME] | [DATE] | [CITY] | [ORGANIZER] | [EMAIL] | [ONE LINE] | [YOUR ANGLE] | [LINK] | [OFFICIAL URL] | Needs review | Check speaker terms and availability |
| [EVENT NAME] | [DATE] | [CITY] | [ORGANIZER] | [EMAIL] | [ONE LINE] | [YOUR ANGLE] | [LINK] | [OFFICIAL URL] | Needs review | Find a current public contact route |
Draft the first message
With your tracker organized, use the business context and researched leads in the same Gemini conversation to prepare outreach. Review the recipient, facts, fit, and availability before you send anything.
@Gmail Use the lead tracker and business context in this chat to draft a personalized outreach email for each lead. Include a specific subject, relevant workshop angle, and one easy question. Keep each email under 150 words, warm and direct. Use only sourced facts and public contact emails; don’t guess. Ask about availability when unconfirmed. Save drafts only—do not send. For form-only leads, show a pasteable message. If Gmail draft creation is unavailable, show recipient, subject, and body here.
Gmail draft creation depends on the account and mode. Standard work or school connections may return the message in chat instead. Review that text and copy it into Gmail or the official form; use Share & export → Draft in Gmail only if offered. This workshop does not demonstrate saved Gmail drafts.
Illustrative draft · not sent
Route: Houston Small Business Expo speaker submission form. No recipient email is assumed.
Subject: Hands-on AI workshop for Houston business owners
Hi Small Business Expo team,
I’m Ian McDonald, a Houston-based AI builder and educator. I teach small-business owners practical AI workflows through hands-on workshops.
Would a session on using Gemini and Google Sheets to research prospects and organize follow-up fit your Houston programming? Attendees would leave with a source-linked lead tracker and a clear next action.
Are you considering workshop proposals, or is there someone I should contact about future dates?
Thanks,
Ian
Prepared teaching example, not a claim that Gemini generated or saved this exact message. It asks about availability rather than assuming a slot is open.
About Ian
Ian McDonald is an AI workflow consultant and developer who helps small business owners save hours every week using the tools they already have. He adds AI in ways that save real time while keeping the owner in the approval seat.
ian@ianmcdonald.aiThe list is your starting point. The relationship comes next.
Need help putting AI to work?
AI training, a workflow or automation built for your business, or social media content. Tell me what you have in mind, and let’s figure out the next step.
Prefer email? Reach me directly:
ian@ianmcdonald.ai