A complete guide to screening base materials and controlling fees: Use the “Activate→Active” funnel to reduce customer acquisition costs

In overseas marketing, whether it is Telegram community promotion, WhatsApp private message reach, or Line/Zalo’s customer acquisition in Southeast Asia, base material screening is an unavoidable link. Base material screening refers to multi-dimensional testing of batch phone numbers such as validity, activity, gender, etc., and extracting available target users from them. However, without proper screening strategies, a lot of money can be wasted on empty, unregistered or long-term inactive numbers. This article focuses on the “activate → active” funnel layering strategy, explains in detail how to achieve low-cost customer acquisition through precise fee control, and combines the operating procedures of the KK-DATA platform to provide a set of implementable workflows.

---

What is base material screening? Why is it needed to acquire customers overseas?

Simply put, base material screening is to prepare “raw materials” for marketing activities - batch verification of whether the number has been registered on a social platform, whether it has been active recently, and the user’s gender and approximate age group. For overseas teams, directly using unverified number lists for mass messaging or advertising results in high costs and low conversions. Through base material screening, you can:

• Filter invalid numbers: exclude empty numbers and unregistered numbers to reduce meaningless contacts.
• Lock high active users: Promote accounts that have been active recently to increase open rates and conversions.
• Precise Targeting: Use gender and age fields to focus resources on target groups.
• Control your budget: Pay for valid results and avoid spending money on junk data.

The core of fee control lies in understanding the difference between the two indicators of “activation” and “active” and forming a hierarchical screening process.

---

Core indicators for base material screening: open vs active

When many marketing teams use the number screening platform for the first time, they will check all detection types at once, resulting in multiple detection fees for each number (including invalid ones). In fact, the cost of activated testing and active testing are different, and the value of the screening results is also different.

Activation detection: the first line of defense for filtering invalid numbers

The activation test only verifies whether the number has been registered on the target platform (such as Telegram, WhatsApp). This step costs the least (see the real-time price on the console for details), but can quickly eliminate 30%~60% of useless numbers. For example, if you have a batch of randomly generated US mobile phone numbers, less than 20% of which are registered with Telegram, then just activating the test can help you save 80% of subsequent test costs.

Best Practice: Always start with the activation test, and only keep the “activated” numbers to enter the next step.

Activity detection: the second screen to lock in high-value users

Activity detection determines whether a number has been online within a specified time window (such as the last 7 days, 30 days). Active users are more likely to view messages and click on links, so conversion rates are much higher than inactive users. Of course, the cost of active detection is usually higher than that of activated detection (please check the console for specific prices). If active detection is done directly on the original base material, the detection fee for a large number of invalid numbers will be in vain.

---

How to use the “Activate→Active” funnel to screen base materials and control fees?

The following step-by-step operation process, each step focuses on cost control, is applicable to mainstream platforms such as Telegram, WhatsApp, Line, and Zalo.

Step 1: Generate or import the original number pool

• Use KK-DATA’s global number generation function (free) to generate random numbers based on country, number segment, and quantity, covering 240+ countries and regions.
• You can also upload the CSV/TXT file yourself and import the existing number list.
• This step does not consume the balance and only provides raw materials for subsequent testing.

Step 2: Submit the “activation” detection task

Go to Application Console, create a new screening task, select the target platform (such as Telegram), and only check “Enable” detection. After submission, the system will verify the number registration status one by one. After the task is completed, export the list of “activated” numbers.

Step 3: Submit the activated number to “active” detection

Re-import the valid numbers exported in the previous step, create a new task, check only the “active” detection, and select the appropriate active window (7 days/30 days, etc.). In this way, you only pay for the number that has been confirmed to be activated, not all the original numbers.

Step 4: Export results and analyze

After the detection is completed, the filtering results can be exported (CSV, TXT), including fields such as activation status, active identification, gender, age, etc. At this time, the number in your hand is already high-quality base material that has been filtered through two layers.

---

Common cost control misunderstandings in base material selection

Many teams still waste money after multiple rounds of screening, for the following reasons:

Misunderstanding	Consequences	Correct approach
Check all detection types at once	Multiple fees will be deducted for invalid numbers	Step-by-step detection: activate first and then become active
Unused data deduplication warehouse	Charges will be deducted if the same number is detected repeatedly in different tasks	Deduplicate the number before importing each time
Ignore the country distribution	Some countries have extremely low number registration rates and negative detection benefits	Prioritize countries with high registration rates in the target market
Directly test the full amount of large batches of base materials	If the sample survival rate is low, a lot of money will be wasted	Use a small sample (1000~5000) for a test run first, and then expand the volume after confirming the quality

---

How to interpret gender and age group data when selecting base materials?

In the screening results of KK-DATA, the gender and age fields come from the statistical estimation of the model and are not precise data at the ID card level. For example, the label “about 30 years old” indicates that the user’s age model is predicted to be between 25 and 35 years old. It is only suitable for macro analysis of crowd portraits and is not suitable for individual judgment.

Usage Scenario:

• Screen Telegram users who are “male, about 30 years old” and use them to promote games or tool products.
• Target “female, active” users on Line for e-commerce marketing.

Note: Do not rely on these fields for high-precision orientation (such as legal risk control); in most overseas scenarios, this kind of probabilistic data is enough to support operational strategies.

---

The ultimate workflow for base material screening and cost control

Here is a complete pipeline that can serve as a checklist for your team:

1. Determine the target: Select the platform (Telegram/WhatsApp/Line, etc.), target country, and dimensions to be detected (activation, activity, gender, etc.).
2. Generate or Import Numbers: Use global number generation (free) or upload a CSV.
3. Deduplication: Import the number into the data deduplication warehouse and compare it with historical tasks to avoid repeated deductions.
4. Small test sample: Take 1,000~5,000 numbers, conduct activation testing first, and evaluate the survival rate.
5. Full activation testing: If the sample survival rate is reasonable, submit the activation detection tasks for all numbers.
6. Export activated numbers: Download the results and filter out unactivated numbers.
7. Activity Detection: Create a new task with the activated number and only check active detection.
8. Export final results: Obtain high-quality base materials that can be used for subsequent promotion.
9. Analyze data: Use gender and age fields to segment people and customize words or delivery strategies.

---

What are the alternatives to base screening? Self-verification vs platform batch screening

Some teams consider manual verification (such as sending test messages one by one or using free tools), but this is far less efficient and accurate than a dedicated platform. Compare the following:

Compare dimensions	Manual verification/free tools	Platform batch filter number (such as KK-DATA)
Efficiency	Several items per second	Hundreds to thousands of items per second
Accuracy rate	Vulnerable to network interference, possible misjudgment	Multi-node detection, stable results
Cost	High opportunity cost and time-consuming labor	Billed by item, usually lower than labor cost
Data dimensions	Can only determine whether online	Can output activation, activity, gender, age, tgid, etc.
Scalability	Can only handle small batches	Single task supports millions of levels

For batch overseas customer acquisition, it is recommended to use a professional screening platform and cooperate with funnel strategies to maximize the value of each expense.

---

Comprehensive Checklist for Base Material Screening and Cost Control

You can copy or print the following list and check it item by item before each screening:

• ① Confirm the target platform and region
• ② Import/generate numbers (free)
• ③ First remove duplicate warehouses and compare historical records
• ④ Trial a small sample (1000~5000 items), only for activation testing
• ⑤ Evaluate the survival rate, and if qualified, submit the full amount for activation testing
• ⑥ Export the valid number and then submit the activity detection
• ⑦ Export the final results and analyze the gender/age fields
• ⑧ Adjust next marketing strategy based on data

---

FAQ

**Q: Are the costs the same for “open” and “active” testing of base material screening? ** Answer: Not the same. Usually, the fee to activate detection is the lowest, and the price of active detection varies slightly depending on the length of the window and different platforms. Please refer to the real-time price of the console for the specific unit price. It is recommended to enable filtering first and then perform active detection to reduce overall expenses.

**Q: Can I see the estimated cost before submitting the screening task? ** Answer: Yes. In the task submission interface, the system will display the estimated cost based on the number of numbers and the selected detection type, making it easier for you to decide whether to submit.

**Q: Can I detect the activation and activity of Telegram at the same time in one task? If so, how to control costs? ** Answer: You can check them all at the same time, but the system will check all items one by one, and the full fee will be deducted for empty numbers. If you want to control fees, it is recommended to take two steps: first select activation only, export the valid number and then submit the active detection task.

**Q: Are there any restrictions on the source of numbers for base material screening? ** Answer: No. You can use the global number generation function (free) to generate random numbers in 240+ countries/regions, or you can upload CSV/TXT files yourself and the system will automatically remove duplicates.

**Q: Are age and gender data accurate? Can it be used for precision marketing? ** Answer: The age and gender data come from the statistical estimation of the model and are not ID card-level accuracy. It can be used for crowd profiling analysis (such as screening user groups around 30 years old), but it is not recommended for use in scenarios that require extremely high accuracy.

---

👉 Want to start screening accounts for fee control? Log in to Application Console now to submit your first batch of base material screening tasks. If you have any questions, contact customer service https://t.me/kkdata_robot in both directions to receive real-time notifications. View full usage documentation.