Import contacts and consent

You can bring a list over from Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Brevo, Shopify or anything else that exports a CSV file. The import asks one question about where the people came from, and the answer decides who you can email.

Go to Email & SMS → Audience → Contacts, then press Import.

#Before you start

Export your list as a CSV. The only column you need is email. The columns first_name, last_name, phone and lang are read as fields on the contact. Any other column comes along as a custom field you can use in segments.

A file can hold up to 20,000 rows and about 0.85 MB. For a bigger list, split it and upload the parts one after another. Anyone who appears in two files is merged.

Only an owner or admin can import. Everyone else sees You can look, but not import.

#The three steps

The steps are Upload, Where did these people come from? and Result. Nothing is written until you press the import button in step 2.

#1. Upload

Drop the file on Drop a CSV here, or choose a file, or click the box to pick it.

#2. Where did these people come from?

Pick one card. You must pick one.

• They said yes. They ticked a box, filled a form, or opted in at checkout. Rows with an opt-in date can be emailed. Rows without one are held back.
• A connector got it wrong. Shopify or WooCommerce opted them out by mistake. They are held back. You can release them one at a time from the Held back list.
• I don't know. Bought, inherited, or you can't trace it. They stay on file and are never mailed. This cannot be undone, and it applies to this brand's account.

If you pick They said yes, three more fields appear:

1. Which column shows it? Choose the column with the opt-in date. Each choice shows how many rows have a date. Rows with no date are held back.

2. Where they opted in (optional). Pick a column, or leave use the file name.

3. The exact wording they were shown (optional). If the file has the sentence the person saw, pick that column. If not, we record that the wording was not recorded. We never make one up.

Two more settings sit below:

1. Put them on a list (optional). People join on the day of the import, not on their old signup date. That stops a welcome flow firing at everybody at once.

2. Your welcome flow. After you pick a list, a tick box says Start my welcome flow for these people. It is off unless you tick it, and it is not offered for files over 200 rows. Import first, then switch the flow on when you want new people to get it.

Press Import (the button shows the row count), or Back to change the file.

#3. Result

Four tiles show what happened: you can email (an opt-in date was present), held back (no proof of consent in the file), already here (merged with people you had) and bad addresses (misspelt, or not something we can send to).

Held-back people stay on your account and are never mailed until they order and tick the box, fill in a form, or you release them. There is no button that marks everybody as consented, on purpose.

Press See contacts or Import another file.

#Your unsubscribes and suppressions

Export those from your old platform too and import them with I don't know. They stay on file and are never mailed. Do not import them with They said yes.

#Purchased lists

During first-time setup, if you choose A purchased or other list, the screen says: "We can't email people who never asked to hear from you. Import only the ones who signed up."

#If it didn't work

• The message says the file has no email column. It lists the columns it found. Rename your email column to email.
• "That file has no rows in it. Check you saved it as a CSV." Use Save As and choose CSV.
• "That file has 48,000 rows and we take 20,000 at a time." Split the file.
• "Choose the column that holds the opt-in date." You picked They said yes without a date column. If your file has no dates, pick another card.
• Everyone came in held back. The file had no dates, or the column you picked was mostly empty.
• A row says "not a sendable email address". Fix it in the spreadsheet and import those rows again.
• You picked I don't know by mistake. It cannot be undone. Email support@aminoengine.com before you do anything else.

Importing the same file twice changes nothing.