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📁 Importing Subscribers from CSV

Bulk upload your subscriber data

⏱️ 10 min read

Getting Started with CSV Imports

CSV imports allow you to quickly add hundreds or thousands of subscribers to your lists. This guide covers the entire import process.

💡 Pro Tip: Always clean your CSV file before importing. Remove duplicates, invalid emails, and test with a small batch first.

Step 1: Prepare Your CSV File

Your CSV must include these required columns:

  • email - The subscriber's email address (required)
  • first_name - First name (optional but recommended)
  • last_name - Last name (optional)
  • status - subscribed, unsubscribed, or pending (optional)

Example CSV format:

email,first_name,last_name,status
john@example.com,John,Doe,subscribed
jane@example.com,Jane,Smith,subscribed
bob@example.com,Bob,Johnson,subscribed

Step 2: Start the Import

  1. Go to Subscribers → Import
  2. Select the list you want to import to
  3. Click "Choose File" and select your CSV
  4. Map your CSV columns to DripEmails fields

Step 3: Map Columns

Match your CSV headers to our fields:

  • CSV "email" → DripEmails "Email"
  • CSV "first_name" → DripEmails "First Name"
  • CSV "last_name" → DripEmails "Last Name"
  • You can skip columns you don't need

Step 4: Import Options

Configure these settings:

  • Skip duplicates: Don't re-import existing subscribers
  • Update existing: Update info for existing subscribers
  • Send welcome email: Automatically welcome new subscribers
  • Tag imports: Add a tag to identify this import batch

Step 5: Review and Import

  1. Review the import summary
  2. Check for any errors or warnings
  3. Click "Start Import"
  4. Wait for the import to complete (you'll get an email)

⚠️ Important: Large imports (10,000+) may take several minutes. Don't close the browser window during import.

Common Issues and Solutions

Invalid Email Addresses

These will be skipped. Check the error report after import.

Duplicate Emails

Use "Skip duplicates" or "Update existing" to handle these.

File Too Large

Split your CSV into smaller files (5,000 rows each).

Best Practices

  • Always test with a small CSV first (10-20 rows)
  • Use UTF-8 encoding to preserve special characters
  • Remove empty rows and columns
  • Validate email addresses before importing
  • Add a source tag to track where subscribers came from
  • Keep your original CSV file as a backup

Next Steps

Managing Subscriber Lists

Organize your subscribers

Subscriber Segmentation

Create targeted segments