Importing Subscribers
Broadcast makes it easy to import your existing subscriber list from CSV files.
Preparing Your CSV File
Your CSV file should include at least an email column. You can also include additional data:
| Column | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | Subscriber’s email address | |
| first_name | No | First name |
| last_name | No | Last name |
| tags | No | Comma-separated tags |
| subscribed_at | No | Subscription date (ISO 8601) |
Example CSV
email,first_name,last_name,tags
[email protected],John,Doe,"customer,newsletter"
[email protected],Jane,Smith,"prospect"
[email protected],Bob,Johnson,""
How to Import
- Go to Subscribers in the main navigation
- Click Import in the top right
- Upload your CSV file
- Map the columns to subscriber fields
- Review the preview
- Click Start Import
Import Options
Tag Assignment
You can apply tags to all imported subscribers. This is useful for tracking where subscribers came from.
Duplicate Handling
When an email already exists:
- Skip - The existing subscriber is not modified
- Update - The existing subscriber’s data is updated with new values
Status
All imported subscribers are added as active by default.
Import Progress
Large imports run in the background. You can:
- Monitor progress on the import details page
- Continue using Broadcast while the import runs
- View a summary when complete
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
Invalid email addresses
Rows with invalid emails are skipped. Check the import summary for details.
Wrong encoding
Ensure your CSV is saved as UTF-8 encoding.
Missing columns
Make sure your CSV has a header row with column names.
Best Practices
- Clean your list first - Remove invalid or bounced emails before importing
- Get consent - Only import subscribers who have opted in
- Use tags - Tag imported subscribers by source for easy segmentation
- Start small - Test with a small batch first to verify mapping
Need to export subscribers instead? Go to Subscribers > Export to download your list as CSV.