Import contacts through CSV file
In this guide:
A CSV file is a great uniform way to store data into rows and columns. If you have a spreadsheet with a list of contacts you want to message through Interseller, you can upload them to sequences through our CSV import process. You can import these contacts into both new and existing sequences.
How to format a CSV file
At the bare minimum, you will need to include a header row and email column in your CSV file. The header row will contain the column titles as you can see in the screenshot below. Here is a screenshot of the CSV format we recommend:
For the best results, we recommend including the contact's first name, last name, job title, company, company website, and LinkedIn profile URL.
For your convenience, we created an example CSV file that you can view or download directly.
Note: As of March 2024, we no longer support Excel files. You can convert your Excel file to CSV through this site.
Formatting your CSV file to search for work or personal emails
If you plan to look up missing work or personal emails for contacts, it's important to include the contact's email, website, and LinkedIn profile URL columns while keeping the email column blank if you don't already have the contact's email address.
Keep in mind, choosing to lookup emails through the CSV import will count towards your lookup credits for the current billing period.
Note: Extra columns can be added if you would like to import additional information for the contact. If you would like to import the contact's location info such as city, state, and country, be sure to have those columns set up in your CSV file.
Import contacts via CSV
If you are importing a CSV file into a new sequence, you can click on the "Import CSV" button once you have created the sequence.
If you are importing a CSV file into an existing sequence, select the sequence and then click Import CSV.
From there, you can drag and drop your file or click browse to upload it. It must be a CSV file (file must end in .csv) in order to be uploaded into your sequence.
How to map CSV columns to sequence fields
During the file import, you can select how to map the CSV columns to the sequence custom fields within Interseller.
On the left-hand side, you will see a preview of the first five rows in your file so you can make sure you're mapping the columns to the correct field:
Depending on what types of emails you are looking up, you will want to make sure these fields are mapped to the correct field. If they are not, we will display a warning message to remind you to double check these.
How to map location fields
When mapping city, state, and country, you will want to select the field starting with "Location" to map to the corresponding field. This is how these three fields would be mapped:
- "City" is mapped to "Location - City"
- "State" is mapped to "Location - State"
- "Country" is mapped to "Location - Country"
When the CSV is imported, these fields will be formatted into "city, state, country" for the "location" custom field. Additionally, an individual custom field will be created for each location data.
Here's an example of how it will appear after the contact is imported:
Looking up missing email addresses
If your CSV file is missing some email addresses, you can choose to look up either work or personal emails to add them into your sequence.
Choosing one of these options will count towards your lookup credits and can slow down your import, especially if you're importing over a thousand contacts.
If you already have some contact's addresses in your CSV file, you can leave them as is and our system knows to skip over those addresses during the import process. Don't worry, we will still verify the email address at a later time to make sure you're messaging a valid contact.
You can also choose to skip looking up any of the missing emails. Once you click "Import CSV", your contacts will import and you should be all set.
If your CSV file doesn't have any missing emails, you will bypass the third step as shown above for looking up any missing emails and see the completed import.
Note: If your CSV file only contains email addresses, you can still import the file. There's a 32MB limit for each imported file.
Frequently Asked Questions
I already have an email address for some of the contacts on my list. Will my lookup credits be used?
No, if you already have email address for all or some contacts in your CSV file, we will skip over them even if you choose to find missing emails. We will only use lookup credits when you select the option to find work or personal emails.
We will still run the emails you have through our verification check to make sure you're not sending emails to bad or risky addresses.
Why is my file taking so long to upload?
There are a few reasons that could cause the import process to slow down.
- If you are looking up emails, this will take a little bit longer for our system to run through each of your contacts.
- The larger your CSV file, the longer the import process will take. We will email you to confirm once the import is complete so you don't have to keep your Interseller account open.
- Some companies also have hard spam filters in place that can cause the import to slow down.
When does Interseller verify emails that were added through a CSV file?
We do not verify emails from CSV files right away. Instead, we validate the emails right before the sequence is launched or once the messages are queued to send.
Can I "wash" my contact list with Interseller?
If you have a list with more than a couple thousand contacts, we don't suggest using our tool to wash your list. We recommend using other services such as Kickbox, Neverbouce or Zerobounce to do this.
How can I find out the results of my import? Is there a way to see which contacts failed?
You can find your CSV import results by clicking the Download Results link in the confirmation email from Interseller titled "Your bulk lookup has finished".
In that file, you'll be able to see which contacts we could not find an email address for in the Error column. These contacts will be marked with an Email Not Found status.
I have multiple email addresses for one contact. Can I add them both into Interseller?
You can add both but the addresses would need to be in separate rows within your file. This is because we only accept one address per contact profile and our system doesn't have the ability to email multiple addresses under one contact.
This will appear as if there are two separate contacts within your sequence but this is the best way to try two different addresses for one contact or if you want to try emailing both their work and personal email.
I accidentally imported the wrong CSV file or imported my CSV file to the wrong sequence. Is there a way to undo this?
To remove contacts, click the Select All checkbox or select the contacts one-by-one. From there, click the trash can icon and click Confirm.
