It's easy to import your existing subscriber list into Kit.
There are a few different methods to accomplish this. Let's quickly verify that this is the right tutorial for your list!
This tutorial is for you if:
You're importing a subscriber list that contains email addresses only OR
You're importing a subscriber list that contains first names and email addresses only
If your list contains custom fields and/or tags:
There are a few extra steps required to import custom fields and tags, which we don't go over in this basic tutorial. Please follow this guide instead!
NOTE: We consider any field other than first name and email address to be a custom field.
If you're coming from another platform
We have separate tutorials for you if you're switching from one of the following platforms:
Those tutorials cover specific tips about switching over from those platforms. Some of them even have a built-in importer with us, which can bypass the need to perform a CSV import at all.
If there's a built-in importer available for a certain platform, it's always optional to use it! You may find that process more straightforward, but you still have the option to perform a CSV import instead if that is your preference.
Let's get started!
1. Export your subscriber list as a CSV file
CSV stands for 'comma-separated values', and is simply a specific format of text file.
You'll need a copy of your subscriber list in CSV format in order to import it into Kit. That CSV should have one column per field, and each column should have a header row that corresponds with the name of the field in Kit.
Here's an example of a correctly formatted CSV file:
IMPORTANT: Be sure that your CSV file contains exactly the data you want to import into Kit—including the blank values in it. That's because when we import your data into Kit, we will replace any existing data we have on your subscribers with the data you provide in your import file.
This includes replacing existing subscriber data for certain fields with blank values if your import file contains blank values for those fields. Learn more about how we import subscriber data into Kit here.
2. Create a tag in Kit if you don't have any yet
You can create a tag by clicking '+ Create a Tag' from the sidebar of the Subscribers page in your account:
Give it whatever name you'd like — you can always edit (or even delete) this tag later on — then click 'Save':
(You can skip this step if you already have a tag created into which you plan to import your subscribers, OR if you have a particular reason not to import into a tag.)
3. Click 'Add Subscribers' > 'Import a CSV'
From your Subscribers page, first click the 'Add Subscribers' button, and then click 'Import a CSV' in the modal that pops up:
4. Under 'Include these subscribers', select the tag and/or other source(s) you want to import these subscribers into
We recommend importing into tags unless you have a particular reason not to (for example, if you simply want to add these subscribers to a sequence, you can select that sequence only).
You can also select multiple source(s) to import into.
If you're not sure, we suggest importing into one tag for now. You can always re-import these subscribers into additional sources later if need be (don't worry — we'll never create duplicate subscribers in your account!).
NOTE: If you import into a tag, form, or sequence that triggers a visual automation or automation rule, then the imported subscribers will be affected by those automation(s). If you don't want this to happen, we cover workarounds to prevent it in this article.
5. Upload your CSV file in the space provided
You can drag your CSV file to the import modal directly, or click it to select the file from your computer:
6. Map the columns to fields
Select which column contains first names, email addresses, and so on. This allows the data to be mapped correctly:
7. Click 'Import Subscribers'
Now that your CSV file is uploaded, you've selected the source(s) you want to import from, and you've mapped the fields, you're ready to click the 'Import Subscribers' button:
That's it! Please note it may take some time for all of the imported subscribers to show up in your account, but you'll receive an email once your import is complete.
Having trouble?
If you're having trouble uploading or importing your subscribers, please follow the pre-import troubleshooting steps outlined here. If your import was successful but something seems 'off', please refer to our post-import troubleshooting guide here.