It's quick and easy to import your entire subscriber list with all of their custom fields and/or tags intact.
What are custom fields? They're the fields that let you keep track of important subscriber details such as last name, workplace, phone number, etc.
NOTE: If you're importing only email addresses, or email addresses and first names, we have this tutorial for you instead!
First things first...
Before importing, please ensure the following:
1. You've reviewed our pre-import checklist
We recommend reviewing this article before proceeding with this tutorial, which includes useful considerations and frequently asked questions about importing.
2. Any custom fields have already been created in your Kit account
By default, Kit includes only two fields on your subscribers' profiles: First Name and Email Address.
Fields other than those two are considered custom fields. They can be created in Kit before you import your CSV or during the import process (see Step 3 further down this article).
Learn how to create your custom fields here.
3. Your import file is formatted correctly
Your file should have only one column per field, custom or otherwise (at the very least, your subscribers' Email Address fields must be filled out. It's okay if the rest of their fields are blank)
The list of tags should also be stored in a single column, with each tag separated by a comma
Each column should have a header row that corresponds with the name of the field in Kit (or just 'tags' for a list of tags)
The file itself should be saved as a CSV — no other file type will work
Below is an example of a correctly formatted CSV import file:
From left to right, there's a column each for First Name, Last Name, and Email Address, and finally a comma-separated list of tags. Each column also has a heading.
Once that CSV is imported, the tags "[Student] Riverdale High" and "[Reporter] The Blue & Gold" will automatically be created and applied to the appropriate subscribers. These tags need not already exist in your account before you start the import. (We won't create duplicate tags so long as the tag names are exactly the same.)
Understanding how we import your subscriber data
In short, 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 we find with blank values if your import file contains blank fields.
For example, let's say you have stored the following information on a subscriber in Kit:
Name of field | Data |
First Name | Jarhead |
Last Name | (blank) |
Email Address | |
Birthdate | 2001-10-02 |
Tags | (none) |
Then, when you import a file containing this data on the same subscriber:
We will update the subscriber's data in Kit to:
Name of field | Data | Comments |
First Name | Jughead | We've updated the subscriber's first name from 'Jarhead' to 'Jughead' |
Last Name | Jones | We've added the new data on the subscriber's last name |
Email Address | No change | |
Birthdate | (blank) | We've removed the data on the subscriber's birthdate |
Tags | [Student] Riverdale High, [Reporter] The Blue & Gold | We've tagged the subscriber with the two specified tags |
Importing a CSV with data on existing subscribers is a great way of correcting names or issues in bulk. That's because we will use the imported data to override and replace the data you already have stored for these subscribers in Kit.
But if you don't want an import to overwrite certain data on existing subscribers, split your import work into multiple files.
Let's say your import file looks like this:
Note the blank First Name value for the subscriber with the '[email protected]' email address
Let's also assume that you already have the following data for these two subscribers in Kit:
Name of field | Subscriber data for [email protected] | Subscriber data for [email protected] |
First Name | Jughead 👈 Note how there is already data here | (blank) |
Last Name | (blank) | (blank) |
Email Address | ||
Tags | (none) | (none) |
If you were to import your current import file, your data in Kit for these subscribers would become:
Name of field | Subscriber data for [email protected] | Subscriber data for [email protected] |
First Name | (blank) 👈 We've replaced the original 'Jughead' data with a blank value | Archie |
Last Name | Jones | Andrews |
Email Address | ||
Tags | [Student] Riverdale High, [Reporter] The Blue & Gold | [Student] Riverdale High |
To avoid losing First Name data in such a manner, you could:
Do a first import where your import file does not include the subscribers whose First Name data you don't want to change:
This first import file does not include data for the subscriber with the '[email protected]' email address, as we don't want to replace this subscriber's existing First Name field with a blank value
From the first import, we will update all your subscribers' profiles in Kit except for the subscribers whose First Name fields you don't want to overwrite.
Next, do a second import where your import file includes all subscribers, but does not have a First Name column.
This second import file includes the data for both subscribers except for their First Name fields
In the second import, we will update the remaining subscriber profiles in Kit without touching the existing data in their First Name fields.
Ready? Let's move on to the tutorial!
1. Upload your CSV
From the Subscribers page (Grow > Subscribers), click the red ‘Add Subscribers’ button. Then select ‘Import a CSV’, and upload your CSV file.
2. Select where you're importing these subscribers
Under 'Include these subscribers', select a form, sequence, or tag to import this CSV of subscribers into. We recommend importing into a tag, unless you have a specific reason to choose one of the other options.
3. Map all of the fields you're importing
Where it says ‘Map the Columns to Fields’, go down the list and select the correct column for each field in Kit. For the list of tags, select ‘Comma-separated list of tags’. You can also type the names of new custom fields for mapping your data to.
☝️ Mapping your fields is really important! If you don't select a field for a column, or create a new custom field for its data, that column's data will not be added to Kit.
4. Click ‘Import subscribers’
Depending on how many subscribers you're importing, the import might take a few minutes to process. However, you should be able to see all of your subscribers (and their data!) in your list before long.
Once the import is complete, you're done!
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.