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Import subscribers

There are two ways to bring an existing audience into SmartMailing: upload a CSV export, or connect Mailchimp, MailerLite, or Brevo and pull subscribers in directly. Both run through the same import pipeline, so verification, suppression checks, and consent records work identically.

Imported subscribers skip double opt-in. To do that safely, every import requires a consent attestation: you state where consent came from, when it was given, and the exact wording subscribers agreed to. This is stored as a consent record on every imported subscriber, along with your user id and a timestamp.

Import from a CSV file​

Click Import CSV on the Subscribers page. The import runs in three steps.

Step 1: file and mapping​

  1. Pick a CSV file. The limit is 5MB and 5,000 rows per import; split larger files and run multiple imports.
  2. SmartMailing parses the file in your browser, shows a preview of the first 10 rows, and tries to detect the source (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, Klaviyo, or generic CSV).
  3. Check the column mapping. Only Email is required; Name, Language, Consent date, and Consent IP are optional. Columns are auto-mapped where possible, and you can correct any of them.
  4. Optionally map custom fields: pick any other CSV column and give it a field name, for example a Customer ID column mapped to a customer_id field. These values are stored on each subscriber and shown on their detail page.
  5. Click Continue.

Fill in the consent audit trail:

  • Where did consent come from? For example Mailchimp export 2025-01-15.
  • Default consent date. Used for rows without a per-row date. If you mapped a consent date column, per-row dates take priority.
  • Exact consent text subscribers saw. The wording from the original signup form.
  • The attestation checkbox, confirming you have consent from every person in the file.

Then click Import with attestation.

Step 3: result​

You get a summary of what happened to every row: Created, Updated, Duplicate in file, Suppressed, Invalid email, Disposable, Dead domain, Risky (role), and Errored, plus a table of the first skipped or errored rows with the reason for each.

Import from Mailchimp, MailerLite, or Brevo​

Click Import from tool on the Subscribers page.

  1. Pick your provider and paste an API key. The modal tells you where to find the key for each tool. The key is sent over HTTPS, used once server-side to read your subscribers, and never stored.
  2. Click Connect. SmartMailing fetches your account's audiences (Mailchimp), groups (MailerLite), or lists (Brevo). Pick the one to import and click Continue.
  3. Fill in the same consent attestation as the CSV flow and click Import with attestation.

Only active subscribers are pulled; people who unsubscribed or were removed in your old tool are skipped. Where the provider exposes it, each subscriber's original opt-in date is carried over, and the default consent date is only the fallback.

What every import checks​

Before anything is created, each row goes through:

  • Validation and dedupe: invalid addresses and duplicates within the file are skipped.
  • Deliverability screening: disposable addresses and dead domains (domains that can't receive mail) are skipped. Role addresses like info@ are imported but flagged as risky.
  • Suppression check: addresses on the brand's suppression list are never imported, so past unsubscribes, bounces, and complaints stay protected.

Existing subscribers are updated rather than duplicated; their custom fields are merged, not replaced.

tip

Export only people who are currently subscribed in your old tool. Importing stale or opted-out addresses hurts deliverability and violates the attestation you sign.