How do I import a large subscriber file?

On the page Subscribers → Add → Import, you can quickly expand your list by importing an Excel file.

The Excel file to be imported may contain email addresses, and other subscriber data (such as first name, last name, gender, age, place of residence and telephone number). The Excel file to be imported must end in .xls, .xlsx or .csv.

You import the Excel file in four small steps:

Step 1: Select file

In Step 1 you select your Excel file on your computer.

Step 2: Select subscribers

Select whether you wish to add new subscribers to your Laposta list, modify the subscriber data of your existing subscribers in your Laposta list, or both.

Step 3: Select columns

In Step 3 you can indicate for each column of your Excel file whether you want to import the data. And if so, under which field this data may be included in your Laposta list. 

We advise you to import all subscriber data that are relevant to your newsletters the first time. By using additional subscriber data, you can personalise your newsletters and/or segment your lists.

When importing several values in one field (multiple-choice field, in which several selections are possible), you must enter the values in your Excel file separated by commas. For example, the column or multiple-choice field 'Favourite holiday country' could look like this: 

david@mycompany.co.uk: Greece, Italy
brenda@university.ir: Sweden, Denmark, Greenland

Importing

When you click Import, the columns you've selected are imported into your list. You can check the import progress in the toolbar on the left. 

Importing subscriber files up to approximately 1000 subscribers only takes a few seconds. Subscriber files with over 1000 subscribers take a little longer. In the meantime, you can keep using the program.

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You cannot use an Excel to add email addresses that have led to a hard bounce in the past to an existing list. The same applies to subscribers who have unsubscribed from the newsletter before. These subscribers are automatically filtered out.

Furthermore, Laposta automatically removes doubles. In other words: the same email address never appears in a list twice.

Step 4: Results

You can see when your import is finished in the status block on the sidebar. If you click 'View results' in Step 4, you will see the number of existing subscribers whose details have been updated, and/or the total amount of new subscribers added to your list. Optionally, you can look at additional details on the import.

If importing is not successful

Occasionally, the file cannot be read. These are possible solutions:

• Our application only reads the first tab of and Excel sheet. If your sheet contains several tabs, you must ensure that the data to be imported are on the first tab.
• If there are formulas or references in the cells, they are not always recognised correctly. The solution is to copy the required sheet and paste it into a new sheet. Select the option 'Paste Special' and then 'Values only'.