Import your contacts
Contacts are the foundation of everything else. Import your list once, map the columns to fields, and record consent so every send respects who agreed to hear from you.
What you'll need
- A CSV file with a header row
- At least one identifier column (email or phone)
- Knowing the legal basis / consent source for these contacts
Start the import
- 1
Open Contacts → “Import CSV”
Go to Contacts in the sidebar and click Import CSV.
- 2
Select your file
Pick a CSV whose first row is a header. You'll see a preview of the first rows before anything is saved.
Map the columns
Match each CSV column to a Climails field. Email, phone, first/last name and locale map to built-in fields; anything else becomes a custom attribute you can later use in segments and personalization.
- Identity: email and/or phone are used to deduplicate.
- Attributes: country, plan, last_order_total — anything you want to segment on.
- Tags: free-form labels for quick grouping.
Record consent
For each channel (email, SMS, …) store whether the contact opted in. Consent and legal basis live on the contact record, and global/workspace suppression lists are applied automatically on every send — so unsubscribed or bounced addresses are never contacted again.
After the import
Once processed, contacts are searchable in the Contacts table and immediately available to lists, segments, campaigns and automations.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a list and a segment?
A list is a static group you add people to. A segment is a saved, self-updating audience defined by rules (see the segment guide).
Can I import via the API instead?
Yes — use the bulk upsert or the CSV import endpoint under /v1/workspaces/{workspace_id}/contacts. See the API guide.
What happens to unsubscribed contacts I re-import?
Their suppression status is preserved. Re-importing never silently re-subscribes someone who opted out.
Start sending in minutes
Create a free account, connect your domain and reach your audience across every channel — no credit card needed.
Free plan forever · No credit card required · Set up in minutes