Import leads via CSV

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Tip:

The more lead data you include — especially first name, company name, and job title — the more personalised your AI-generated emails will be. Email-only lists still work, but personalisation quality will be lower.

Overview

CarcMail’s lead import lets you upload a CSV file of prospects and map each column to a CarcMail field. Once imported, leads live in your account and can be added to any campaign.

The import process validates each row. Invalid email addresses are flagged and excluded. Duplicates of emails already in your account are skipped automatically. Everything else is imported and ready to use.

You can import multiple CSVs over time — all leads pool together in the Leads section, where you can filter, search, and tag them for campaign targeting.

Before you start

A CSV file with at least one column containing email addresses
Column headers in the first row (e.g. 'email', 'first_name', 'company')
The file is UTF-8 encoded — standard for most spreadsheet exports
Leads have opted in appropriately for outbound contact in your jurisdiction

Preparing your CSV

Your CSV needs at least an email column. Everything else is optional but recommended:

Column	Required?	Notes
email	Yes	Must be a valid email format
first_name	Recommended	Used to personalise the email opening
last_name	Optional	—
company	Recommended	Used in AI email body
title	Optional	Adds context for personalisation
linkedin_url	Optional	Stored but not used in sending
Custom columns	Optional	Stored as custom fields, accessible to AI

Export your spreadsheet as a CSV (File → Download → CSV format in Google Sheets).

Step-by-step

Go to Leads and click Import CSV

In the CarcMail sidebar, click Leads. In the top right, click Import CSV. A file picker will appear.

Upload your file

Select your CSV file. CarcMail will read the first few rows and display a preview of the columns it detected. This happens immediately after you select the file.

Map columns to CarcMail fields

For each column CarcMail detected, choose which CarcMail field it corresponds to. If your column is named “email” or “Email”, CarcMail will usually auto-detect this. For others, select from the dropdown.

If a column doesn’t match any field, you can map it to “Custom field” — it will still be stored and available for AI personalisation.

Columns you don’t want to import can be left as “Skip this column”.

Review the validation summary

Before confirming the import, CarcMail shows a summary:

Total rows found
Valid leads to import
Invalid rows (malformed email, missing email, etc.)
Duplicates that will be skipped

Invalid rows are listed with the specific issue so you can fix them in your spreadsheet if needed.

Confirm and import

Click Import leads. Valid leads are added to your account immediately. A confirmation message shows how many were imported.

How to confirm it worked

The Leads section shows the newly imported leads with their import date
The total lead count in the top bar increases
You can search by email or filter by import date to find your new leads
When creating a campaign, these leads are available for selection

Common issues

Issue	What to check
File won’t upload	Confirm the file is saved as CSV, not XLSX or another format.
All rows flagged as invalid	Your email column may not be mapped correctly. Check the column mapping step.
Fewer leads than expected	Duplicates and invalid rows are excluded. Check the validation summary for details.
Personalisation in emails is generic	Missing first name or company fields. Enrich your CSV with more data before importing.

Frequently asked questions

Only email is required. First name, last name, company, title, and any custom fields are optional but improve personalisation.

CarcMail deduplicates by email address. Duplicates are skipped on import.

No. You can import as many leads as you need. Your daily sending limit controls campaign pacing.