Importing contacts

This article covers how to add contacts to rasa.io — from a CSV file, manually, or through an integration.

Three ways to add contacts

1. File upload — bulk import from a CSV or Excel file
2. Manual entry — add one contact at a time
3. Integration sync — pull contacts from a connected system (e.g., HubSpot)

You can also add contacts via the rasa.io API if you're building a custom integration. See API Keys for setup.

File upload (CSV or Excel)

Format your file

Your file should have one row per contact, with the following columns:

• Email (required)
• First Name (recommended)
• Last Name (recommended)
• Any additional custom fields you want to store

Save the file as CSV or Excel (.xlsx) format.

Upload to a list

1. Go to Contacts → Lists
2. Either click into an existing list or click + Create List
3. If creating a new list, choose Upload File as the source
4. Follow the prompts to upload your file

For an existing list, click the Imports button on the list detail view to upload a new file.

What happens during upload

• New contacts are added to the list
• Existing contacts (matching email) are updated if you map fields
• Invalid email addresses are flagged

You can see the status of every upload in Settings → Imports — the full history of every file uploaded across all your lists.

Adding contacts manually

To add a contact directly:

1. Go to Contacts → Lists and click into a list
2. Click + Add Contacts
3. Choose the tab you want:

• Search Existing — pick from contacts already in your account
• Create New — add a brand-new contact (adds to both the list and your contact database)
• Import CSV — bulk upload a file

Integration sync

If you've connected an integration (e.g., HubSpot in Settings → Integrations), you can use it as a source when creating a new list:

1. Go to Contacts → Lists and click + Create List
2. Choose your integration as the source
3. Select the list, segment, or query from the integration to sync from
4. Name the list and save

Lists synced from integrations stay in sync going forward — when contacts change in your connected system, those updates flow to rasa.io.

Best practices

• Keep your file clean — remove duplicates, invalid emails, and incomplete rows before uploading
• Use one list per purpose — a list for "all newsletter subscribers" is different from "webinar registrants March 2026"
• Don't import lists you don't have permission to email — see Subscriber permission and consent
• Test with a small file first — if you have a large list, try a sample of 20-50 first to confirm format works

Troubleshooting

"My file failed to upload."

• Check Settings → Imports for the failed import — sometimes there's a specific error reason
• Confirm the file is CSV or Excel format
• Make sure there's a column with valid email addresses
• Look for special characters or formatting issues in your file

"Contacts uploaded but they're not on the list."

• Refresh the page
• Click into the specific list and search for one of the contacts
• Check the import status in Settings → Imports

"Duplicates were created."

rasa.io matches by email. If you have multiple emails for the same person, they'll show as separate contacts. Use a single canonical email per person.

What's next

• List hygiene and cleaning — keeping your contact data healthy
• Subscribers vs contacts — the difference between them
• Subscriber permission and consent — legal requirements for emailing people