Importing your existing contact database into Innercrowd allows you to start sending campaigns and managing your audience right away. This article walks you through the full import process, from uploading your file to reviewing your contacts before they are added to your database.
Important: Before importing contacts, make sure you have configured your consent types. This allows you to correctly assign consent during the import. How to Create Custom Consent Types.
Step 1: Navigate to Contacts
Go to Innercrowd Dashboard > Audience > click on the gear icon in the top right corner. > click Upload contacts.
Step 2: Name Your Import
A pop-up will appear. Give your import a name in the Import name field, for example, "Mailchimp" or "Newsletter list 2025".
Note: This name is for your reference only, making it easier to find the import in your dashboard later.
Click Next to continue.
Step 3: Add Tags and Update Settings
In this step, you can assign tags to the contacts you are importing and configure how existing contacts are handled.
Add tags to contacts (Optional) Select one or more tags from the dropdown to automatically label every contact in this import. This makes it easier to filter and manage them in your database later. You can also create a new tag by clicking + Create new tag.
Update data of existing contacts When this toggle is turned on, any existing contacts in your database will be updated with the new data from your import file. We recommend keeping this turned on to ensure your database stays up to date.
Click Next to continue.
Step 4: Configure Consent (Optional)
In this step, you can assign consent values to the contacts you are importing.
Overwrite consents for all contacts When this toggle is turned off, no consent values will be assigned during this import. Turn it on to assign consent values to every contact in this import.
Note: Only use this step if all contacts in your import share the same consent status. You will need to import your subscribed contacts separately from your unsubscribed contacts.
When enabled, two fields appear:
Select consent — Choose the consent type you want to assign, for example, Email, WhatsApp, or a custom consent type.
Set value to — Choose Subscribed or Unsubscribed.
You can add multiple consent rules by clicking + Add consent. The consent dropdown shows all available consent types, including any custom types you have created.
Click Next to continue.
Step 5: Confirm Your Import
Before uploading your file, you must confirm that your import meets the following conditions by ticking the checkbox:
Contacts were not purchased
Contacts were not borrowed
Contacts gave explicit permission for these consents
Click 'Upload file' to proceed.
Step 6: Upload Your File
Drag and drop your file into the upload area, or click Select file to browse your computer. The following file formats are supported: XLS(X), CSV, TSV, and PSV.
TIP: Not sure about the right format? Download the Excel template or CSV template using the buttons in the top right corner to get started with the correct structure.
Step 7: Header Selection
After uploading your file, Innercrowd displays the contents of your file in a table. Select the row that contains your column headers, for example, the row with "First Name", "Last Name", and "Email". Click Continue to proceed.
Step 8: Match Columns
In this step, Innercrowd automatically tries to match the columns in your file to the correct fields in your database. A green checkmark indicates a successful automatic match. A yellow warning means the column could not be matched automatically, and you will need to select the correct field manually using the dropdown.
Please note: check if all columns are matched correctly, also the ones that are pre-filled. Is a field missing within Innercrowd? Check this article on how to create custom fields.
Click Confirm to proceed.
Step 9: Review Entries
In the final step, you see a full overview of all contacts that will be imported. Use the "Error rows" tab to review any entries that contain errors and correct them manually before completing the import. You can also use Find & replace to make bulk corrections, or Export as Excel to edit the file externally and re-upload it.
Once everything looks correct, click Complete import.
Succes! Your contacts have been imported and are now available in your Innercrowd database.