Add & Import Contacts

Emalc offers two flexible methods to populate your audience directory: manual single-contact addition for quick individual updates, and a high-speed bulk CSV import engine capable of importing up to 20 MB of subscriber records in the background.

Method 1: Adding a Single Contact Manually#

Use this method when you need to add an individual customer, VIP client, or test subscriber directly from your dashboard.

Manual Add Contacts slide-over panel with name, email, country, and status fields

Step-by-Step Instructions:#

1. Navigate to Audience → Contacts in your dashboard.
2. Click the blue + Add contact button in the top-right toolbar.
3. In the right slide-over panel, fill in the subscriber details:
   • First Name & Last Name: Personal names used for {{first_name}} and {{last_name}} merge tags.
   • Email: The subscriber's email address (required).
   • Country: Select the subscriber's country from the searchable dropdown.
   • Phone (Optional): Enter their phone number with the corresponding country flag and dial code.
   • Status: Select their subscription state (Subscribed, Unsubscribed, or None).
   • Select a group: Assign the contact to one or more existing groups, or click to create a new group directly from the dropdown.
4. Click + Add contact to save.

Method 2: Bulk CSV Import#

When migrating from another email service provider or importing an existing customer database, use the bulk CSV import tool.

CSV Import drawer with drag-and-drop file uploader and sample CSV download button

Step 1: Prepare Your CSV File#

Before uploading, ensure your CSV file matches our recommended format. You can click Download sample CSV directly inside the import modal to obtain the official template (contacts_model.csv).

Step 2: Upload Your File#

1. In Audience → Contacts, click the Import contacts button.
2. Drag and drop your .csv, .xlsx, or .xls file into the upload zone, or click to browse files from your computer (maximum file size: 20 MB).

Step 3: Pre-Flight Inspection & Group Assignment#

Once uploaded, Emalc's client-side and server-side parsers immediately validate your records and display a pre-flight breakdown:

CSV import pre-flight summary showing valid rows, update counts, and group assignment

• New: Brand new email addresses that will be added to your workspace.
• Update: Existing contacts whose name, phone, or country fields will be updated with the new data.
• No change: Records that are already up-to-date in your database.
• Assign to Group: Select any group from the Select a group dropdown to automatically assign all imported contacts to that list upon completion.

Step 4: Confirm & Background Import#

Click the blue Import button. Emalc streams the data in background chunks so your browser remains completely responsive:

CSV import completion screen showing 100% progress and total imported count

When complete, a green success banner confirms the total number of imported contacts, and your contacts table updates immediately.

Contact Quality Inspection Rules#

Follow these 4 essential rules before uploading contact lists to maintain high sender reputation:

Exporting Your Contacts#

You can export your full contacts directory at any time:

1. Go to Audience → Contacts.
2. Click the Export icon (download tray) in the top-right toolbar.
3. Your browser will instantly download a complete .csv file containing all contacts, phone numbers, subscription statuses, and creation timestamps.