How to Import Contacts into Brevo the Right Way

Importing contacts is the foundation of your email marketing system. If your list is messy, unverified, outdated, or purchased, your results inside Brevo will suffer instantly. High bounce rates, unsubscribes, spam complaints, and poor deliverability often begin with one mistake: uploading the wrong contacts. When you import your list the right way, everything in your email strategy becomes easier — segmentation, engagement, automation, analytics, and long-term growth.

This guide walks you through the correct way to import contacts into Brevo, step-by-step, the exact CSV format to use, what data fields matter, how to maintain list health, and the biggest mistakes beginners unknowingly make. Follow these steps and you’ll protect your sender reputation from day one.

Why Proper Importing Matters

Most email problems do not come from automation or campaign content. They come from a single root issue: a dirty or poorly imported list. Brevo is strict about list quality because inbox providers (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail) punish senders who upload spam-looking contacts.

• High bounce rates → immediate deliverability damage
• Spam complaints → sender score drops
• Role-based emails (info@ / admin@) → flagged automatically
• Unverified addresses → unpredictable engagement
• Old inactive leads → tank your open rates

A clean import protects your entire marketing system — and keeps your Brevo account safe.

1. What You Must Clean Before Importing

The biggest beginner mistake is uploading a raw Excel file. Before you import anything into Brevo, your list MUST go through a cleaning checklist.

A. Remove invalid emails

• Addresses with typos (gmial.com, hotmial.com)
• Missing @ symbol
• Spaces or invalid characters

B. Remove role-based emails

• info@
• support@
• admin@
• sales@

C. Remove duplicates

• Only keep the newest or most active version of each user

D. Verify old emails

• Anything older than 12 months should be verified

If you skip cleaning, Brevo will automatically detect risky contacts — but by then, your sender score may already be damaged.

2. Correct CSV Format for Brevo

Your CSV file determines whether Brevo can properly map your data. Here is the ideal structure for maximum segmentation power:

Recommended Columns:

• EMAIL — required
• FIRSTNAME
• LASTNAME
• PHONE (optional but powerful)
• SIGNUPDATE
• TAGS (comma-separated)
• COUNTRY
• CUSTOM_ATTRIBUTE_1 (interests)

When your data is structured like this, Brevo can automatically segment and personalize campaigns without manual work.

3. Step-by-Step: Importing Contacts into Brevo

Step 1: Go to Contacts → Import Contacts

Choose either CSV upload or copy/paste mode. CSV is always safer and gives you more control.

Step 2: Upload Your Clean CSV

Make sure the file uses UTF-8 encoding to avoid formatting issues.

Step 3: Map Your Data Fields

• EMAIL → email
• FIRSTNAME → first name field
• TAGS → tags field

Never skip mapping — this is where most beginners ruin their segmentation.

Step 4: Choose Your List

You can either add contacts to an existing list or create a new one specifically for this import.

Step 5: Confirm “Double Opt-In” Status

Brevo will ask if your contacts explicitly chose to join your email list. Always select the true option. Uploading purchased lists is against Brevo policy and will get your account restricted.

Step 6: Start Import

Brevo will process your data and show warnings for risky email patterns.

4. Avoid These Beginner Mistakes

These mistakes destroy results quickly:

• Uploading outdated leads
• Importing contacts without permission
• Skipping email verification
• Mixing customers and cold leads in one list
• Importing irrelevant extra columns

Brevo automatically flags suspicious lists — so avoid shortcuts.

5. Best Practices for Healthy Contacts

• Re-verify emails every 6–12 months
• Tag users by their source (ad, social, website form)
• Remove inactive subscribers at least twice a year
• Use Brevo’s engagement-based segmentation

A clean list improves automation, campaigns, and deliverability.

6. Real Companies Using Brevo Clean Lists

• Bunny Williams Home — using Brevo since 2024
• Blue Note Records — using Brevo since 2023
• Retailer XYZ — migrated to Brevo in 2022

Final Verdict

Importing contacts into Brevo is not just a technical step — it is a deliverability strategy. When your list is organized, verified, structured with proper fields, and tagged correctly, everything becomes easier: segmentation, campaigns, workflows, analytics, and long-term audience retention. A clean import today saves months of future problems.

EmailSchool Recommendation

Start with a single clean CSV file and use proper tag categories for segmentation. Verify old leads before uploading and remove risky contacts before they destroy your sender reputation. Learn directly from Brevo Official to follow best importing practices and build a strong foundation for your email system.