The CSV upload feature allows you to easily import new contacts or update existing ones in bulk. This is particularly useful when migrating from another platform or when you need to add a large number of contacts at once.

Bulk import

Add thousands of contacts at once with a simple spreadsheet upload

Automatic deduplication

No need to worry about duplicates—Brew handles them automatically

Custom properties support

Include any custom fields you want to add or update with your contacts

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Getting Started with CSV Uploads

1

Prepare your CSV file

Create a CSV file with the following columns:

Required column:

  • Email - The contact’s email address

Recommended columns:

  • First Name - The contact’s first name
  • Last Name - The contact’s last name

Optional column:

  • Subscribed - Whether the contact is subscribed (use true or false, defaults to true if not specified)
  • Any custom properties you’ve created in Brew

Download our example CSV template to ensure your file is correctly formatted.

2

Access the import screen

  1. Go to the Audience page
  2. Click the Add Contacts button in the top right corner
  3. Select CSV Upload from the dropdown menu

3

Upload your CSV file

  1. Drag and drop your CSV file into the upload area or click to browse your files
  2. Wait for the file to upload and process

4

Map CSV columns to Brew properties

After uploading, you’ll see a column mapping screen:

  1. Ensure each CSV column is correctly mapped to the corresponding Brew property
  2. For any columns that don’t have a default mapping, select the appropriate property from the dropdown
  3. Click Continue when the mapping is complete

If your CSV contains columns for custom properties that don’t yet exist in Brew, they will be automatically created during the import process.

5

Review and confirm

Review the import summary, which shows:

  • Total contacts to be added or updated
  • Any potential issues or errors
  • Option to trigger automations for new contacts
  • Option to add contacts to subscription groups

6

Complete the import

Click Complete Import to finalize the process.

You’ll see a success message when the import is complete, and your contacts will be available in your Audience.

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Adding Contacts to Subscription Groups During Import

During the import process, you can optionally add the imported contacts to one or more subscription groups:

1

Enable subscription group option

On the review screen, toggle on Add to subscription groups

2

Select subscription groups

Choose the subscription groups you want to add the contacts to from the dropdown menu

3

Complete the import

Continue with the import process as normal

This will only add contacts to the selected groups - it won’t remove them from any groups they might already belong to.

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Updating Existing Contacts

You can also use CSV upload to update existing contacts:

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Triggering Automations for Imported Contacts

You can optionally trigger automations when importing contacts:

1

Enable automation triggers

On the review screen, toggle on Trigger automations

2

Understand which automations will trigger

This will trigger:

  • For new contacts: Automations with “Contact added” triggers
  • For updated contacts: Automations with “Contact updated” triggers
  • If adding to subscription groups: Automations with “Added to subscription group” triggers
3

Complete the import

Continue with the import process as normal

Be careful when enabling this option with large imports, as it could trigger a high volume of emails.

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Viewing Import History

You can view a history of your past CSV imports:

  1. Go to the Audience page
  2. Click Add Contacts → CSV Upload
  3. Click View imports
  4. This shows all previous imports with details like:
    • Import date and time
    • Number of contacts imported
    • Success/error rates
  5. Click on any import to see detailed information

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Troubleshooting Common CSV Issues

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