Before you start
Have these three things decided before you open the import flow – you'll set all of them in step 3:
Legal basis – is the consent freelyhc sub given or legitimate interest?
Subscription type – which subscription type(s) should the contacts go into? If they need a new one, create it before you start – a subscription type can't be created during the import.
Opt-in date – is it in your file, or the same date for everyone?
A clean list imports better. We recommend importing only active contacts to keep data quality high and reduce opt-outs, spam complaints, and bounces.
💡 Tip: When importing a new newsletter list, include the contacts who engaged with your emails in the last 3–4 months. Old, cold addresses are the main source of bounces.
How-to video
Prepare your file
Attributes
Prepare your file with the contacts and the attributes you want to import.
The standard attributes available in MarketHype are first name, last name, email, phone number, address, zip code, city, country, gender, and birth date.
You can also add custom attributes based on your organization's needs. See how to create a custom contact attribute.
Example of a correct structure with standard attributes:
First name | Last name | Phone number | Gender | |
Anna | Andersen | 0046 70 000 00 00 | Female | |
Berry | Baker | 0046 70 111 11 11 | Other | |
Carl | Carter | 0046 70 222 22 22 | Male |
Example using custom attributes for different data types:
Customer number (Numbers) | Genre (Multiple choice) | Gold customer (True/False) |
101 | Pop, Soul, Rock | TRUE |
102 | Rock, Jazz | FALSE |
103 | House, Jazz | FALSE |
File structure
The first row must be a header row that describes each column. MarketHype always treats row 1 as the header and never imports it as a contact, so your file has to include one.
Each row must contain at least an email address or a phone number – otherwise the contact won't be imported.
Supported formats
File format: .csv, UTF-8 format. If your list is in another format such as .xlsx or .xls, you can usually export it to .csv in a few clicks. See how to convert your file.
Phone numbers: Include the country code, for example 46730000000 or +46730000000. If the number has no country code (for example 0730000000), you must include the Country attribute as a column in the file so the number imports correctly.
Date: YYYY-MM-DD (ISO 8601 format)
Gender: male, female, other, or unknown (upper or lowercase).
Country: ISO 639 format (SE, SWE, Sweden, DK, DNK, Denmark etc).
To generate location: If you import only zip code or city (without an address), include the Country attribute as a column so the location can be generated and shown on the map.
Create your import
Step 1: Choose the type of import
Go to Imports → Create import, and choose Contacts as your import option.
Step 2: Select the file
Add your list with drag-and-drop or click to select file. The file must be in .csv format.
Step 3: Set the information required
Once the file is selected, click Next and set the following.
Subscription type
Choose the subscription type(s) you want to import the contacts into. If they should go into a new subscription type, create it before you continue.
Think about how you'll communicate with these contacts. If they should receive the same communication as your existing audience, import them into your existing subscription type. If they should receive something separate – sponsors, for example – create a new subscription type to keep their consent apart.
Legal basis
Set the type of consent the contacts have given:
Freely given: the contact actively gave consent, for example by signing up through a newsletter form.
Legitimate interest: the contact didn't actively give consent but showed interest, for example by buying a product.
ℹ️ Note: You can set only one legal basis per import. If your list mixes both, split it into separate imports.
When did you get their consent?
MarketHype tracks which contacts have valid consent, so you need to set when each consent was given. Two options:
Get consent from a column in my file – if your file includes consent dates, you'll select that column in the next step.
Choose date – if the date isn't in the file, pick one date that applies to every contact in the list.
Step 4: Select the column that holds the opt-in date
If you chose Get consent from a column in my file in the previous step, select the right column here.
Step 5: Map the columns
Match your file's columns to the correct MarketHype attributes – both standard attributes and any custom attributes you've created are available.
Column in file: the name of the column in your file.
Map to attribute: the MarketHype attribute you're mapping it to.
Sample column data: an example of what the column contains.
Step 6: Name your import
Give your import a name. This name only appears in the import overview, so that you can recognize what kind of import it was.
Step 7: Import the list
When everything's set, click Import, and the import starts.
MarketHype doesn't store or save imported files, so keep your own copy on your computer if you need it.
⚠️ Important: Once you click Import, it can't be undone.
Review your import
When the import is finished, you'll see how many rows were imported successfully and whether any caused errors. An error usually means an empty row or a row missing a valid email address.
Open the import from the overview to see which row caused the error.
ℹ️ Note: Add +1 to the row number shown – the first row in your file is always the column headers.