A complete guide to importing and cleaning contacts in Klemail for optimal results

Let’s be real: managing email contacts is a pain. Whether you’re in marketing, sales, or just tired of bounced emails and spam traps, sloppy contact lists are a recipe for wasted time and money. This guide is for anyone who wants to get their email lists into shape using Klemail—minus the fluff.

We’ll walk through importing your contacts, cleaning them up, and keeping your lists healthy. No magic bullets, no “growth hacks,” just practical steps that work.

Why bother cleaning your contacts?

Dirty lists are expensive. Every bad email you send raises the odds of being flagged as spam, which tanks your deliverability. You’ll waste money, annoy real prospects, and maybe get blacklisted.

Signs your list needs work: - Bounce rates creeping up - More emails hitting spam - Weird typos or dead domains in your contacts - Old lists you haven’t touched for months (or years)

Klemail’s main job is to help you spot and remove these bad apples before they get you in trouble. But it’s not a set-and-forget tool—you’ll get the most out of it by doing things right.

Step 1: Get your contact data ready

Don’t just dump data in and hope for the best. Garbage in, garbage out.

Do this before you touch Klemail: - Export your contacts from wherever they live: CRM, Excel, Google Sheets—doesn’t matter, as long as you can get a .CSV or .TXT file. - Make sure you have the basics: At minimum, you need an email column. Name, company, etc. are nice but optional. - Clean up duplicates and obvious junk: Delete rows with missing emails, test addresses (like test@example.com), and anything that looks fishy. - Check your headers: The first row should have clear column names: email, first_name, etc. Avoid spaces and weird punctuation.

Pro tip: If your list has more than one email column, pick the right one—or merge them into a single column. Simple is better.

Step 2: Import your contacts into Klemail

Now you’re ready to bring your contacts into Klemail. The process is straightforward, but there are a few things worth knowing.

How to import

  1. Log in to Klemail and head to the “Contacts” or “List Cleaning” section.
  2. Choose “Import” and select your file (usually .CSV).
  3. Map your columns: Klemail will guess which column is which, but double-check—especially if your headers aren’t standard.
  4. Name your list: Pick something descriptive, like “Newsletter_June2024” or “TradeShowLeads_March.”
  5. Start the import.

What usually trips people up

  • Wrong file format: Klemail likes .CSV best. Excel files sometimes mess things up.
  • Extra columns: Too much data can slow down imports. Stick to just what you need.
  • Weird characters: Non-English symbols or emojis sometimes cause errors. If you see weirdness, clean your file first.

Honest take: Klemail’s import process is decent, but don’t expect fancy automapping or error correction. If you see errors, it’s almost always something with your file—not the app.

Step 3: Cleaning and validating your list

This is where the magic (well, the actual work) happens. Once your contacts are in, Klemail runs validation to spot:

  • Invalid or misspelled emails (like johndoe@gmial.com)
  • Disposable addresses (think: mailinator.com)
  • Role-based emails (info@, support@, etc.)
  • Spam traps and risky domains

How to clean your list

  1. Start the validation process: Hit “Validate” or “Clean.” Klemail will churn through your list—this usually takes a few minutes, but big lists can take longer.
  2. Review the results: Klemail will break down your list into buckets:
  3. Valid
  4. Invalid
  5. Risky (catch-all, unknown, disposable, role-based, etc.)
  6. Decide what to keep:
  7. Keep “valid”: These are safe to email.
  8. Think twice about “risky”: Some catch-all domains work, but many bounce. Use your judgment.
  9. Delete “invalid” and “disposable”: No value here. Get rid of them.

Pro tip: Don’t obsess over getting the “valid” percentage to 100%. If you’re above 90%, you’re doing fine. There’s always some gray area.

What Klemail does not do

  • It won’t fix typos for you. If you see gnail.com or yaho.com, you’ll need to correct those by hand.
  • It doesn’t enrich data. No auto-filling names or companies. If you want that, look elsewhere.

Step 4: Export and sync your clean list

Once you’ve cleaned your list, it’s time to put it to use. Don’t skip this step.

Exporting your clean list

  • Download your “valid” contacts as a new .CSV.
  • Optionally, export “risky” contacts to a separate file if you want to manually review them later.

Syncing with your email tool or CRM

  • Manual upload: Most people just upload the clean CSV to Mailchimp, HubSpot, or wherever they send emails.
  • Automated syncs: Klemail offers integrations with some platforms, but they’re not perfect. If you have issues, stick with manual exports.

Heads up: Always keep a backup of your clean list. If something goes wrong with your email tool, you’ll be glad you did.

Step 5: Ongoing maintenance (seriously, don’t skip this)

A clean list today can get messy fast. People change jobs, domains die, and spam traps pop up. Set a calendar reminder to re-clean your active lists every few months—especially if you’re importing new leads regularly.

What to watch for: - New bounces or complaints: If you see a spike, run a fresh validation. - Sudden drops in open rates: Dirty list might be the culprit. - Old segments: If you haven’t emailed a group in 6+ months, re-validate before sending.

Don’t bother: Cleaning lists you don’t plan to use. Focus on your active audience.

What actually matters (and what doesn’t)

What works

  • Consistent, basic hygiene: Remove obvious junk, validate regularly, and don’t trust ancient files.
  • Using Klemail to spot disposable or risky addresses before you email them.
  • Keeping things simple—don’t overthink your columns or file formats.

What doesn’t work

  • Chasing 100% perfection. There’s always “unknown” and “catch-all” results—don’t lose sleep over them.
  • Relying on Klemail (or any tool) to fix human errors or enrich your data magically.
  • Importing every lead you’ve ever collected “just in case.” If you wouldn’t email them today, don’t bother.

Wrap-up: Keep it simple, stay clean

Managing contacts isn’t glamorous, but a little discipline saves a ton of hassle later. Get your data in order, use Klemail to clean it up, and focus your energy where it counts: reaching real people who want to hear from you.

Don’t get overwhelmed trying to build the perfect list. Start small, keep it clean, and tweak your process as you go. That’s how you get results—no hype required.