If you’re sending emails with GetAia, you probably care about one thing: making sure your messages actually land in the inbox, not the spam folder. A lot of that comes down to how you handle your contact lists. Whether you’re importing leads for the first time, or trying to enrich an old list, there are a few steps that make a real difference—and a bunch of noise you can safely ignore.
This is for marketers, founders, or anyone who’s tired of emails bouncing or getting flagged as junk. Here’s the real-world, no-fluff guide to importing and enriching contact lists in GetAia, with an eye on deliverability (not just vanity metrics).
1. Start with a Clean List (Seriously, Don’t Skip This)
Importing garbage in = getting garbage out. The single biggest factor in deliverability is the quality of your contacts. If you’re starting with a sketchy list, nothing else matters.
What to do before you even think about importing:
- Delete known bad actors: Remove obvious fakes, role-based addresses (info@, sales@), and generic catch-alls.
- Ditch the ancient stuff: Contacts older than 2-3 years are usually more trouble than they’re worth. Old emails bounce more, and ISPs notice.
- Don’t buy lists: If you did, expect headaches. These lists are full of spam traps and disengaged recipients. If you must use one, run it through a top-notch email verification service before touching GetAia.
Pro tip: If you’re going to go through all this trouble, back up your original list first. Mistakes happen.
2. Format Your File for Fewer Headaches
GetAia accepts CSV, XLS, and XLSX files. But don’t just dump your CRM export and hope for the best.
- Stick to CSV if you can: It’s less likely to break on import.
- Clean up headers: Make sure your columns have clear names (e.g., “first_name,” “last_name,” “email”).
- Watch for weird characters: Emojis, stray spaces, and accents can trip up imports or enrichment.
- No blank rows/columns: These confuse importers and can create phantom records.
- Standardize fields: If you want to enrich data, having columns like “company,” “job_title,” or “domain” helps a lot.
A quick sanity check: Open your file in a spreadsheet and scan for anything that looks off. If you’re bored, try sorting by the email column—duplicates and blanks jump out fast.
3. Verify Emails Before Importing
This isn’t optional if you want good deliverability. Even if your list “looks fine,” you’ll be shocked by how many emails are dead, misspelled, or risky.
Why bother?
Bounces tank your sender reputation, and too many will get you throttled or blocked.
What actually works:
- Run emails through a reputable verifier: NeverBounce, ZeroBounce, and BriteVerify are all solid. These catch invalids, disposables, and sometimes spam traps.
- Flag catch-all domains: Some company domains accept any address and then silently drop mail. Mark these for extra scrutiny or a separate campaign.
- Check for typos: john@gmial.com isn’t going to help you.
What to ignore:
You don’t need to pay extra for “social enrichment” or “intent signals” at this stage. Focus on active, real email addresses.
4. Import in Batches, Not Bombs
Dumping a 100,000-contact list into GetAia in one go is asking for trouble. Imports can fail, and big batches make it hard to spot problems.
Better approach:
- Upload in chunks: 2,000–5,000 contacts per batch is manageable.
- Tag your imports: Use a batch name or date so you can track issues later.
- Spot-check after each import: Look for an unusually high error or bounce rate. If you see weirdness, pause and investigate.
Pro tip:
If you’re migrating from another system, start with your most engaged, recent contacts first. These are least likely to cause problems.
5. Use Enrichment—But Don’t Chase Shiny Objects
GetAia offers data enrichment: filling in missing company info, titles, LinkedIn URLs, and so on. This is great for personalization and segmentation, but it’s not magic.
What enrichment is good for:
- Filling gaps: If you have emails but missing company names or job titles, enrichment can help.
- Segmenting your list: More data lets you target better (e.g., only email decision-makers).
- Personalization: Emails that use a recipient’s name or company perform better (as long as the data is accurate).
What not to expect:
- Miracles: Enrichment can’t fix a bad list. If the email is dead, it’s still dead.
- 100% accuracy: Data vendors get things wrong, especially on job titles and company size. Treat enriched fields as “helpful hints,” not gospel.
Best practices:
- Choose only the fields you need: The more you enrich, the more risk of mismatches or weird data showing up in your emails.
- Spot-check results: Don’t send a mass email to “Hi [First_Name],” only to realize half your list is “First_Name: NULL.”
- Don’t get greedy: Chasing every LinkedIn profile or phone number can slow you down and inflate costs without helping deliverability.
6. Map Fields Carefully During Import
GetAia will ask you to map your columns to its internal fields. This is your last chance to avoid a mess.
- Double-check email addresses: Make sure your “email” column is matched to the right field.
- Don’t overwrite good data: If you’re importing into existing contacts, be careful not to wipe out accurate info.
- Leave blanks blank: If you don’t have a value for a field, don’t try to fill it with “N/A” or “unknown”—this just pollutes your data.
Pro tip:
If you’re not sure what a field does, skip it on the first import. You can always add more later.
7. Respect Consent and Compliance
Deliverability isn’t just technical—it’s legal and ethical. If you’re emailing people who never asked to hear from you, expect trouble.
- Have opt-in proof: Be able to show when and how you got each contact. GetAia doesn’t police this, but spam filters (and angry recipients) do.
- Honor unsubscribes: Don’t re-import people who opted out.
- Don’t skirt GDPR or CAN-SPAM: There’s no magic workaround. If you’re not sure, ask a real lawyer, not ChatGPT.
What doesn’t matter:
Nobody cares if you’re “B2B only” or “not a newsletter”—if people mark you as spam, you’re in trouble.
8. Warm Up Your Sending—Don’t Blast Cold
Brand new sender domains or IPs are a red flag to inbox providers. If you go from zero to thousands of emails overnight, expect to hit spam filters.
How to avoid this:
- Start slow: Send to your most engaged, recent contacts first. Gradually add more over days or weeks.
- Monitor bounce and complaint rates: If these spike, pause and fix your list.
- Use GetAia’s reporting tools: Don’t just look at open rates—watch for deliverability warnings.
Pro tip:
If you see issues, it’s almost always a list quality or reputation problem—not a technical glitch.
9. Keep It Simple (and Iterate)
Most deliverability issues aren’t solved with fancy tricks—they’re about doing the basics well, over and over.
- Review your process: Regularly clean your list and remove unengaged contacts.
- Don’t chase every new enrichment feature: Focus on what actually helps you reach real people.
- Document what works for you: Next time, your future self will thank you.
Bottom line:
Importing and enriching contacts in GetAia isn’t rocket science, but it does require a bit of discipline. Clean your list, focus on real people, and don’t get distracted by bells and whistles. Start small, see what works, and keep improving. Most deliverability “secrets” are just common sense, well executed.