If you've ever tried running a campaign with a messy contact list, you know how fast things can go sideways. Bounced emails, wrong names, duplicate entries—it's a headache that wastes money and burns goodwill. This guide is for people who want to get real results with Scribeless by actually connecting with the right people, not just blasting into the void.
Let’s walk through how to import your contacts, clean your list, and set yourself up for campaigns that work—without overcomplicating things or buying into marketing hype.
Step 1: Get Your Contact List in Shape Before Importing
Before you even log in to Scribeless, do yourself a favor: clean up your contact list. No tool, no matter how shiny, can fix a garbage-in, garbage-out problem.
What you need: - A spreadsheet (CSV or Excel format) with your contacts - At minimum: first name, last name, and email address. If you have company names, job titles, or addresses, that's even better.
What to check: - Remove duplicates. No one likes getting the same campaign twice. - Consistent formatting. All emails should be lowercase, names capitalized properly, etc. - No weird characters. Apostrophes, extra spaces, or symbols can break imports. - Valid email addresses. If you see “test@test.com” or “asdf@asdf.com,” just delete them.
Pro tip:
Don’t try to “fix” your list with fancy Excel formulas unless you know what you’re doing. Sometimes it’s faster to just scroll and delete obvious junk by hand.
Step 2: Importing Contacts into Scribeless
Now that you’ve got a tidy spreadsheet, it’s time to bring it into Scribeless.
- Log in to your Scribeless account.
- If you don’t have one, set it up—takes just a couple minutes.
- Navigate to the Contacts or Lists section.
- The interface might change, but there’s usually an “Import” button or menu.
- Upload your file.
- Scribeless accepts CSV files. If you’re using Excel, save as CSV first.
- Map your fields.
- Scribeless will ask you to match your spreadsheet columns to its data fields (like First Name, Last Name, Email, etc.).
- Double-check these—mismatches are a common reason for broken personalization later.
- Start the import.
- Depending on your list size, this might take a few seconds to a few minutes.
Things to watch for: - Errors or skipped rows. If you see a warning, download the error report. Usually it’s bad emails or missing required fields. - Field limits. Don’t try to upload more columns than Scribeless supports—you’ll just end up frustrated.
What’s not worth your time:
Don’t obsess over importing every last bit of info. Focus on the fields you’ll actually use in campaigns. More isn’t always better.
Step 3: Scrubbing and Cleaning After Import
Even if you prepped your list, there are always a few gremlins that slip through. Scribeless gives you tools to clean things up without having to re-upload your file every time.
After importing:
- De-duplicate.
- Use Scribeless’s built-in duplicate finder. Pick your “unique” field—usually email address.
- Remove invalid emails.
- Some tools offer an email validation check. Run it if available. Otherwise, spot-check for obvious typos.
- Tag or segment your contacts.
- Create segments like “Customers,” “Leads,” or “VIPs” if you want tighter targeting.
- Update incomplete records.
- Blank first names or missing company info? Either fill it in or delete the contact if you don’t need them.
Pro tip:
Don’t get caught up in perfection. If 5% of your list is questionable, cut them loose. Your open rates (and sanity) will thank you.
Step 4: Avoiding Common Pitfalls
It’s easy to mess this up—and most people do, at least once. Here’s what actually matters:
- Don’t buy contact lists. Ever. They’re mostly junk, and using them hurts your sender reputation.
- Don’t over-personalize. If your data is patchy, skip the “Hi {{FirstName}}” trick. Nothing’s worse than “Hi ,”.
- Don’t ignore bounces. After your first campaign, clean out bounced addresses. Repeatedly emailing dead contacts gets you flagged as spam.
- Don’t get fancy with formatting. Stick to plain text fields—don’t try to import colors, formulas, or weird symbols.
- Don’t upload a list you wouldn’t want to receive email from yourself. If you’re cringing, your recipients will too.
Step 5: Setting Up for Effective Campaigns
Now you’ve got a clean, usable list in Scribeless. Here’s how to make it work for you:
- Segment for relevance.
- Targeted lists get better results. Segment by location, job title, or how you got their info.
- Test with a small batch.
- Send your first campaign to a small segment. Check for weird personalization errors, typos, or formatting issues.
- Watch your metrics.
- Don’t just look at open rates—check for bounces, unsubscribes, and responses. Clean your list again after each campaign.
- Iterate.
- Every campaign is a chance to learn. Fix what didn’t work, and don’t be afraid to prune your list.
What works:
Simple, honest messages to people who actually want to hear from you. No amount of list “cleaning” fixes a bad offer or spammy pitch.
What to Ignore (Seriously)
There’s a lot of noise out there about “AI-powered enrichment” and “hyper-personalization.” Most of it’s smoke and mirrors unless you’ve got a massive, well-maintained dataset (and let’s be real, you probably don’t).
Here’s what you can skip: - Any service promising to “magically” clean, enrich, or verify your entire list for free. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. - Overly complex segmenting. If you’re spending hours slicing your list into 17 micro-segments, stop. Keep it simple. - Tools that “score” your contacts but can’t explain how they do it. Black-box scoring is a black hole for your time.
Stick to the basics: clean data, relevant content, and respect for your recipients. That’s what actually works.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
Importing and cleaning contact lists in Scribeless isn’t rocket science, but it does take a little discipline. Don’t chase perfection or get stuck fiddling with endless fields. Clean up your list, import what matters, and focus on real conversations—not just bigger numbers.
The best campaigns come from lists you trust and messages you’d want to get yourself. Start simple, learn as you go, and don’t be afraid to cut what doesn’t work. That’s how you get results—and keep your sanity.