If you're stuck wrangling massive spreadsheets of contacts and your outreach is hitting more spam folders than inboxes, this guide is for you. We'll walk through importing big lists into Verse, carving them up into useful segments, and setting up outreach that doesn’t waste your time (or theirs). No fluff, no empty promises—just the steps that actually matter.
1. Get Your Contact List Ready
Verse can handle big lists, but garbage in, garbage out. Before you upload anything, put in a little elbow grease:
- Dedupe ruthlessly: Get rid of duplicates. If your list is full of John Smiths, you’ll end up spamming people twice—or worse, overwriting good data.
- Standardize columns: Make sure your columns have clear, consistent headers. Stick to basics: First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, Company, etc.
- Check for junk: Blank fields, weird characters, and obviously fake data? Delete them. If you’re not sure about a row, trust your gut and toss it.
- Format as CSV or XLSX: Verse prefers these formats. If you’re copying from Google Sheets or Excel, export as CSV to avoid headaches.
Pro tip: Don’t get precious about data you don’t need. If you’re never going to email “info@company.com,” delete it now.
2. Importing Your List into Verse
Assuming you’ve never used Verse before, here’s the quick path through the weeds:
- Log in and head to Contacts. This is the nerve center for your list.
- Look for the Import button. Usually, it’s at the top right. Click it.
- Choose your file. Upload your CSV or XLSX file here.
- Map your columns. Verse will try to match columns to its fields. Double-check. If “Phone” got matched to “Fax Number,” fix it now.
- Review for errors. Verse will flag anything weird—missing emails, bad formatting, etc. Download the error report and fix the issues, or ignore them if it’s just one or two outliers.
- Start the import. Hit Go and wait. For big lists (10,000+ contacts), grab a coffee—it might take a few minutes.
When it’s done, Verse will let you know. If you’re importing more than 50,000 contacts, break it into chunks (say, 25,000 per file) to avoid timeouts or crashes. Verse is decent at handling scale, but pushing the limits is risky.
What to ignore: Fancy import “optimizers” or third-party tools that promise to magically clean your data. Most just slow things down or break your formatting.
3. Segmenting Your Contacts (The Right Way)
This is where most people screw up. If your segments are too broad (“everyone in Texas”) or too narrow (“left-handed sales reps under 25”), your outreach will flop.
Start with useful, obvious segments: - Industry or company type - Geography (state, city, zip) - Lead source (where you got them) - Status (customer, prospect, cold) - Any engagement data you have (opened an email, attended a webinar)
How to segment in Verse:
- Use Filters: In Contacts, use the filter bar. Stack filters: “State = California” AND “Industry = Real Estate.”
- Save as a Segment: Once your filter looks right, save it as a segment (“CA Real Estate Prospects”).
- Tag Contacts: For ongoing use, tag contacts. Tags are quick, flexible, and make it easy to add new people later.
- Bulk Edit: Select a bunch of contacts and apply tags or change statuses in bulk.
Pro tip: Don’t overthink it. Start with 3-5 segments. You can always get fancier later.
What doesn’t work: - Segmenting by super-specific data you don’t trust (e.g., “last purchase date” that’s blank for half your list) - Trying to build 20+ micro-segments upfront. You’ll spend all your time organizing and none actually reaching out.
4. Setting Up Targeted Outreach
You have your segments. Now what? Don’t blast the same message to everyone. Tailor it… but don’t drive yourself crazy writing 50 versions.
Here’s a workflow that works:
- Pick a segment. (Say, “NYC SaaS Founders.”)
- Draft a message that speaks to them. One or two tweaks to your base template is enough—don’t reinvent the wheel.
- Use Merge Fields: Verse lets you personalize with merge fields like {{First Name}} or {{Company}}. Always preview before you send—nothing kills credibility like “Hi {{First Name}}.”
- Test with a small batch. Send to 10-20 contacts first. Check for weird formatting or mistakes.
- Schedule or send. If the test looks good, send to the rest of the segment. Stagger sends if the list is huge to avoid spam filters.
Pro tip: Keep subject lines short and clear. Skip emojis and clickbait—people see through it.
What to ignore: Overly-complex automation sequences and “AI-powered personalization” unless you have time to babysit them. Start simple; fancy comes later.
5. Avoiding Common Mistakes
You want impact, not busywork. Don’t fall into these traps:
- Importing lists without permission: Verse won’t stop you, but spam laws will. Only import people who’ve opted in or expect to hear from you.
- Over-segmenting: If your smallest segment is 8 people, you’ve gone too far.
- Relying on one big blast: Outreach is a process, not a one-and-done. Plan a follow-up or two for each segment.
- Ignoring metrics: Verse tracks opens and clicks. Use this. If 0% of Segment A opens your emails, rethink your message or source.
Quick fixes: If your open rates stink, try a different subject line or sender name. If you get marked as spam, check your list quality and frequency.
6. Iterating and Keeping It Manageable
You won’t get everything right on the first try. That’s normal. The best outreach programs constantly tweak and simplify.
- Review your segments every month. Merge or split as your business changes.
- Clean your list quarterly. Delete dead emails and update info.
- Don’t chase every new feature. Nail the basics—solid data, smart segments, clear messages—before layering on automation.
Remember: The goal isn’t a perfect system. It’s a simple setup you’ll actually use.
Got a big list? Take it step by step. Clean it, import it, slice it into useful chunks, and send clear, honest messages. Don’t let complexity stall you—just start, watch what works, and keep improving. Outreach’s not magic, but it’s a lot easier when you keep things simple and iterate as you go.