If you’ve got a big list of B2B contacts—maybe from a trade show, a lead provider, or some old CSVs—you probably want to get them into your outreach tool and start sending. But importing a large list into any email platform, including Nureply, isn’t just about uploading a file and hitting “go.” If you skip the verification or get sloppy, you’ll burn your sender reputation and waste money. This guide is for sales and marketing folks who want to do it right, avoid rookie mistakes, and actually reach real people—not spam traps.
Let’s get practical. Here’s how to import and verify big B2B contact lists in Nureply, what to watch out for, and how to avoid headaches later.
Step 1: Prep Your Contact List Before Import
Don’t just dump whatever CSV or Excel file you have into Nureply. Garbage in, garbage out.
Here’s what you should do first: - Standardize your columns: Make sure you’ve got clear headers: First Name, Last Name, Email, Company, etc. If your file is a mess, spend 10 minutes cleaning it up. It’ll save hours later. - Remove obvious junk: Delete blank rows, weird characters, generic emails (like info@ or sales@ unless you really want them), and personal addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc. are rarely useful for B2B). - De-duplicate: You don’t want to email the same person twice. Use Excel’s “Remove Duplicates” feature or Google Sheets’ =UNIQUE() formula.
Pro tip: If your file is huge (10,000+ contacts), break it into smaller chunks (like 2,000–5,000 each). It’s less likely to crash and easier to troubleshoot.
Step 2: Understand Nureply’s Import Requirements
Every platform has quirks. Nureply is pretty user-friendly, but here’s what matters:
- File type: Nureply takes CSVs. If your data is in Excel (.xlsx), export it as CSV first.
- Required columns: At minimum, you’ll need an “Email” column. But adding First Name, Last Name, and Company makes your outreach less robotic.
- File size limits: As of 2024, Nureply can handle files up to 50,000 rows, but honestly, smaller batches are safer. Huge imports take longer and if something breaks, you’ll have a tough time pinpointing the issue.
What to ignore: Don’t worry about custom fields at this stage. Get the basics right first—you can always add details later.
Step 3: Import Your List Into Nureply
Here’s the straightforward way:
- Log in to Nureply.
- Go to the “Contacts” tab (or sometimes called “Leads” depending on your account).
- Click the “Import” or “Upload” button.
- Select your CSV file.
- Map your columns. Nureply will try to match column names, but double-check—sometimes “Company Name” gets matched to “Name” instead of “Company.”
- Start the import and wait. If your file is big, this can take a few minutes.
If you see errors: Usually it’s because of: - Bad email formats (missing @, typos) - Missing required columns - File encoding issues (use UTF-8 CSV to be safe)
Pro tip: Import a small test file first (say, 100 rows). If it works, then upload the big one.
Step 4: Verify Emails Before You Send Anything
This is the step most people skip—and end up regretting. Sending to a dirty list is the fastest way to get flagged as spam.
How Nureply Handles Email Verification
Nureply has a built-in email verification tool. Here’s how it works:
- After import, go to your Contacts view.
- Select the imported list or segment.
- Click “Verify Emails.” You’ll usually see an estimate of how many credits you’ll use (verification isn’t always free).
- Start the verification process. For large lists, this can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or more.
What verification actually does: - Checks if the email address is valid and exists. - Flags risky or catch-all emails. - Identifies obvious spam traps and typos (like gmial.com).
What it doesn’t do: It can’t guarantee a 100% inbox rate. No tool can. But it weeds out the worst offenders.
Should You Use an External Verifier?
If you’ve got a really rough list (think: bought data, scraped emails, or old trade show lists), Nureply’s built-in verifier is decent but not the most aggressive. Tools like NeverBounce, ZeroBounce, or BriteVerify are more robust—especially for massive, questionable datasets.
My take: If deliverability really matters, run your list through an external verifier first, then import to Nureply and use their verification as a second pass. It’s overkill for small lists, but worth it for 10,000+ contacts you haven’t emailed before.
Step 5: Review and Clean Up the Results
When verification is done, don’t just hit “send.” Take a few minutes to check the results.
- Remove “invalid” and “unknown” emails: These are the most likely to bounce. Nureply usually lets you filter and delete or suppress them.
- Consider removing “catch-all” emails: Some companies accept all emails at their domain. These addresses are riskier, but not always useless. If you want to play it safe, remove them.
- Export a “clean” version: Download your verified, cleaned list as a backup. If something goes wrong, you don’t want to start over.
Pro tip: If you see that a large chunk of your list is invalid (more than 10–15%), that’s a red flag. Either your source is bad, or the data is old. Don’t blast this list—it’ll tank your sender reputation.
Step 6: Respect Sending Limits & Warm Up New Domains
Large, fresh lists can be tempting to hit all at once. Don’t do it.
- Nureply’s sending limits: Even if your plan says you can send 10,000 emails a day, don’t go from zero to max overnight. Start slow—maybe 100–200 per day, then ramp up.
- Warm up new domains: If you’re sending from a brand new domain or email, use a warm-up tool (Nureply has one, or try Mailflow, Lemwarm, etc.). This tells email providers you’re a real sender, not a spammer.
- Mix in real replies: If your first campaigns are nothing but cold blasts, it looks suspicious. Ask teammates to reply or create a “test” segment to simulate normal conversation.
Ignore the hype: Any tool that promises “instant inboxing” for huge cold lists is overselling. Deliverability is about reputation, list quality, and patience.
Step 7: Monitor Deliverability and Iterate
Once you’re ready to send, start small and watch the numbers.
- Track open and bounce rates: If you see high bounce rates (>5%), pause and re-verify. Something slipped through.
- Watch for spam complaints: If people mark you as spam, ISPs will notice. Adjust your messaging, reduce frequency, and keep lists clean.
- Regularly prune your list: Remove unengaged contacts every month or so. It keeps your domain healthy.
Pro tip: Deliverability is a moving target. What works today might not work next month, especially with new spam filters rolling out all the time. Stay skeptical and keep learning.
What Actually Matters (and What to Ignore)
What works: - Clean, verified lists - Gradual sending - Personalized, relevant outreach
What doesn’t: - Blasting old, unverified lists - Ignoring bounce/spam rates - Believing “magic” deliverability fixes
Ignore: Fancy AI personalization, “secret” deliverability hacks, or tools promising zero bounces. Stick with basics—clean lists and steady sending win every time.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Importing and verifying large B2B lists in Nureply isn’t rocket science, but it does take a little patience. Clean your list, verify thoroughly, start slow, and keep an eye on your results. Don’t chase shortcuts. The best senders iterate, learn from mistakes, and keep their process boringly reliable.
Get your first import right, and the rest gets easier. Good luck!