Step by step guide to importing and segmenting contact lists in Letterfriend

If you’ve got a pile of contacts in a spreadsheet (or half a dozen scattered exports), getting them into a new tool can feel like a chore. If that tool is Letterfriend and your goal is to actually do something useful with those contacts, this guide is for you. We’ll walk through importing contacts step by step, flag what to watch out for, and cover how to slice up your list so your emails don’t go straight to the trash.

Who’s this for?

You’ve just signed up for Letterfriend and need to get your existing contacts in.
Maybe you’re switching from another service, or maybe you’ve been “managing” your list in Excel and it’s finally time to upgrade.
You don’t want to spam people—you want to be intentional about who gets what.

Let’s get your contacts organized, imported, and ready to roll.

Step 1: Prep Your Contact List Before Importing

Why bother prepping?

Garbage in, garbage out. If you import a messy spreadsheet, you’ll spend more time fixing problems in Letterfriend than if you take a few minutes to clean things up first.

What to check before you upload

Format: Letterfriend takes CSV files (comma-separated values). Most spreadsheet apps (Excel, Google Sheets) can save as CSV.
Headers: Make sure your columns are clearly labeled—First Name, Last Name, Email, etc.
Required fields: At a minimum, you need an email address (unless you’re snail-mailing postcards, but that’s another article).
Duplicates: If you have the same person in there three times, Letterfriend won’t always catch it for you.
Weird formatting: Watch out for extra spaces, weird symbols, or emails pasted with extra quotation marks.
Missing info: If you want to segment by company or location later, make sure you actually have that info now.

Pro tip: Open your CSV in a plain text editor (like Notepad or VS Code). If it looks like gibberish or the columns are all over the place, go back and fix it in your spreadsheet app.

Step 2: Log In and Find the Import Feature

Once your list’s tidy, head to Letterfriend.

Sign in to your account.
In the main dashboard, look for an option like “Contacts” or “Import Contacts.” (It’s usually in the sidebar or top menu. If you’re hunting for it, you’re not alone—Letterfriend’s menu labels are sometimes a little too clever for their own good.)
Click “Import” or “Add Contacts.”

If you can’t find it, check the help docs or hit up their chat support. No shame in that.

Step 3: Upload Your CSV

You’ll get a prompt to upload your file.

Drag and drop your CSV, or use the file picker.
If you get an error right away, double-check your file type and headers.

What works: Letterfriend’s import tool is decent at matching common column names (like Email or First Name).
What doesn’t: If your columns are called things like E-mail Address or fname, you might have to manually match them to Letterfriend's fields. It’s not rocket science, but it’s a bit fiddly.

Step 4: Map Your Columns

Next, Letterfriend shows you a screen to match your CSV columns to its database fields.

Go line by line: Match First Name in your CSV to First Name in Letterfriend, Email to Email, and so on.
Extra fields: If you’ve got custom data (like “Favorite Snack” or “Sales Rep”), you can map these to custom fields. Letterfriend lets you create new ones on the fly.
Ignore what you don’t need: If you imported columns you don’t care about, just skip them.

Heads up: The more fields you try to import, the more chances for something to break. Stick to what you’ll actually use.

Step 5: Set Import Options

Most people just want to get their contacts in and worry about details later. But if you want more control:

Update existing contacts: If you’re re-importing a list, you can choose whether to update or skip existing entries.
Add to a list or segment: Letterfriend lets you add these contacts to a list as you import. If you’re moving a “Newsletter” group, add them straight to a “Newsletter” list.
Tagging: Some plans let you tag contacts on import—handy for segmenting later.

What to ignore: Don’t overthink opt-in or permission flags unless you’re importing a cold list (which, let’s be honest, is risky business). If you know your list is legit, skip the legal panic.

Step 6: Review and Start Import

Letterfriend will usually give you a summary—number of contacts, sample records, and any rows it thinks are broken.

Fix errors now: If you see a bunch of rejected contacts, stop. Download the error report, fix the problems in your CSV, and re-upload.
Start import: Once you’re happy, hit the “Import” button.

Don’t reload the page or try to import a second file while this runs. Letterfriend’s import queue isn’t always speedy, especially for big lists.

Step 7: Check Your Imported Contacts

When the import finishes:

Spot-check: Look at a few random contacts. Are the names in the right fields? Do you see weird characters?
Count: Does the number of contacts match what you expected?
Duplicates: If you see obvious repeats, Letterfriend’s deduplication missed something—you’ll need to clean those up manually.

What works: Letterfriend usually keeps things in the right order if your CSV was clean.
What doesn’t: Sometimes you’ll see blank custom fields or emails in the “Name” field. That’s a sign your mapping went sideways. You’ll have to fix these one by one.

Step 8: Segment Your Contacts

Here’s where things get interesting. Segmentation means slicing your big list into smaller groups, so you can send more relevant emails.

Ways to segment in Letterfriend

By list: The most basic way. You can have lists like “Customers,” “Leads,” “Newsletter,” etc.
By tags: Tags are flexible—think “VIP,” “2019 Event,” or “Webinar Signup.”
By custom fields: Maybe you want to email everyone in California, or everyone whose “Last Purchase Date” is this year.

How to segment:

Create lists or tags in Letterfriend—usually from the “Contacts” or “Lists” section.
Bulk select contacts and assign them to a list or tag. You can filter by any field you imported.
Set up saved filters: Some plans let you save a filter as a smart segment (like “all contacts in New York with Tag: Customer”).

What works: Lists and tags are easy to manage, and you can bulk-edit contacts.
What doesn’t: Letterfriend’s advanced segmentation is a bit limited compared to more expensive tools. If you need “people who opened last month but didn’t click,” you might hit a wall.

Pro tips

Less is more: Don’t make a segment for every tiny group. You’ll just confuse yourself.
Use tags for temporary groups: Like “Webinar March 2024”—then remove the tag later.
Test segments: Send a test email to yourself first, just to see who’s included.

Step 9: Keep Your Lists Clean

Importing is a one-time hassle, but managing contacts is ongoing.

Remove bounces and unsubscribes: Letterfriend can do this automatically, but check in every so often.
Merge duplicates: If you notice repeats, merge them to keep your stats clean.
Update info: If customers change emails or names, fix it early.

Ignore the hype: You don’t need AI-powered list hygiene. Just pay attention and clean regularly.

Troubleshooting and Gotchas

Large imports fail: Break up huge files into smaller chunks.
Weird characters: Usually a sign your file encoding is off. Save as UTF-8 CSV.
Stuck imports: Refresh the page or contact support. Sometimes it’s just a server hiccup.
Segment logic confusion: If your filters don’t look right, double-check your field names and values.

Wrapping Up

Importing and segmenting contacts in Letterfriend isn’t rocket science, but it pays to keep things tidy. Don’t get bogged down in overthinking every field or segment. Start simple: import, make a couple of useful lists, and see what you actually use. You can always tweak and refine as you go. The key is to get moving—don’t let a messy spreadsheet hold you back.