If you’re trying to get leads into Reply.io and actually make sense of them, you’re in the right place. This guide is for sales teams, SDRs, founders—basically anyone who wants to stop messing around with messy spreadsheets and start running real campaigns. I’ll walk you through exactly how to import and segment your leads, avoid the usual headaches, and skip the fluff.
Step 1: Prep Your Lead List
Before you even touch the import button, clean up your data. Reply.io (link to product) is only as smart as the info you feed it.
What to do:
- Use a spreadsheet (CSV is best). Google Sheets or Excel both work. Make sure it’s saved as .csv.
- Columns matter. Common ones: First Name, Last Name, Email, Company, Phone, LinkedIn, Title, plus any custom fields you want (like Industry or Lead Source).
- Ditch the junk. Remove duplicates and empty rows, or you’ll be cleaning up for hours later.
- Watch for weird formatting. No extra spaces, weird characters, or merged cells.
Pro tip: If you’re buying a list or exporting from LinkedIn, double-check that emails are valid. Bounced emails kill your sender reputation.
Step 2: Log In and Navigate to People
Obvious, but worth stating: log in to your Reply.io account.
- Go to the People tab in the sidebar. This is where all your contacts live.
- If you want to group leads from the start, you can create a new folder (called a “List” in Reply.io) before importing. It’s optional—you can organize later, but it’s less messy to do it now.
Step 3: Start the Import
Click the Import button—it’s usually at the top right of the People page.
You’ll see options: - Upload CSV - Import from CRM (like Salesforce or HubSpot) - Add manually
We’ll focus on CSV imports, since that’s what most people use.
What works: - CSV uploads are fast and reliable, as long as your data is clean. - CRM imports can work, but only if your CRM fields are actually mapped right. If you’re just starting out or your CRM is a mess, stick to CSV.
Step 4: Map Your Fields
Reply.io will show you a preview of your data and ask you to match spreadsheet columns to contact fields.
- Match carefully. “Email” must match to Email, “First Name” to First Name, etc.
- If you have custom fields (like “Lead Source”), you can map them to custom properties in Reply.io. Don’t skip this—segmentation depends on good data.
- If you mess up the mapping, your contacts will have missing or weird info. If in doubt, go back and fix your CSV.
Ignore: The “skip empty fields” checkbox—unless you know you want to not overwrite existing data, just leave it as-is.
Step 5: Choose How to Handle Duplicates
You’ll see a prompt: “What should we do with duplicates?”
- Update existing contacts: Best if you’re re-importing with new info.
- Skip duplicates: Good if you just want to add truly new leads.
- Create new contacts anyway: Rarely useful—avoid unless you have a weird edge case.
Most of the time, “Update existing” is safest.
Step 6: Assign to Lists (Segment Right Away)
You’ll have the option to assign these leads to a List during import. Do it now—future you will thank you.
Why bother with lists? - They’re the main way to segment people in Reply.io. - You can filter, enroll, or export by list. It’s much harder to organize after the fact.
Smart ways to use lists: - By campaign or sequence (e.g., “Cold Outreach June 2024”) - By lead source (e.g., “Webinar Leads” or “LinkedIn Prospects”) - By segment (e.g., “SaaS CEOs” vs. “E-commerce Founders”)
You can add people to multiple lists later, but starting organized is way less painful.
Step 7: Finalize the Import
Hit Import. Reply.io will chew on your data for a minute.
- Watch for errors. If there’s a problem, you’ll get a download link with an error report. Usually, it’s bad emails or missing required fields.
- Don’t panic if you see errors. Fix your CSV and try again. Everyone gets errors the first time.
Step 8: Segment Your Leads Further
Lists are the basics, but you can get more granular with filters and custom fields.
Using Filters
- In the People tab, use filters to slice and dice your data (e.g., “Industry is SaaS” or “Title contains VP”).
- You can save filters for quick access later.
- Combine filters with lists for powerful targeting. Example: “Everyone in the ‘Webinar Leads’ list who is in California.”
Custom Fields
- Custom fields are gold for segmentation—think “Customer Tier,” “Last Contacted,” “Product Interest.”
- Set these up before you import (via Settings > Custom Fields), or add them on the fly when mapping fields during import.
- The more thoughtful you are with custom fields, the smarter your campaigns will be. But don’t go nuts and create 50—you’ll never use them all.
What works: Keep segmentation simple. Most teams overcomplicate and end up ignoring their own filters.
Step 9: Tagging and Automation (Optional, but Useful)
Tags are like sticky notes—quick, flexible, and not tied to lists. Use them for things like “Hot Lead,” “Demo Requested,” or “Do Not Contact.”
- You can bulk tag leads after import.
- Tags can trigger automations or just make searching easier.
Caution: Don’t use tags as your only way to segment. They’re great for temporary or special flags, but lists and filters are more robust.
Step 10: Quality Check (Don’t Skip This)
Before you start blasting emails, check your work.
- Spot-check a few leads. Are names and emails in the right place? Any weird characters or missing info?
- Test a campaign with a small segment. Make sure merges (like “Hi {{First Name}}”) actually work.
- Double-check unsubscribes. If you imported people who previously opted out, make sure they’re still marked as unsubscribed.
Most embarrassing mistakes are caught here, not during a live campaign.
What Actually Matters (And What Doesn’t)
Worth Your Time
- Clean import files. Garbage in, garbage out.
- Good segmentation—don’t just dump everyone into one list.
- Using lists and filters together for targeting.
- Periodically cleaning up old or bounced emails.
Not Worth Obsessing Over
- Having a million custom fields or tags. You’ll never use most of them.
- Fancy automations before you’ve run a few basic campaigns.
- Worrying about “perfect” data. Clean and organized is good enough to start.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Importing and segmenting leads in Reply.io doesn’t have to be painful. Start with a clean file, get your lists right on day one, and don’t overcomplicate your segmentation. Most teams spend too much time getting ready and not enough actually running campaigns.
If you mess something up, don’t sweat it—Reply.io is forgiving, and you can always re-import or reorganize later. Just focus on getting your leads in, grouped in a way that actually helps you, and start testing your outreach. Adjust as you go.
No tool will save you from bad data or unclear targeting. But with a bit of upfront work, you’ll spend way less time cleaning up later—and way more time closing deals.