How to Format an Extracted Email List for CRM Import
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An extracted list is the starting point
A CRM imports records with defined fields. An extracted email list contains addresses, but it does not automatically know each person's name, employer or marketing permission. Prepare those fields from your original source before importing.
In Email Extractor, the standard CSV download contains an email column. CSV with sources also includes sources, and can include locations when location details are available. The columns are determined by the download option, not by the CRM you intend to use.
Prepare a small import file
- Download your reviewed results as CSV.
- Open the file in a spreadsheet and keep one intended contact per row.
- Download your CRM's current import template or inspect its required fields.
- Add information you actually know from the original records.
- Save a separate UTF-8 CSV for import, keeping the original extraction unchanged.
For example, a contact file might look like this:
Email,First name,Last name
sam@example.com,Sam,Example
Map those headers to your CRM's fields during import. Do not manufacture a name from the part before @: shared addresses, aliases and personal domains can make that assumption wrong. Similarly, an email domain is not a confirmed company name.
Requirements vary by destination
| Destination | What to check |
|---|---|
| HubSpot contacts | Email is required for creating contacts through the documented import workflow. Review identifiers before updating existing records. |
| Pipedrive people | A person's name, or first and last name fields, is mandatory; an email alone is insufficient. |
| Salesforce | Choose the record type and operation first. Your organization's required fields, matching rules and validation rules affect the import. |
| Google Contacts | Use Google's current CSV template and preserve its header row. A generic extractor CSV may need remapping. |
These differences are documented in HubSpot's file requirements, Pipedrive's spreadsheet guide, Salesforce's Data Import Wizard guide and Google Contacts' import instructions.
If required information is unavailable, resolve it from the original records or leave that record out. Changing record types merely to avoid missing data can create the wrong kind of contact.
Check mapping and duplicates
Start with a small sample. Verify field mappings, whether existing records will be updated, and whether blank cells leave values unchanged or clear them. Review your CRM's import preview before confirming.
Keep extraction sources in an appropriate custom field if you need provenance. A webpage URL or filename is not a consent record; track permission separately where required.
The CSV download protects spreadsheet-sensitive values with a leading apostrophe. If an unusual address begins with characters such as + or -, review its imported value against the original result. Do not strip protection from every CSV cell indiscriminately.
Verify the completed import
Check the created, updated and skipped counts. Open several imported contacts and compare their fields with your sample. Download any error report, correct the stated causes and retry only the failed rows.
Keep a backup before updating existing records. See duplicate email handling for why deduplicating addresses does not automatically merge people or CRM records.
