How to Import Extracted Emails into Salesforce
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Export and import options vary by plan, permissions and product version. Check the platform’s current help documentation if a menu or format differs. Use only contact data you are authorized to process; an extracted address is not proof of marketing consent.
Why Import into Salesforce?
After extracting email addresses from files using Email Extractor, you may want to bring them into Salesforce for lead tracking, sales outreach, pipeline management or reporting. Salesforce is a CRM platform used by sales, marketing and customer service teams to manage contacts, leads, accounts, opportunities and campaigns.
Importing an extracted email list into Salesforce lets you create lead or contact records, assign them to sales reps, add them to campaigns, track interactions, and move them through your sales pipeline.
Before You Import
Choose the right object
Salesforce stores people in two main objects:
Leads are people who have not yet been qualified. They exist as standalone records until they are converted into contacts. Use this for extracted email lists where you have not yet determined whether these people are potential customers.
Contacts are people associated with an account (company). They are part of a qualified relationship. Use this when you know the addresses belong to existing or potential customers at known companies.
For most extracted email lists, importing as leads is the appropriate choice. Leads can be qualified and converted to contacts later.
Prepare your file
Email Extractor outputs email addresses only. Salesforce requires certain fields for import:
For leads: Last Name is a required field. Email alone is not enough. You have two options:
- Open the downloaded CSV in a spreadsheet application (Google Sheets, Excel, LibreOffice Calc). Add a column header "Email" for the email column and a column header "Last Name" for a second column. For the Last Name values, you can enter a placeholder like "Unknown" or "[To Be Updated]" for all rows. This creates importable records that you can enrich later.
- If you have the names in another file, combine them with the extracted emails before import.
For contacts: Last Name and Account Name are required. You will need to associate each contact with an account.
Check for existing records
Before importing, decide how to handle duplicates. Salesforce can match incoming records against existing ones by email address. If the email addresses you extracted already exist as leads or contacts in Salesforce, the import can update existing records rather than creating duplicates.
How to Import Using Data Import Wizard
Salesforce's built-in Data Import Wizard handles imports of up to 50,000 records. It is available in most Salesforce editions.
- Log in to Salesforce.
- Go to Setup (click the gear icon and select Setup).
- In the Quick Find box, search for Data Import Wizard and select it.
- Click Launch Wizard.
- Choose the object to import into:
- Select Leads to create new lead records.
- Or select Accounts and Contacts to create contact records.
- Choose whether to add new records, update existing records, or add and update simultaneously.
- Set the duplicate matching rule. For email-based matching, select the option to match by email address.
- Upload your prepared CSV file.
- Map the columns. Map your "Email" column to the Email field and your "Last Name" column to the Last Name field. If you have additional columns, map them to the corresponding Salesforce fields.
- Review the import settings and click Start Import.
- Salesforce processes the import and sends an email notification when it is complete.
After import, go to the Leads or Contacts tab and filter by the import date or a specific tag to see your newly created records.
How to Import Using Data Loader
For larger imports (over 50,000 records) or for more control over the import process, use Salesforce Data Loader.
- Download and install Data Loader from Salesforce Setup (search for "Data Loader" in Quick Find).
- Open Data Loader and log in with your Salesforce credentials.
- Select Insert to create new records (or Upsert to create new records and update existing ones based on a matching field).
- Choose the target object (Lead or Contact).
- Select your prepared CSV file.
- Map the CSV columns to Salesforce fields.
- Click Finish to start the import.
- Data Loader creates a success file and an error file showing which records were imported and which failed.
After Import
Tag imported records
Add a custom field value or tag to all imported records so you can identify them later. For example, set a "Lead Source" value like "Extracted List" or a custom field like "Import Batch" with a date. This helps you track where these leads came from and measure their conversion rate separately.
Assign to owners
If your Salesforce instance uses lead assignment rules, imported leads may be automatically assigned to sales reps. If not, you can assign them manually or use assignment rules after import.
Add to a campaign
If you want to track these leads as part of a marketing effort, create a Salesforce Campaign and add the imported leads to it. This allows you to measure engagement, response rates and conversions for this specific list.
Enrich records
Since Email Extractor outputs email addresses only, the imported records will have minimal information. You can enrich them by:
- Looking up the email domains to identify companies.
- Using data enrichment tools or services to add names, titles and company information.
- Updating records as sales reps interact with the leads.
Verify the list
If the extracted emails are from old files or unknown sources, consider verifying them before or after import. High bounce rates from imported leads can affect your email deliverability. See Best email verification services.
Things to Know
Field validation
Salesforce validates email addresses on import. Addresses that do not follow standard email format (e.g., missing @ sign) will be rejected. Email Extractor already applies email pattern matching, so this is rarely an issue.
Duplicate management
Salesforce has built-in duplicate rules. If a duplicate rule is active and an imported email matches an existing lead or contact, Salesforce may block the import, create the record with a duplicate alert, or merge it, depending on your duplicate rule configuration.
Record limits
Salesforce editions have data storage limits. Each lead or contact record uses storage. Check your available storage before importing large lists (Setup > Storage Usage).
Required fields
If your Salesforce administrator has added custom required fields to the Lead or Contact object beyond the standard ones, your import file must include values for those fields or the import will fail. Check with your administrator if you encounter import errors.
Sharing and visibility
Imported records follow your organisation's sharing rules and role hierarchy. Records are visible to the assigned owner and users above them in the hierarchy, plus anyone granted access by sharing rules. Be mindful of this when importing sensitive lists.
