Whether you're uploading your reader list from another email provider (like MailerLite or EmailOctopus) or just have some new readers to add to your AuthorLetters account, this post will help you.

Adding readers to your account

There are two ways to add readers to your AuthorLetters account.

  1. Bulk upload via a .csv file

  2. One at a time

Let's start with the bulk upload as it's easiest, and probably the best choice for you if you're adding more than 5 readers.

Adding readers in bulk

To add readers in bulk you will need:

  • A list in your AuthorLetters account to add the readers to

  • A properly formatted .csv file

Let's start with the list (If you already have a list in your account you want to add readers to, you can skip this step).

Creating a reader list in AuthorLetters

In order to send email campaigns to readers, the readers will need to be part of a List. Simply adding them to your account won't allow you to send emails to them.

If you don't have a list yet, it's time to create it.

  1. Go to 'Lists' and hit 'Create List' in the top right

  2. Enter your list title (what you want to call it), and optional internal subtitle

  3. Hit 'Create' and you're all done. Your list will now appear in the 'Lists' tab, and you can add readers to it

Importing a reader .csv file to AuthorLetters

  1. Go to your AuthorLetters account, and select the 'Readers' tab

  2. Hit the 'Import' button in the top right, and an import pop-up will appear

  3. Drag and drop your reader .csv file into the box, or hit the 'click to upload' text to choose the file
    Note: this pop-up also gives you the option to download a sample upload file, which can help you understand what your .csv should look like in order to upload properly

  4. Hit 'Next'

  5. Now, map the columns in your .csv file to contact properties in AuthorLetters. Critically, email should map to 'email' and first name to 'First Name' and so on

  6. Select the list(s) you want to add the readers to, and add any tags you want to as well

  7. Choose if you want to update subscriber data if it already exists in your account, and set the 'New Subscriber Status' (for readers that have subscribed to your list, this will be 'Active'

  8. Choose if you want to the upload to be allowed to trigger any automations

  9. Hit 'Confirm Import' and you're all done!