Common concerns with importing a CSV file into beehiiv

When importing a CSV file into beehiiv, you might encounter a few common issues. Here’s how to address them:

Import limit concerns

Import limit is not high enough: Import limits are set to prevent potential issues with spam and deliverability. By default, you can increase your import limit up to 10,000 directly from your account. If you want to import more than 10,000 subscribers, you’ll need to reach out to our team for assistance. 

To request an increase to your import limit beyond 10,000, you’ll need to complete the Import Limit Request Form. To access this form, navigate to Settings > Subscribers Import, scroll down to Request to raise your import limit, and click Open Request Form.

If you need further assistance after submitting the form, visit the Help page in your account. There, you’ll find a variety of resources including our chatbot Buzz and the option to submit a support ticket, depending on your plan.

Discrepancies in subscriber counts

Import shows as 'Complete' but fewer subscribers are visible: If your final subscriber count in beehiiv is lower than in your original CSV, don’t worry. beehiiv automatically removes inactive and duplicate emails to maintain a clean list. This is normal and helps ensure better deliverability. If you import the same list more than once, beehiiv will overwrite existing data, which might also affect the count. To update a list with the same emails, include additional custom fields to avoid deleting existing data.

Why are some subscribers missing after importing? It’s common for your final count to be lower than the original CSV due to beehiiv’s removal of inactive or duplicate emails. For example, if your CSV had 10,000 subscribers but only 9,200 appear in beehiiv, this could be due to invalid or duplicate email addresses, formatting errors, or other system issues. This process helps reduce bounce rates and improve your domain reputation and email deliverability.

Missing custom fields

Some custom fields are missing from the import: beehiiv has reserved fields that cannot be used as custom fields (e.g., city). If your CSV includes these reserved fields, they will not be imported. To work around this, rename the CSV column to something like “import_city” to avoid it being recognized as a reserved field.

CSV Best Practices

To avoid issues with your CSV upload, ensure the following:

• The first column header in your CSV is titled Email. 
• The Email column contains no blank cells.
• Ensure column titles match the corresponding custom fields and tags in beehiiv.
• Each cell contains only one value (no multiple entries in a single cell).
• Delete any blank columns or columns with custom field data you don’t intend to import.

If you encounter other issues with your CSV upload or import, please go to the Help page in your account and submit a support ticket or ask our chatbot, Buzz, for further assistance.