Step 3: Upload & Organize Contacts

Estimated time: 15–30 minutes

Overview

Import your contact lists and organize them for targeted messaging. Use carrier lookup to validate numbers and filter out landlines.

Prepare Your Contact List (CSV)

Format as CSV with columns: phone (required, 10-digit format), firstName, lastName, city, state, zip, and any custom fields you need.

Upload Contacts

Navigate to Contacts → Import and upload your CSV file. Maximum 1 million rows per upload. System automatically validates phone number format.

Run Carrier Lookup (Recommended)

Enable carrier lookup during import to identify landlines, validate numbers, and detect carrier information. Prevents wasted sends to landlines.

Create Contact Segments

Organize contacts into groups based on location, voter data, or custom fields for targeted campaigns.

Manage Opt-Outs

Review and maintain opt-out lists. System automatically manages STOP keywords, but you can manually add numbers if needed.

Always run carrier lookup to filter landlines before sending - it saves money.
Keep opt-out lists clean - never message opted-out contacts.
Use custom fields to store voter data, polling responses, or donation history.
Segment contacts before creating projects for better targeting.
Raising money on WinRed? Create a WinRed list under Contact Management and paste the generated webhook URL into WinRed’s integration settings - donors and leads flow into the list automatically, with donor details available as merge tags.
Use the By Area Code segment operation to carve a list geographically, and org-wide segments (“All brands” / “All projects”) to build audiences like “everyone who clicked a link in any project.”

With contacts organized, you’re ready to create your first messaging project.