Import Leads to AWeber

This article is a case study about how to import your leads to AWeber, after you have downloaded them from ConnectionSphere.

If you want to export your leads automatically to either your CRM or your Email Marketing Provider, you should read our other article about our Zapier Integrations, or even our API documentation if you have technical skills.


Sometimes is much better to download your leads as a CSV file in your computer, and upload them to the website of your Email Marketing Provider (from now on: EMP).

There is a good reason to do this work manually: Some EMPs like AWeber don't require to send a confirmation email to the lead; so you can push your leads into an automated email series, with no double opt-in required. But such restriction is lifted only when you import your leads manually, but not when you push them thru their API.


Here are the steps to import your leads to AWeber manually.


Step #1: Download Your Leads

Before you can import your leads to AWeber, you have to download them from ConnectionSphere.

Refer to this article to know how to do this job.


Step #2: Prepare Your Report

If you have read our article about How to Download Your Leads, you know have to handle the brokendown report.

Open that brokendown report and

  1. delete or hide the columns that you don't need; and

  2. filter the by the records about email addresses only.

In the picture below you can see how the brokendown report looks like after we applied the two corrections explained above.

As an additional observation, note that depending if you are using OpenOffice more than Excel, you will have to delete unnecessary rows instead to hide them. OpenOffice allows you to hide some columns like Excel does, but you will face problems when you'll try to copy and paste the visible content in AWeber.

Note that we hided all the column except

  1. D (first name),

  2. J (sales assistant first name); and

  3. H (data value, where is placed the email address).

We also keep the column L (data type), because we also filtered the rows with the value 'email' in this column.


Even if the most important column in this report is the column M there is placed the email addresses, we handle other columns like first name of the lead and first name of the sales assistant, that we'll use to customize our emails.

For example, we could send an email like "Hello <first_name_of_the_lead>, my sales assistant <first_name_of_the_sales_assistant> told me that you may be interested in our proposal about....".

High customization is very important to get your lead feeling that you know him/her, and he/she is not receiving just a massive newsletter.


The brokendown report includes other custom fields like

  • location,

  • industry,

  • company,

  • last name of both the lead and the sales assistant;

  • and even the data when the lead was transferred at the first time.


Step #3: Login to AWeber

Login to your AWeber account here: https://www.aweber.com/login.htm.


Step #4: Find The List

In AWeber, you have to find the list where you want to upload your leads. In this example, we have a list called 2SM.

Step #5: Go to Import Subscribers

In the top menu, go to Subscribers > Add Subscribers.

Then, in the next screen, choose Import Multiple.

As a shortcut, simple go to this URL: https://www.aweber.com/users/subscriber_import/1/.


Step #6: Paste the Records

Copy and paste the rows from the CSV that you have prepared in the step #1, as is shown in the picture below.

Than click Next.

Step #7: Map Fields

Choose to Only add new emails to the list, so the importing process will skip records that already exist in AWeber.

Map the first name of the lead and the email as the right subscriber fields.

Skip the column email from your CSV file, because it has been used for our reference only.

In this example, we are also mapping the first name of the sales assistant to a custom field that we have created for this subscribers list only.


Be VERY careful to don't mess between the first name of the lead, and the first name of the sales assistant.


Then click the Next button.

Step #8: Decide If You Want Subscribers to Confirm Their Subscription

Choose No, they do not need to confirm to join my list.

Click the Next button.


Step #9: Setup the Tag

In the Turn On More Options section,

  1. activate the Add tags checkbox,

  2. add the tag 2sm.

This tag will push the subscribers to an automated email series, that is customized for new leads obtained from the 2SM campaign.

So, be sure to write the tab correctly.

Step #10: Specify the Source of the Leads

This is a very important step. If you do it wrong, the import of your list may be rejected.


In the How did these subscribers join your list? list, choose They gave me their info in person.

In the textbox about Describe when, where, and how you got their information, write this:

  • When: this week.

  • Where: LinkedIn

  • How: I asked these people for their email addresses to invite them to a demo, and they shared their email addresses with me.


In the Let us know if you are importing these subscribers from another email provider list, choose No, they are not coming from another provider.


Click the Next button.

That's all. Get back to AWeber some hours later, and double-check if your import has been approved and the leads are in the list.