Spreadsheet file format for bulk and transactional sends
When you drive a Broadcast from a file, each row is one subscriber and each column supplies either a delivery address or a value you can drop into the Edition with a personalization token. This page lists the columns the platform expects and how personalization fields map into your content.
Save the file as UTF-8 (CSV or the format your account accepts) with a single header row. Column headers are matched by name, so keep them stable between sends. Extra columns are allowed and become available as personalization fields.
Reference
| Column | Required | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Email | Yes (for email sends) | avery@example.com | Primary delivery address. One recipient per row. |
Mobile | Yes (for SMS sends) | +14155550142 | Use full international format for SMS. |
FirstName | No | Avery | Common personalization field; referenced by a token such as {{FirstName}}. |
LastName | No | Diaz | Personalization field. |
Company | No | Northwind Traders | Personalization field. |
ExternalId | Recommended | CRM-88213 | Your own key for matching, dedupe, and reporting. |
<custom> | No | Region → West | Any extra header becomes a token you can insert into the Edition. |
Header names above are representative — confirm the exact required column names and the token syntax in your account.
Notes
- Header names must match your tokens. A personalization token only resolves when a column of the same name exists in the row; unmatched tokens fall back to empty (or a default you set on the token).
- One address per row. For a bulk Broadcast, list every subscriber as a separate row; for a transactional send, each row triggers one message.
- Encoding and separators. Save as UTF-8 to preserve accented and non-Latin characters. If a value contains a comma or line break, wrap the cell in quotes.
- Phone formatting. Store numbers as text in full international format to stop the spreadsheet app from dropping leading
+or zeros. - Suppression still applies. Addresses on the account-wide suppression list are skipped even if present in the file.
- Empty required fields are skipped. Rows missing a valid
Email(orMobilefor SMS) are not sent and are reported as errors after upload.
Related
- Send a transactional email
- Personalization tags reference
- Manage the suppression list
- Build audiences and signup forms
Canonical terms: Author, Edition, Folder (Project Folder), Broadcast. See the Glossary.