Contacts and File Upload

Common questions about uploading, validating, and mapping contact data.

What File Formats Does Outreach Accept?

CSV, JSON, and XML files are accepted. Field mapping works the same way for all three formats. Other formats (Excel, TSV, etc.) must be converted to one of these before uploading.

What Happens to Invalid Contacts?

Contacts with missing or invalid recipient data (e.g. malformed phone numbers or email addresses) are automatically counted as invalid and skipped. They are not included in the campaign send. The number of invalid contacts is shown in the contact summary during the mapping step.

Can I Set a Priority on Contacts?

Yes — per contact, from the file. Include a column holding each contact's priority (High or Normal) and map it to the Priority import type when you upload. A row with a missing or unrecognised priority value is not skipped; it is read as normal priority. High-priority messages are then dispatched ahead of normal-priority messages in other active runs. There is no campaign-wide or run-wide priority setting. See Message Priorities for how to set it and what it changes.

Can I Edit Contacts After Creating a Campaign?

No. Contacts and field mappings are locked after campaign creation. If you need to change your contact list, create a new campaign with the updated file.

What Phone Number Format Is Required for SMS?

Phone numbers must be in E.164 format: a leading +, followed by the country code and national number, with no spaces or punctuation. For example: +61412345678. See E.164 Phone Number Format for details and examples.

What Email Format Is Required?

Email addresses must be in a standard format — for example jane.doe@example.com. Addresses with missing @ symbols, invalid domains, or other formatting issues are flagged as invalid.