This guide shows how to import SendGrid contacts into MailerPress: Marketing Campaigns lists, custom fields and contacts. It is a one-time import: MailerPress does not stay in sync with SendGrid afterwards.
Importing from SendGrid requires MailerPress Pro 2.1.0 or later. Only imports from MailPoet and Newsletter are free.
Before you start
- Get a SendGrid API key in Settings > API Keys, with access to Marketing (contacts and lists).
- SendGrid already configured as a sending service in MailerPress? Its saved API key is reused automatically.
- A sending key limited to Mail Send cannot read contacts. Give it Marketing access in SendGrid.
- With a reused key, unsubscribed contacts are not imported.
- Otherwise, decide now whether to include them: the option only appears next to the API key.
- Add contacts that belong to no list to a SendGrid list first: only list members are imported.
- Back up your site, or try the import on a staging site first.
- Import only people who agreed to receive your emails.
What gets imported
| SendGrid | MailerPress |
|---|---|
| Marketing Campaigns lists | Lists, with each contact’s lists |
| Custom fields | Custom fields, with each contact’s values |
| First name and last name | First name and last name |
| Contacts in at least one list | Contacts |
| Not imported | Contacts in no list, tags, segments, suppressions, Single Sends, automations, templates, statistics |
Lists with the same name as existing ones are reused. Contacts are matched by email address, so a contact in several lists is created once.
Import your contacts
If SendGrid is already configured as a sending service, it is already connected: skip steps 4 to 6.
- Go to MailerPress > Tools > Migrations.
- Select Platforms.
- In Import from platform, choose SendGrid.
- In the Connect SendGrid form, paste your key in API key.
- Check Include unsubscribed contacts to also import contacts marked as unsubscribed in SendGrid.
- Click Save API key. The number of records appears under Data to migrate.
- Under Data to migrate, check Lists, Custom fields and Contacts as needed.
- Click Start migration.
- Wait for Migration completed. The import runs in the background, so you can leave the page.
SendGrid first prepares an export of each list, so the contacts step takes a little longer to start. The Contacts count adds up all lists: a contact in two lists counts twice.
Contact statuses
| SendGrid contact | Include unsubscribed contacts unchecked | Include unsubscribed contacts checked |
|---|---|---|
| Not marked as unsubscribed | Subscribed | Subscribed |
| Marked as unsubscribed in the export | Not imported (counted as skipped) | Unsubscribed |
- SendGrid suppressions (global unsubscribes, bounces, spam reports) are not read. Check them before your first send.
- An existing contact with the same email gets the SendGrid status. An unsubscribed contact can become Subscribed again.
- SendGrid contacts are never imported as Pending, so no confirmation email is sent.
- Automations that start with the Contact Subscribed trigger can run for imported contacts. Pause them first if needed.
After the import
- Open a few contacts and check their status, lists and custom fields.
- Skipped counts unsubscribed contacts left out. Errors counts contacts that could not be saved.
- If the run fails with “SendGrid contact export did not finish in time.”, click Start migration again.
- Changes made in SendGrid later are not copied. Run the migration again to bring them over.
- If the migration does not progress, set up a server cron job.
Next, you can keep SendGrid to deliver your emails: see Send your campaigns with SendGrid in MailerPress and the SendGrid integration page. For all sources and options, see Migrate your contacts to MailerPress with the Migration Center.