Time to Clean Your Email List

February 8, 2018

If you can’t remember the last time you cleaned your email list, odds are that it is due for some attention.

There are a few reasons why you should clean your list regularly, but the biggest one is simply to remove invalid email addresses that clog up your data and may cause you to pay more to your email service provider. The fastest and easiest way to do this is to use a service that will scan your email list and determine which addresses are no longer valid.

There are a few services out there that do this sort of thing, but I like to use NeverBounce. (I do not receive any compensation from NeverBounce, nor is this an affiliate link. I just really like their service.)

The process to clean your list is easy and fast:

  1. Export your list from your email service provider. Whether you use MailChimp, Constant Contact, iContact, or another software, all give you the ability to export your lists to an Excel spreadsheet.
  2. Upload your list to NeverBounce. Perhaps my favorite feature is that it will tell you if your list needs to be cleaned before you spend even one dime. If it is determined that your list needs to be cleaned, the system clearly states the cost which is usually around $0.008 per email address.
  3. Download your cleaned list. Once your list is cleaned, you will be able to download not only the valid emails, but also the invalid ones. You can load all of these addresses back into your email software; the valid ones back into your lists and the invalid ones to your suppression or unsubscribe list.
email chart

Pro Tip: When cleaning your list, be sure that you are exporting your data from your email software in a way that will keep your list segments intact so that they can be easily loaded back in again.

After you’ve cleaned your list, you’ll likely see higher open and engagement rates even though the number of emails on your list has decreased. Remember, quality is more important than quantity when it comes to email addresses.

Ceci Dadisman is an arts marketer, nonprofit empowerer, and public speaker who loves helping organizations make marketing magic.

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