Importing Media Contacts

Where bulk import lives

Open Media Outlets > ADMIN tab > Bulk Import. The page presents an empty table with column headers and a paste target. The flow is:

1. Set the batch-wide fields at the top: Country, State, Outlet Type, Size, Tier, Time Zone. These apply to every row in this batch unless overridden per row.
2. In the source spreadsheet, select the cells to import.
3. Paste into the first cell of the Bulk Import table. The columns auto-map.
4. Review the imported rows on screen and submit the batch.

No CSV file, no upload, no column-mapping wizard. Copy from spreadsheet, paste into the table.

The column order

The Bulk Import table expects columns in this order:

1. Outlet Name
2. Contact Name
3. Contact Email
4. Contact Phone
5. Position
6. Interests
7. Coverage Area
8. Format
9. Reach

Up to 500 rows per batch. For larger lists, split the source spreadsheet into batches of 500.

How the import resolves

The import logic is designed to avoid duplicate outlets:

• Same outlet name in multiple rows -- adds those journalists to one outlet record, not several.
• Same outlet name in different countries -- creates separate outlet records (one outlet per country, even if the name matches).
• Journalist already in the CRM -- reused and mapped to the new outlet rather than duplicated. A journalist who writes for two publications keeps one contact record linked to both.
• Country and state values -- normalised at import. "United Kingdom" and "UK" resolve to the same value; the system stores the canonical form.

Validation

The import validates each row before saving:

• Required fields present (Outlet Name, Contact Name).
• Email addresses in valid format.
• Country and state values match the platform's reference data.
• Outlet Size matches one of the recognised values (Local, Regional, Metro, Major Market, National).

Rows with errors flag with the specific problem. Fix in the source spreadsheet and re-paste the corrected rows; valid rows from the original batch are already imported.

Country Packs as a faster alternative

If the goal is to seed the CRM with a country's journalist pool rather than import an existing list, Country Packs (Media Outlets > ADMIN > Country Packs) activate a curated pool in one click -- journalists become searchable in the CRM, feed Smart Match and power pitch recommendations. The Finding Journalists article (Course 4) covers Country Packs in detail.

The two approaches complement each other: import the agency's existing relationship-rich list via Bulk Import; activate Country Packs for the markets where the CRM is thin.

Handling duplicates after import

Near-duplicates accumulate over time ("Acme Tribune" vs "The Acme Tribune", or the same journalist entered twice in source data). The Outlet Dedup and Contact Dedup sub-tabs in the ADMIN section run a wizard that clusters likely duplicates by similarity, shows a confidence score, and lets the user merge or dismiss each cluster. The wizard runs on click; the platform never silently merges contacts.

Frequently asked

Can a CSV file be uploaded?

Bulk Import takes pasted cells directly from a spreadsheet -- no file upload step. Open the source spreadsheet, select the cells, paste into the table.

What if a contact already exists in the CRM?

The contact is reused. If the imported row points to a new outlet, the existing contact gets linked to the new outlet without creating a duplicate.

What if the import has errors?

The import validates row by row. Errors flag with specifics; fix them in the source spreadsheet and re-paste the corrected rows. Already-valid rows are imported.

What about email enrichment?

Buzzscribed enriches contact data (fills in and verifies email addresses) through a background pipeline once contacts are in the CRM. The Finding Journalists article covers enrichment.

What to read next

• Adding Your First Client & Brand -- the first Client record, which then sets up the first Engagement.