How to Add Contacts

Overview

Add the people you email to your Contacts so you can send to them from the new BombBomb and track how they engage. You can add one contact at a time with their full details, paste a batch of email addresses, or upload a CSV file.

Who this applies to: All users with access to Contacts

Plan requirement: Pro, Enterprise

Contacts isn't included on the Essentials plan.

Choosing How to Add Contacts

1. Click Contacts in the left navigation.
2. Click Add Contacts in the top-right corner of the page.
3. Choose how you want to add contacts:
   • Add a Contact — enter one person with their name, company, phone number, and address. Best for a new lead or a single introduction.
   • Paste Email Addresses — add many people at once when all you have is their email addresses.
   • Bulk Upload — import a CSV file when you have many contacts with details such as names and companies.

Contacts you add belong to you. Your teammates — including account admins — don't see them on their Contacts page. Adding a contact doesn't send them anything.

Understanding Consent Status

Every contact you add has a consent status that records what kind of permission you have to email them:

• Implied Permission — you have a reasonable belief that you have permission to send messages. For example, you've had a prior business or non-business relationship with the contact but haven't obtained express consent.
• Express Permission — the contact has explicitly opted into your marketing communications and given you clear permission to email them.

To see these definitions in the app, click the ? icon next to Consent Status. When you add a single contact, consent starts as Implied. When you paste email addresses, you choose one before you can add them.

Adding a Single Contact

1. Click Add Contacts, then click Add a Contact.
2. On the Details tab, enter the contact's Email Address. This is the only required field.
3. Fill in any other details you have: First Name, Last Name, Organization, Job Title, Phone Number, Company Address, Address Line 2, Country, City, State, and Postal Code.
4. To change the consent status, click Change next to Consent Status and choose Implied Permission or Express Permission.

5. To add the contact to one or more lists, click the Lists tab and search for the lists to select them. To create a new list, type its name and click Create list "<name>".

   🗣️ Note: A list you create here is saved right away, even if you click Cancel instead of saving the contact.

6. Click Save.

You'll see Contact added, the panel closes, and the new contact appears in All Contacts.

Adding several people in a row? Click Save and Add Another instead of Save. The contact is saved and the panel clears so you can enter the next one. Lists are cleared and consent goes back to Implied, so set them again for each contact.

If the email address is already one of your contacts, you'll see Contact with this email already exists. Nothing new is created, and what you entered stays in the panel. To update that contact instead, click its email address in your contacts to open its details.

Adding Contacts by Pasting Email Addresses

1. Click Add Contacts, then click Paste Email Addresses.
2. To add the contacts to lists, search for and select them under Add to List. To create a new list, type its name and click Create list "<name>" — the list is saved right away, even if you cancel. If you don't select a list, the contacts are added without one.
3. Paste or type the email addresses into the box. Separate them with a space, comma, or new line, or press Tab after each address.
   • Each address turns into a tag. Click the X on a tag to remove it.
4. Next to Consent Status, click Implied Permission or Express Permission.
5. Click Add Contacts.

The panel closes and a message shows how many contacts were added and to how many lists. There's no field mapping or other step.

"Incorrect email address format."

You'll see this under an address that isn't a valid email address — for example, one with a typo or a missing @. An invalid address doesn't stop the others: when you click Add Contacts, only the valid addresses are added and the invalid ones are skipped. To add a skipped address, remove its tag and enter it again correctly.

Addresses separated by semicolons are read as one invalid address. Replace the semicolons with commas or spaces before you paste.

Addresses you already have

If you paste the same address twice, it's added once. If an address is already one of your contacts, BombBomb doesn't create a duplicate — it adds the existing contact to the lists you selected.

The count in the confirmation includes only new contacts. For example, 0 contacts added to 1 list means every address was already a contact, and they were added to the list.

Uploading a CSV File

Use Bulk Upload to import many contacts with their details at once. Click Add Contacts, then click Bulk Upload. You can download a CSV template there to start from.

For the full steps — preparing the file, matching its columns to contact fields, and choosing lists — see How to Import Contacts from a CSV File.

Checking Your Remaining Contacts

The counter at the top left of the Contacts page shows how many contacts you have remaining and how many you've used out of your plan's limit. It updates as soon as you add a contact. Check it before you paste or upload a large batch.

Hover over or click the counter to open Contact Limit and see how your count adds up. Suppressed contacts and contacts synced from Auto Lists don't count toward your limit.

You can still add contacts when you have 0 contacts remaining. They're saved, but contacts over your limit are Oversubscribed and won't receive your emails. See Understanding Contacts in the New BombBomb for how your limit works.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to fill in every field? No. Email Address is the only required field. You can add the rest later from the contact's details.

Why can't I click Save or Add Contacts? In Add a Contact, both save buttons stay unavailable until you enter a valid email address. In Paste Email Addresses, you need at least one valid address and a consent status.

What happens if I add someone who's already in my contacts? Add a Contact shows Contact with this email already exists. and doesn't create a duplicate. Paste Email Addresses doesn't create a duplicate either, but it adds the existing contact to any lists you selected.

Can I add contacts when I have 0 contacts remaining? Yes. The contacts are saved, but contacts over your limit are Oversubscribed and won't receive your emails.

Does adding a contact send them an email? No. Adding a contact only saves them to your Contacts.

Can my teammates see the contacts I add? No — not even account admins. Contacts and lists belong to the user who adds them.

Next Steps

• Understanding Contacts in the New BombBomb
• How to Import Contacts from a CSV File