Export Your Email Marketing Data for Bento Migration

Heads up: Exporting your data is safe and will not interrupt live sending. Keep campaigns running while you prep the move.

Why Proper Export Matters

• Zero data loss – carry every contact and field into Bento.
• Preserved relationships – keep tags, segments, and custom fields intact.
• Smooth transition – migrate without subscribers noticing a platform switch.
• Compliance maintained – move unsubscribes and bounces so suppression data follows you.

Time box it: Most exports take 10–20 minutes, depending on list size and platform speed. Block out focused time so you can review the files without rushing.

Platform-Specific Export Guides

Choose your current email platform from the cards below to open a focused walkthrough. Each guide includes screenshots, CSV tips, and migration checklists tailored to that tool.

What You Need to Export

Essential data

• Active contacts (your engaged subscribers)
• Unsubscribed contacts (keep suppression data intact)
• Bounced/cleaned contacts (avoid retries to bad addresses)
• Tags & labels (preserve segmentation logic)
• Custom fields (retain personalization data)

Reference material

• Segments or saved filters (document the logic you will rebuild)
• Automation workflows (screenshot triggers, waits, and branches)
• Email templates (export HTML for reuse)
• Forms & landing pages (save code snippets or screenshots)
• Integration settings (note connected apps and API keys)

Universal Export Process

1. Prepare your account. Remove obvious test contacts, merge duplicates, and update stale fields so the CSVs you pull are import-ready.
2. Export active contacts first. Grab every column the platform can provide.
3. Export suppression data separately. Pull unsubscribed, bounced, and complained contacts into their own CSVs.
4. Document tags and custom fields. Make a quick list of any labels or properties that will need to exist in Bento.
5. Capture automation context. Screenshots, Loom videos, or flow charts help you recreate journeys inside Bento.

Prepare Files for Bento

1. Standardize headers. Convert platform-specific headers to Bento-friendly keys (email, first_name, tags, created_at, etc.).
2. Normalize tags. Use comma-separated values without spaces (customer,vip) and keep casing consistent.
3. Clean the data. Remove blank rows, obvious test accounts, and unused columns. Validate email syntax to avoid import errors.
4. Save tidy versions. Keep the cleaned CSVs alongside untouched originals so you can roll back if needed.

Common Export Challenges

Export issues

• Export button missing? Confirm your permissions, try a different browser, or reach out to the platform’s support team.
• Large lists split into multiple files? Download every part before combining and deduplicate after merging.
• Missing fields? Double-check field selection in the export dialog or pull supplementary reports.

Data formatting

• Special characters or emojis? Save the CSV with UTF-8 encoding and test a 20-row import first.
• Date formats inconsistent? Convert to ISO (YYYY-MM-DD) and document the time zone.
• Tags messy? Use spreadsheet filters or find/replace to normalize casing and separators.

Platform Translation Guide

Platform term	Bento equivalent	What it means
List, audience, database	People	Everyone lives in one unified table
Tag, label, category	Tag	Labels that drive segmentation and automation
Segment, smart list, group	Segment	Dynamic grouping based on rules
Custom field, property, attribute	Field	Additional data stored on a person
Campaign, broadcast, blast	Broadcast	One-off email to a defined audience
Automation, workflow, sequence	Flow	Triggered logic with waits, conditions, emails
Form, opt-in, signup	Form	Capture points for new contacts

Next Step

Pick the migration guide for your existing platform and follow it step-by-step. When in doubt, export more often than you think you need—clean backups make any migration reversible.