Email marketing migration checklist: move the workflow, not just the list

1. Inventory what is running

List every signup form, integration, campaign schedule and automation that can add a contact or send an email. Record where each one runs and who can pause it. Save an export and the current workflow descriptions in a restricted location before you start. Avoid putting subscriber data into a public project or sharing it with a review website.

2. Map fields and subscription status

Create a mapping for email address, custom fields, groups and subscription status. Document how the destination handles unsubscribed, unconfirmed and bounced records instead of treating every exported address as active. MailerLite’s import documentation describes matching spreadsheet columns to subscriber fields and lists existing unsubscribed addresses among the reasons an address may not be imported. Check the actual destination rules before proceeding.

3. Test with addresses you control

Build a small sample containing an active test subscriber, an unsubscribed test record and the fields your segments need. Import only this sample first. Compare the intended and actual status and check the import report. Do not solve a rejected record by arbitrarily changing its status. Ask the provider how the record should be handled if the documented behaviour is unclear.

4. Rebuild the journey before the full import

Point a test form to the destination, run the welcome sequence and verify the link and unsubscribe journey. Check whether adding contacts to a group starts an automation. Keep unfinished workflows paused so that the full import does not unexpectedly send messages. Record the destination plan and any integration requirement.

5. Set a cutover and a stop condition

Choose a quiet period and assign one person to decide whether to proceed. Pause old sending workflows, account for contacts added since the first export and change forms and integrations in a documented order. Stop if subscription status or recipient counts differ in a way you cannot explain. If you roll back, pause the new sending system before restarting the old one.

6. Check the first real campaign

Compare the intended audience with the selected recipients before scheduling. After sending, inspect the provider’s delivery and unsubscribe reports and confirm that new form submissions reach the destination. Keep the old account only for the period your documented export and transition needs require; do not cancel it before confirming that needed data and workflows are accessible.

Your next step

• Check your destination requirements →
• Review the first destination campaign →

Sources and further reading

• MailerLite: importing subscribers
• MailerLite: test email limitations

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