How do I move a Clay list into Smartlead?

Get a CSV of the list out of Clay (In Clay, open the table you want to export. Filter the view down to the rows you want and make sure the email column is visible. Click Actions > Export > Download CSV. Once processing finishes, the file downloads. Earlier exports are listed under Available Exports.), verify it, then import the valid file into Smartlead: In Smartlead, go to Engage > Campaigns, select the campaign and click Edit. In the Import Leads section, click Import CSV and pick the valid file. Choose the import settings (block list, unsubscribes, community bounces, leads in other campaigns) and click Save. Map the columns: Name, Email and Location map automatically; map the rest to custom variables or choose Ignore.

Do I need to verify a Clay export before Smartlead?

Lead databases go stale as people change jobs, and a bounced cold email counts against your sending domain the same as any other. Verifying the Clay export before it goes into a sequence keeps the bounce rate under the roughly 2% line where mailbox providers start filtering, and it catches catch-all domains you should not send to blind. Smartlead can pause a campaign when bounces pass a percentage you set, measured against all leads in the campaign.

Which columns should I map in Smartlead?

Email address to Email; First and last name to Name fields (e.g. first_name, last_name); Location to Location; Company, title or anything your copy uses to Custom variable. Set every column your copy does not use to skip or ignore.

Should risky or catch-all addresses go into the campaign?

Usually a catch-all domain, which accepts every address so no verifier can confirm the mailbox. Leave it out, or load it into its own smaller campaign at low daily volume so any bounces stay visible and away from the main one.

What does verifying the list cost?

Your first 100 checks are free after Google sign-in, once per account. Then $9 for 2,500 emails one-time, or Pro at $29.99 a month with no cap on email verification. Files up to 100,000 rows.

Cold email workflow

Clay to Smartlead: verify the list before you import it

Workflow · SimpleVerifier Team · Steps checked 20 October 2026

Export your table from Clay as a CSV, upload it to SimpleVerifier as it is, and import only the valid file into Smartlead, mapping the email column to Email. Keep risky (usually catch-all) rows out of the main campaign and drop invalid ones.

Step 1

Get the CSV from Clay

1In Clay, open the table you want to export.
2Filter the view down to the rows you want and make sure the email column is visible.
3Click Actions > Export > Download CSV.
4Once processing finishes, the file downloads. Earlier exports are listed under Available Exports.

The CSV mirrors the current view, so hide columns you do not need before exporting. Cells where an enrichment did not run come out blank.

Source: Clay help centre · Clay export guide

Step 2

Verify every address

1Sign in and upload the CSV as it came out of the export. The email column is found by its header or its contents.
2Every row gets a live mailbox check with catch-all, disposable and role-address detection.
3Download the valid, risky and invalid files. Each keeps every original Clay column.

Check 100 emails free

Then $9 for 2,500 emails, or $29.99/mo unlimited.

Step 3

Import into Smartlead

1In Smartlead, go to Engage > Campaigns, select the campaign and click Edit.
2In the Import Leads section, click Import CSV and pick the valid file.
3Choose the import settings (block list, unsubscribes, community bounces, leads in other campaigns) and click Save.
4Map the columns: Name, Email and Location map automatically; map the rest to custom variables or choose Ignore.

Source: Smartlead: How to map CSV columns in campaigns · Smartlead: Community bounce feature

Column mapping in Smartlead

Column in the Clay file	Smartlead field	Note
Email address	Email	Mapped automatically; check it.
First and last name	Name fields (e.g. first_name, last_name)
Location	Location	Mapped automatically.
Company, title or anything your copy uses	Custom variable	Up to 40 per lead. Placeholders like {{first_name}} must match the mapped names.

Column names in your Clay file depend on your export settings, so match them by what they hold. Field names on the right are as Smartlead’s help article writes them.

Blank cells do not populate in emails, so fill or drop columns your copy depends on.
Set unneeded columns to Ignore at the mapping step.

Which results to send

validSend
The mailbox server confirmed the address. This is the file that goes into the main campaign.
riskyHold, or send separately
Usually a catch-all domain, which accepts every address so no verifier can confirm the mailbox. Leave it out, or load it into its own smaller campaign at low daily volume so any bounces stay visible and away from the main one.
invalidDrop
The server said the mailbox does not exist, or the domain cannot take mail. Sending will bounce.

Things to watch with Clay and Smartlead

Hide the Clay columns you will not personalise with before exporting: Smartlead keeps up to 40 custom variables per lead.
Blank Clay cells stay blank in Smartlead emails. If an opening line column was not filled for every row, split those rows into a version of the copy that does not use it.
Tick Skip leads that are already in another campaign if the list overlaps earlier sends, and keep Import leads that have bounced across the entire userbase switched the way you want: Smartlead's help notes that by default it imports them.
Smartlead can pause a campaign when bounces pass a percentage you set, measured against all leads in the campaign. Source.

Skip the export: subscribers can connect Smartlead and verify a campaign's leads directly. See the Smartlead integration.

Estimate what an unverified list would do to the campaign with the cold email bounce cost calculator, or reshape the file for Smartlead with the CSV import formatter.

Common questions

How do I move a Clay list into Smartlead?: Get a CSV of the list out of Clay (In Clay, open the table you want to export. Filter the view down to the rows you want and make sure the email column is visible. Click Actions > Export > Download CSV. Once processing finishes, the file downloads. Earlier exports are listed under Available Exports.), verify it, then import the valid file into Smartlead: In Smartlead, go to Engage > Campaigns, select the campaign and click Edit. In the Import Leads section, click Import CSV and pick the valid file. Choose the import settings (block list, unsubscribes, community bounces, leads in other campaigns) and click Save. Map the columns: Name, Email and Location map automatically; map the rest to custom variables or choose Ignore.
Do I need to verify a Clay export before Smartlead?: Lead databases go stale as people change jobs, and a bounced cold email counts against your sending domain the same as any other. Verifying the Clay export before it goes into a sequence keeps the bounce rate under the roughly 2% line where mailbox providers start filtering, and it catches catch-all domains you should not send to blind. Smartlead can pause a campaign when bounces pass a percentage you set, measured against all leads in the campaign.
Which columns should I map in Smartlead?: Email address to Email; First and last name to Name fields (e.g. first_name, last_name); Location to Location; Company, title or anything your copy uses to Custom variable. Set every column your copy does not use to skip or ignore.
Should risky or catch-all addresses go into the campaign?: Usually a catch-all domain, which accepts every address so no verifier can confirm the mailbox. Leave it out, or load it into its own smaller campaign at low daily volume so any bounces stay visible and away from the main one.
What does verifying the list cost?: Your first 100 checks are free after Google sign-in, once per account. Then $9 for 2,500 emails one-time, or Pro at $29.99 a month with no cap on email verification. Files up to 100,000 rows.