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Source data into hubsell

Get contacts into a hubsell list from a LinkedIn or Sales Navigator search, or from a CSV file, then tag and enrich them ready for outreach.

About 8 min·20 steps·First login to first campaign · Step 3 of 5·Last updated 23 July 2026
Applies to
All plans
Before you start
For LinkedIn sourcing, LinkedIn connected through the hubsell plugin. For CSV sourcing, a file with column headers and either a LinkedIn URL or an email address in every row.

You can source data into hubsell from a LinkedIn search, a Sales Navigator search, or a CSV import. hubsell removes contacts you already have, so add a tag on every import to keep track of what came in when.

Source from a LinkedIn or Sales Navigator search

  1. Go to Lists, click Add data and select LinkedIn.

    Adding data from LinkedIn in the Lists screen
    Adding data from LinkedIn

  2. To add to an existing list, select the list name. To start a new one, click Create new list and type the name.

    Naming a new list during the import
    Choosing or naming your list

  3. Click Next.

  4. Select the user this data should be assigned to.

    Selecting the user the data is assigned to
    Assigning the data

  5. In LinkedIn or Sales Navigator, run the search that returns your target customers and copy the search URL.

    Copying the LinkedIn search URL
    Copying your search URL

  6. Paste the URL into the URL box.

    Pasting the search URL into the URL box
    Pasting the URL

  7. Select the enrichment level you need.

    Selecting the enrichment level for the import
    Choosing the enrichment level

  8. Add a tag so you can find this batch later. Choose an existing tag or click + to create one.

    Choosing or adding a tag during the import
    Tagging the batch

  9. Decide whether to assign these contacts to a flow now or continue without one. Suppressing contacts first cleans up the list before they enter a flow.

    Deciding whether to assign contacts to a flow
    Choosing a flow, or not

  10. Click Submit, then click Finish.

    Submitting the import
    Submitting

  11. Go to Searches and find your list name. Wait a few minutes and refresh. A status of Active means sourcing has started.

    The Searches screen showing the list status
    Checking the search status

  12. To see the contacts, go to Lists and click the number in the Delivered column.

    The Delivered column in the Lists screen
    Opening the delivered contacts

Source from a CSV import

  1. Go to Lists, click Add data and select CSV.

    Adding data from a CSV in the Lists screen
    Adding data from a CSV

  2. Select an existing list or create a new one, then click Next.

    Choosing a list for the CSV import
    Choosing your list

  3. Check your file before you upload it. Every column needs a header, and every row needs either a LinkedIn URL or an email address. If any names contain characters such as é, á or ó, save the file as CSV UTF-8.

    The CSV requirements shown before upload
    What your CSV needs

  4. Upload the file and click Next.

    Uploading the CSV file
    Uploading your file

  5. Map the columns in your file to hubsell fields, then click Next. Anything without a matching hubsell field can be mapped to Custom Variables.

    Mapping CSV columns to hubsell fields
    Mapping your columns

  6. Choose an enrichment type, or skip enrichment.

    Choosing an enrichment type for the CSV import
    Choosing enrichment

  7. Choose whether the contacts should go into an existing flow.

    Choosing whether the contacts go into a flow
    Choosing a flow

  8. Click Finish. The imported contacts appear under Lists.

    Finishing the CSV import
    Finishing the import

Your contacts are in hubsell. Your list appears under Lists with a count in the Delivered column, and the matching entry under Searches moves from Active to Completed.

Timings to expect

  • Background deduplication on a LinkedIn or Sales Navigator search takes 15 to 20 minutes, depending on list size.
  • CSV deduplication takes roughly 20 to 30 minutes per few hundred contacts.

Troubleshooting

  • Fewer contacts arrived than there were rows in the file. This is expected. hubsell removes contacts you already have and skips rows with a broken LinkedIn URL or a missing mandatory field.
  • You cannot tell which contacts came from this import. Tag every import. Without a tag, deduplication makes a batch hard to identify afterwards.
  • The CSV import failed. Check that every column has a header and that every row has a LinkedIn URL or an email address.
  • Names show as garbled characters. Excel can strip the encoding. Save the file as CSV UTF-8 and import again. If the contacts are already in, run LinkedIn enrichment to overwrite the corrupted names with the correct profile data.
  • A search is stuck on Paused. The LinkedIn or Sales Navigator session has gone out of sync. Disconnect and reconnect LinkedIn from the hubsell plugin.
  • Contacts entered a flow before you had checked them. Suppress contacts during LinkedIn or Sales Navigator sourcing so poor fits are removed before they reach a flow.

Interactive walkthrough

Click through every step at your own pace.

The walkthrough loads from Scribe only after you click, so nothing third party runs on the page until then.

Common questions

How long does deduplication take?

Background deduplication on a LinkedIn or Sales Navigator search takes 15 to 20 minutes depending on list size. CSV deduplication takes roughly 20 to 30 minutes per few hundred contacts.

What does my CSV file need?

Every column needs a header, and every row needs either a LinkedIn URL or an email address. If any names contain characters such as é, á or ó, save the file as CSV UTF-8.

Why did fewer contacts arrive than there were rows in my file?

This is expected. hubsell removes contacts you already have and skips rows with a broken LinkedIn URL or a missing mandatory field.

Next in this series

Connect your CRM account

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