CSV Upload Data Validation Template
Ensure your prospect list is correctly formatted before upload
💡 Ensure your prospect list is correctly formatted before uploading to Nova. Upload errors are the most common cause of campaign delays.
A clean, well-structured prospect list is one of the biggest levers you have over campaign performance. This template defines the required format and validates your data before upload.
Required CSV Columns
Column Name | Required? | Format / Notes | Common Errors to Avoid |
first_name | Required | Text, no abbreviations | 'J.' instead of 'James' |
last_name | Required | Text | Avoid ALLCAPS |
Required | Verified email address | Unverified / generic inboxes | |
company_name | Required | Full company name, no abbreviations | 'ACME' instead of 'Acme Corp Ltd' |
job_title | Required | Must match ICP titles | Generic titles like 'Director' |
linkedin_url | Recommended | Full URL: linkedin.com/in/... | Shortened URLs break personalisation |
location | Optional | City or Country |
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company_size | Optional | e.g. '50-200' |
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Data Quality Rules
✅ Required Minimum 100 contacts per campaign Maximum 500 for first upload Emails verified before upload One persona per CSV file UTF-8 encoding First row must be column headers
❌ Never Include Multiple personas in one file Unverified or guessed emails Generic role emails (info@, hello@) Competitors or excluded companies Duplicate contacts Contacts already in active campaigns
Email Verification Sources
Tool | Quality | Notes |
Bouncer | High | Best accuracy — recommended |
NeverBounce | High | Good for bulk verification |
ZeroBounce | High | Also checks spam traps |
Apollo.io built-in | Medium | Good starting point |
Manual verification | Highest | Time-intensive — for key accounts |
Pre-Upload Validation Checklist
✅ Before Uploading, Confirm:+All required columns present with correct headers+No empty first_name or company_name fields+All emails verified (bounce rate target: under 2%)+No mixed personas — one audience per file+Minimum 100 records, maximum 500 for first upload+Exclusion list checked — no suppressed contacts included+File saved as .csv (UTF-8 encoding)
What Happens After Upload
Step | What Nova Does | What You Should Check |
1. Validation | Nova checks column headers and data format | Any error messages flagged in the platform |
2. Deduplication | Nova removes duplicate emails from the list | Confirm expected contact count matches |
3. Suppression check | Nova removes any opted-out or suppressed contacts | Final send count is shown before activation |
4. Confirmation | Nova confirms list is ready — shows contact count | Review and confirm before activating campaign |
✅ Definition of Done☐CSV validated against required column structure☐Emails verified — bounce rate below 2%☐Suppression list checked☐Upload completed without errors☐Onboarding Manager confirmed list is campaign-ready
💡 Submission & Next Step›Complete validation before Week 2 session›Upload in Nova and confirm contact count with Onboarding Manager›Do not activate campaign until list is verified
Nova — AI Outbound by Launched Tech help.launchedtech.io | [email protected]