How do I switch from Ghost to SendFox and move my members?

Moving from Ghost to SendFox is a CSV import: export your subscribed members, then upload them in Audience → Contacts → Import contacts. On every plan.

What comes across from Ghost?

SendFox has no direct Ghost connection, so you move your members with a CSV file: export them from Ghost, then upload the file to SendFox. SendFox reads the email address, the name and any column you map to a custom field you've created in SendFox. Other columns aren't imported.

SendFox adds every row of the file as a subscribed contact, and imported contacts don't get a confirmation email. Ghost's export includes members who turned off your emails, so the steps below leave them out.

Importing works on every plan. The Free plan holds up to 1,000 contacts and sends 3,000 emails a month; for more, see Which SendFox Pro tier should I choose? Moving from another tool as well? See How do I switch to SendFox from another email platform?

How do I export my members from Ghost?

1. In Ghost Admin, open Members.
2. Filter by newsletter subscription so only members subscribed to at least one newsletter are listed.
3. Click the ... menu in the top right and choose to export the filtered list.

You can also export everyone with the settings icon → Export all members. Then open the file and delete every row where subscribed_to_emails is false: those members turned off your emails.

Ghost exports the full name in one name column. SendFox puts it in First Name, so a greeting would show the whole name. To greet people by first name, split the column into first_name and last_name in a spreadsheet before you import.

How do I import the file into SendFox?

1. Go to Audience → Contacts and click Import contacts.
2. Click Upload a file and choose your Ghost export.
3. Map your columns. Email is required. To keep another column, such as note, create a matching custom field in SendFox first. Columns you don't map aren't imported.
4. Optionally add a tag such as from-ghost under Tag them on import.
5. Under Select a list for your new contacts, choose an existing list or name a new one, then click Continue & import contacts.

Files with fewer than 1,000 rows are added right away. Larger files run in the background, and SendFox emails you when the import is done.

How do I bring my Ghost labels across?

SendFox doesn't read the labels column. Export one label at a time instead:

1. In Ghost, filter Members by one label and by newsletter subscription, then export the filtered list.
2. Import the file into SendFox and type the label name under Tag them on import. SendFox creates the tag if it doesn't exist yet.
3. Repeat for each label.

Members already in SendFox aren't duplicated; they just get the new tag. See How do contact tags work?

What about my paid Ghost members?

Paid subscriptions can't be transferred to SendFox, so paying members subscribe again through a SendFox paid newsletter, which needs Pro.

• To find who pays, filter Members by member status in Ghost. The export's stripe_customer_id column isn't a reliable guide on its own: some complimentary members have one too.
• Deleting members in Ghost doesn't cancel their Stripe subscriptions. Once a member has moved, cancel their subscription from their member profile in Ghost; it ends at the close of their billing period.

See How do I move paid subscribers to SendFox? for the full switch.

What do I rebuild after importing?

Only contacts come across. Your past Ghost posts stay in Ghost, and the rest is rebuilt in SendFox:

• Signup forms: create a SendFox form and replace the signup form on your site.
• Welcome emails: if you send any, recreate them as SendFox automations.
• Signup pages: build a Smart Page and update your links.
• Personalization: use SendFox's personalization tags, such as {{contact.first_name}}.
• Sending domain: validate your domain so your emails come from your own address.

Troubleshooting

My import was blocked

• A CSV file can have up to 100,000 rows. Split a larger file and import it in parts.
• An import can't take you over your plan's contact limit. SendFox tells you before it starts, and only email addresses that are new to your account count toward the limit. On the Free plan, click Upgrade! in the top nav to see your options.

Fewer contacts arrived than I have in Ghost

• Members who turned off your emails were left out on purpose.
• SendFox keeps one contact per email address and skips rows without a valid email address.

My greetings show the whole name

• Ghost's name column holds the full name, and SendFox imports it as the first name. Split it into first_name and last_name and import the file again: existing contacts get the new names.

Still stuck? Browse the SendFox Help Center or email support@sendfox.com with the number of rows in your file and the name of the list you imported into.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my Ghost members get a confirmation email?

No. SendFox doesn't send a confirmation email to imported contacts, so import only members who subscribed to your emails.

Will my members notice the switch?

Only in small ways: until you validate your domain, your emails send from a SendFox address, and on Free and Lifetime they carry a small SendFox badge in the footer (Pro removes it). Once you validate your domain, your emails come from your own address.

How do SendFox and Ghost compare?

The biggest difference for your list is how people are stored: Ghost keeps members with labels and one full-name field, while SendFox keeps contacts in lists with tags and separate first and last names. See SendFox vs Ghost for a side-by-side comparison.