If you're brand new to Substack and haven't yet created a publication, you can start your move directly at https://substack.com/signup/import
If you're ready to move from Mailchimp to Substack and experience growth with Recommendations, engage with your subscribers in Chat, or start a paid podcast, this guide will show you what you need to do to transition your subscribers and posts to your new publication seamlessly.
In this guide, we'll explain:
What do I need to do on Mailchimp?
To get started, you'll need to retrieve your campaign archive URL and export your Mailchimp Audience and campaigns.
Exporting all members
Select Audience on your Mailchimp dashboard and "All contacts" from the drop-down menu.
Click on "Export Audience" and once the export appears under Audience Exports, select "Export as CSV". A .zip file will be downloaded to your device.
Retrieve your Campaign Archive URL
On your Mailchimp dashboard, select Audience and "Signup forms" from the drop-down menu.
Select Form builder and in the "Forms and response emails" section, select "Campaign archive page" from the drop-down menu.
In the "Campaign archive page URL" section, you'll find the URL you need for the Substack import process.
Exporting your campaigns
Click your profile icon and select "Account & billing".
Select "Manage my data" from the Settings tab and check the box next to "Campaigns". A .zip file of your export will be downloaded to your device.
How do I get started on Substack?
Start your move to Substack here: https://substack.com/signup/import. Alternatively, you can import a mailing list or import your posts found in the Import section on your publication's Settings page at any time.
You'll be prompted to import your Mailchimp contacts and campaigns.
How to import your mailing list
Upload the .csv file of your Mailchimp audience when prompted and select "Import".
How to import your posts
You'll then be prompted to import your Mailchimp campaign. Enter the Campaign archive page URL from your Mailchimp account (example: https://us12345678910.campaign-archive.com/home/abcdef) and upload the export of your campaigns.
Note: Please do not unzip the .zip export of your Mailchimp campaigns. If you have payments enabled on your Substack publication, you'll see the option to import the campaigns as paid posts. It is possible that Mailchimp may include only up to 20 campaigns in your campaign archive.
Confirm that you own your Mailchimp account and agree to Substack's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Select "Next" and your campaigns will immediately appear on your Substack publication.
Imported posts may appear with Mailchimp's email footer and banner in the post. To remove the unnecessary text, head to your Posts page and select the three dots next to your imported post.
Delete the selected text and image and choose "Continue" to update your changes. Select your audience and if you'd like to send the imported post as an email and the Substack app.