Through my Mailchimp consulting and training I’ve met with thousands of people that use Mailchimp. A questions that I get asked often is if there is limit in Mailchimp as to the number of allowed lists.
The answer is that there is no limit to the number of lists however, for reasons described below, the aim should be to have only one list and to segment that list rather than have multiple lists of subscribers. Segments are incredibly powerful and there are few customers that I’ve met that haven’t been able to use only a single list.
Reasons to use only one Mailchimp list
Here are the top reasons why you should only have one contact list in Mailchimp:
- You may break the law: When a person unsubscribes, they do so at the list level (not account level). If a person is in two lists then you may unknowingly send them a campaign from the second list.
- Mailchimp bills per email address: If you have the same email address in multiple lists then you will be billed multiple times for the same subscriber.
- Reporting is at the list and campaign levels: It will be difficult to get an accurate picture of historic open and click rates if you have multiple lists.
- Campaigns may not be sent to multiple lists: If you want to send an email campaign to all subscribers and have multiple lists then you’ll need to send multiple campaigns.
- Most integrations connect to a single list only: Whether you use WooCommerce, Shopify or any other integration into Mailchimp, you’ll usually only be able to connect to a single Mailchimp list.
How do I combine my existing Mailchimp lists
If you do have multiple lists then the two simple ways of combining lists are to:
- Combine your lists in Mailchimp or
- Export your lists and combine the subscriber data in Microsoft Excel and then import the subscribers into a new list (and delete the old lists).
The second option described above if far safer is you have data fields (columns) that are different in the lists. By using the second option above you will however lose historic reporting data.
If you need assistance with combining lists then I can help.
Perhaps it’s just me, but I find Mailchimp quite quirky. You say: Export your lists and combine the subscriber data in Microsoft Excel and then import the subscribers into a new list (and delete the old lists). But doesn’t that mean that when you re-import new list that every subscriber has to re-confirm their opt-ins? I know this is the case from getresponse. If you import cvs even with confirmed subscribers they have to re-confirm the subscription.
Hi Suzanne. If you import subscribers into a new list then a reconfirmation email won’t be sent by Mailchimp.
I would like to have all subscribers in one list. However, I have created multiple opt-ins and through OptinMonster have each optin connected to categories on my site. Any tips on how to have one Mailchimp list, but multiple optins?
By using GROUPS in a Mailchimp list you’ll be able to have multiple sign-up forms and also be able to distinguish categories selected by the subscriber from your sign-up forms.
Hi Gary, thanks for sharing your knowledge on Mailchimp!
What I find really annoying with Mailchimp is the following – maybe you have some advice?
If you have just 1 list, but various opt-in forms for various groups, Mailchimp does not allow you to customize the or the .
So different groups having signed-up for different products get directed to the SAME Sign-up Thank you page and the SAME Confirmation Thank you page.
Whether it was a newsletter, an ebook, a webinar or a free-training.
I find this very limiting.
Or is it just me not having figured out how to do it?
Hi Kris,
I am facing the same issue as you described. Have you found a solution it it?
I have a question about whether to create a new audience and move subscribers, use segmentation, or to create a new second account.
So I currently have a website where I sell art at http://www.familytreedesign.net. One of my collections called “50 Staes of Beauty” has really grown, and is a lot different from everything else. The people interested in “50 Staes of Beauty” are also a much different demographic, and it’s making marketing harder. So I’ve decided to split this collection off into it’s own brand and website, social media channel, etc. But now I need to figure out how to separate the email list. So that each subscriber only gets the relevant emails, and from the right source/branding. So I’ll be sending from two different emails, and using two different templates etc. Achieving that with segmentation seems like there would be more room for error, since these will be almost two different businesses. What’s the best practice for such a situation?
Alex, you could either use two audiences or tag/segment one audience. Use whichever option you prefer.