Separate subscribed, unsubscribed and unknown contacts before a Kit move
Create an import set containing only people whose marketing permission you can establish.
Keep unsubscribe history and unknown-status contacts separate. A customer purchase or address-book entry is not the permission Kit requires for marketing email.
Work through the setup
- Preserve the source export. Save the status fields, original IDs, signup source and relevant permission evidence. Work on a copy rather than overwriting the only record of an unsubscribe.
- Build three review groups. Separate permission established, unsubscribed, and unknown. Keep a simple reason beside every row that is withheld. Do not infer permission from the presence of an email address.
- Import only the permitted set. Kit requires permission before adding readers. Do not import unknown-status contacts into a double opt-in form expecting Kit to obtain that permission for you.
- Keep the suppression history. Store the excluded set securely with a limited retention/access policy appropriate to your business. If a contact later opts in again, retain evidence rather than silently changing the old history.
A worked example
A source export has 1,000 contacts: 650 with documented signup permission, 200 unsubscribed and 150 with no usable status. Your initial import candidate count is 650, not 1,000. Those numbers are a sorting example, not a legal conclusion about any real list. Ask qualified counsel about uncertain consent rules.
What to watch out for
- Export filters may hide unsubscribed records, so record which view was exported.
- Deleting an unsubscribe record may remove useful historical context.
- “They bought something” is not the same field as “they asked for marketing”.
Keep three files distinct
Keep subscribed contacts, suppressed contacts and records with uncertain status in separate working files. Preserve the source system’s status evidence and timestamps where available. A purchase history or a plausible email address does not, by itself, answer whether someone requested a newsletter. Use the platform’s documented import requirements and do not import the uncertain group simply to avoid losing count. This is an operational sorting method, not a determination of legal consent in every jurisdiction.
Sources and evidence
- Importing subscribers into Kit: what to know + FAQs | Kit Help Center (read November 7, 2026)
- How to remove subscribers from your email list | Kit Help Center (read November 7, 2026)
Common checks
Should I delete unsubscribed readers to clean up?
Kit distinguishes deletion, which removes history, from unsubscribing, which keeps the record. Review your retention obligations before deleting anything.
Published November 7, 2026. Sources last read November 7, 2026. Send a correction.