How to Export WordPress Users to CSV and Import Into Mailchimp or Klaviyo

Moving WordPress user data to an email marketing platform involves exporting from WordPress and importing into your email tool. The Export Users to CSV plugin handles the WordPress side. Here is the full workflow.

Exporting WordPress Users

1. Install Export Users to CSV (or similar plugin).
2. Go to Users, then Export Users (or the export screen your plugin provides).
3. Select the user roles to include. For email marketing, you typically want Subscribers, Customers (WooCommerce), and possibly Authors.
4. Select the columns to export. At minimum: email address, first name, last name. Additional columns like registration date and last login are useful for segmentation.
5. Click Export. Download the CSV file.

Cleaning the CSV Before Import

Open the CSV in Excel or Google Sheets. Before importing into an email platform:

• Remove users who have unsubscribed from your previous email list — do not re-add people who opted out.
• Remove test accounts and your own admin email addresses.
• Check for malformed email addresses — some user registrations accept invalid formats.
• Ensure the column names match what your email platform expects. Mailchimp expects Email Address, First Name, Last Name. Klaviyo expects Email, First Name, Last Name.

Importing Into Mailchimp

1. Go to your Mailchimp account, then Audience, then Import Contacts.
2. Select CSV or Tab-delimited text file.
3. Upload your cleaned CSV.
4. Map CSV columns to Mailchimp fields. Match email to Email Address, first name to First Name, etc.
5. Select the audience to import into and set the contact status (Subscribed, if you have consent for these users).
6. Review and import.

Importing Into Klaviyo

1. Go to Lists and Segments in Klaviyo.
2. Select the list to import into, or create a new list.
3. Click Import Contacts.
4. Upload the CSV and map columns to Klaviyo profile properties (Email, First Name, Last Name).
5. Complete the import.

GDPR Considerations Before Importing

Importing users into an email marketing platform and sending them marketing emails requires a legal basis under GDPR. Simply registering on a WordPress site does not constitute consent to marketing emails. Before importing:

• Check whether your registration form included a marketing consent checkbox.
• Review your terms of service and privacy policy for what communications users agreed to receive.
• If marketing consent was not collected at registration, consider a re-permission campaign rather than sending standard marketing emails to the full list.

Both Mailchimp and Klaviyo allow importing as a specific status. If consent is unclear, import as Non-Subscribed and send a re-permission email rather than regular marketing.

Ongoing Sync vs One-Time Export

A CSV export is a one-time snapshot. New WordPress registrations after the export date are not automatically added to your email platform. For ongoing sync, use a plugin that connects WordPress directly to your email platform — Mailchimp for WordPress, Klaviyo for WooCommerce, or FluentCRM as an intermediary — to keep the lists in sync automatically.

For email marketing automation connected to WordPress user data, WooCommerce purchases, and membership status, a WordPress developer can set up a fully integrated marketing stack.