Google Sheets

Google Sheets is the native connector for a spreadsheet you keep in Google. Once authorized, it imports the rows of the file and tab you pick as contacts and keeps them synchronized periodically, so a sheet you already maintain becomes a live source for your audience.

How to connect

Google Sheets is a native OAuth connector: you authorize Instasent with your Google account and pick the file with the Google Drive picker. Instasent only requests access to the file you pick — nothing else in your Drive. There's no key to create or copy anywhere.

1. 1

   Add the data source

   In Data sources, select Add data source and choose Google Sheets from the Integrations section.

2. 2

   Connect your Google account

   Authorize with your Google account. Instasent will only read your spreadsheet and retrieve your data, and only for the file you select.

3. 3

   Pick the file and tab

   Pick the Spreadsheet file with the Google Drive picker, then select the Spreadsheet page (the tab) to import from.

4. 4

   Initial import

   The connector imports the rows as contacts, then re-reads the sheet periodically to pick up changes.

What it syncs

• Contacts — one per row, with the columns as fields.

The sync is one-way, from the sheet into Instasent, and runs periodically. Because a deleted row does not remove its contact, the sheet grows your audience and updates existing contacts, but never prunes it. Contacts unify with the rest of your audience by email and phone, the same as any source — see unification.

Field mapping

Each column maps to an Instasent attribute using the column header as the field name — map your email column to _email, your phone column to _phone_mobile, and so on. You confirm the mapping on setup; see field mapping.

Consent mapping

For Google Sheets the marketing status is columns you add to the sheet. If you need to manage subscription status, add the columns ACCEPTS_MARKETING_SMS and ACCEPTS_MARKETING_EMAIL and set them to true or false. Instasent maps them to the marketing-preference attribute (_accepts_marketing_*) following the consent golden rule:

Column value	Instasent value	Meaning
true	true	Accepted marketing
empty / no column	null	No preference — never opted in or out
false	false	Actively declined marketing

Only an explicit false becomes an active opt-out. A blank cell, or the absence of the column, maps to no preference (null), never to false. For what these values mean for who receives a campaign, see Consent.