CSV Import Guide

Import testimonials in bulk from other platforms or spreadsheets using CSV files.

Overview

The CSV import feature supports flexible column naming to accommodate exports from various platforms (Google Forms, Typeform, SurveyMonkey, etc.). Column names are case-insensitive and support multiple variations for each field.

Import Process:

  1. Prepare your CSV file with required columns
  2. Upload via your project dashboard
  3. Imported testimonials start with "pending" status
  4. Review and approve testimonials through moderation

Required Columns

Every CSV file must include these two fields:

Author Name

The person who gave the testimonial.

Accepted column names:

  • author_name
  • name
  • reviewer_name
  • customer_name
  • author
  • reviewer

Content

The testimonial text itself.

Accepted column names:

  • content
  • review
  • testimonial
  • message
  • feedback
  • comment

Optional Columns

Include any of these optional fields to enrich your testimonials:

Email

Accepted column names:

  • author_email
  • email
  • reviewer_email
  • customer_email

Job Title

Accepted column names:

  • author_title
  • title
  • job_title
  • position
  • role

Company

Accepted column names:

  • author_company
  • company
  • organization
  • employer

Avatar Image

URL to the author's profile photo.

Accepted column names:

  • author_avatar_url
  • avatar
  • avatar_url
  • photo
  • photo_url
  • image
  • image_url

Rating

Star rating from 0 to 5. Accepts decimal values (e.g., 4.5).

Accepted column names:

  • rating
  • stars
  • score

Video

URL to a video testimonial.

Accepted column names:

  • video_url
  • video
  • video_link

Format Specifications

CSV Rules

  • Encoding: UTF-8 (recommended)
  • Delimiter: Comma (,)
  • Header row: Required on first line
  • Column names: Case-insensitive
  • Quotes: Use double quotes (") for fields containing commas or line breaks
  • Empty rows: Automatically skipped

Data Validation

  • Required fields: Rows missing author_name or content are skipped
  • Rating values: Must be between 0 and 5 (invalid values are ignored)
  • URLs: avatar_url and video_url fields should contain valid URLs (any string is accepted, but ensure URLs work correctly)
  • Whitespace: Leading/trailing spaces are automatically trimmed

Column Naming Flexibility

Column names are normalized during import:

  • Case is ignored: Name, NAME, and name are all valid
  • Separators are normalized: author-name, author_name, and author name are equivalent

Example Templates

Minimal Template

The simplest possible CSV with just required fields:

name,review
John Smith,This product changed my life! Highly recommend.
Sarah Johnson,Excellent service and great support team.
Mike Chen,Best purchase I've made this year.

Full Template

All available fields included:

name,email,title,company,review,rating,avatar_url,video_url
John Smith,[email protected],CEO,Acme Corp,This product changed my life! Highly recommend.,5,https://example.com/avatars/john.jpg,
Sarah Johnson,[email protected],Product Manager,Startup Inc,Excellent service and great support team.,5,https://example.com/avatars/sarah.jpg,https://youtube.com/watch?v=xyz
Mike Chen,[email protected],Developer,Tech Solutions,Best purchase I've made this year.,4.5,,

Google Forms Export

When creating a Google Form, use these column names in your questions to ensure automatic mapping. Alternatively, you can rename columns after export to match the accepted variations.

Example with compatible column names:

Timestamp,Email,Name,Company,Feedback,Rating
2024-01-15 10:30:00,[email protected],John Smith,Acme Corp,This product changed my life!,5
2024-01-15 11:45:00,[email protected],Sarah Johnson,Startup Inc,Excellent service and support.,5

Mapping:

  • Name → author_name ✓
  • Email → author_email ✓
  • Company → author_company ✓
  • Feedback → content ✓
  • Rating → rating ✓

Note: If your Google Form uses question text as column names (e.g., "What did you think?"), you'll need to rename the columns in your spreadsheet before exporting to match one of the accepted variations (like "feedback", "review", or "content").

Typeform Export

Typeform exports use specific column names based on your field references. To ensure automatic mapping, rename columns after export to match accepted variations.

Example after renaming columns:

submitted_at,email,name,title,company,feedback,rating
2024-01-15T10:30:00Z,[email protected],John Smith,CEO,Acme Corp,This product changed my life!,5
2024-01-15T11:45:00Z,[email protected],Sarah Johnson,Product Manager,Startup Inc,Excellent service.,5

Mapping:

  • name → author_name ✓
  • email → author_email ✓
  • title → author_title ✓
  • company → author_company ✓
  • feedback → content ✓
  • rating → rating ✓

Tip: When setting up your Typeform, use field references like "name", "email", "company", "feedback", and "rating" to make the export automatically compatible.

Common Use Cases

Migrating from Another Platform

  1. Export testimonials from your current platform (usually as CSV)
  2. Open the CSV file to identify column names
  3. Verify required columns are present (name and content/review/feedback)
  4. Import directly - column variations are automatically recognized

Bulk Import from Spreadsheet

  1. Create a Google Sheet or Excel file with testimonials
  2. Add column headers (use any variation from the lists above)
  3. Export as CSV
  4. Import to PraiseLane

Collecting via Google Forms

  1. Create a Google Form with questions for name, company, testimonial, etc.
  2. Share the form with customers
  3. Once you have responses, go to "Responses" → "Download responses (CSV)"
  4. Import the CSV - PraiseLane automatically recognizes Google Forms column names

CRM Export

Many CRMs export customer feedback as CSV:

  1. Export customer reviews/feedback from your CRM
  2. Map CRM fields to PraiseLane columns (check column name variations)
  3. If needed, rename columns in Excel/Sheets before importing
  4. Import to PraiseLane

Tips & Best Practices

Preparing Your CSV

  • Use UTF-8 encoding to ensure special characters display correctly
  • Include headers on the first row - the import relies on column names
  • Remove test data before importing to avoid clutter
  • Check for duplicates if combining data from multiple sources

Data Quality

  • Complete testimonials: Ensure both name and content are filled in
  • Valid ratings: Use numbers 0-5 (decimals like 4.5 are allowed)
  • Working URLs: Test avatar and video URLs before import
  • Professional photos: Use high-quality avatars (square images work best)

Column Naming

  • Don't overthink it: Most common names are automatically recognized
  • Use underscores or hyphens: Both author_name and author-name work
  • Mixed case is fine: Name, NAME, and name are all valid

After Import

  • Review pending testimonials in your dashboard
  • Approve high-quality testimonials to display them publicly
  • Reject spam or low-quality submissions
  • Feature your best testimonials to highlight them in the widget

Troubleshooting

"Missing required column" Error

Problem: The CSV doesn't have recognized name or content columns.

Solution: Check that your CSV has at least one column from each required field:

  • Name column: name, author_name, reviewer_name, etc.
  • Content column: content, review, testimonial, feedback, etc.

If your columns are named differently, rename them to match accepted variations.

Rows Being Skipped

Problem: Some rows are skipped during import.

Causes:

  • Missing required data (name or content is empty)
  • Rating values outside 0-5 range
  • Malformed CSV structure

Solution:

  1. Check that every row has both name and content filled in
  2. Verify rating values are between 0 and 5
  3. Open the CSV in a text editor to check for structural issues

Special Characters Not Displaying

Problem: Accented letters or symbols appear as gibberish.

Solution: Save your CSV with UTF-8 encoding:

  • Excel: Save As → CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited)
  • Google Sheets: Always exports as UTF-8
  • Text editors: Select UTF-8 encoding when saving

Empty Import Results

Problem: Import completes but shows 0 testimonials imported.

Causes:

  • No header row in CSV
  • All rows missing required fields
  • Invalid CSV format

Solution:

  1. Ensure first row contains column headers
  2. Verify at least some rows have both name and content
  3. Check CSV is comma-delimited (not semicolon or tab)

Import Limits

  • File size: Maximum 5MB per CSV file
  • Row count: No hard limit, but imports over 1,000 rows may take longer
  • Batch processing: Large imports are processed in batches
  • Duplicates: No automatic duplicate detection - review imports carefully

Privacy & Security

  • Email addresses are stored but not displayed publicly
  • Pending status - All imported testimonials require manual approval
  • Data ownership - You can export or delete imported testimonials anytime
  • No public access - Import functionality is only available to project owners

Next Steps

After importing testimonials:

  1. Review in Dashboard - Visit your project dashboard to see imported testimonials
  2. Moderate Content - Approve, reject, or feature testimonials
  3. Customize Display - Set featured testimonials and adjust project settings
  4. Embed on Website - Use the display widget to show approved testimonials

See the Embed Widgets documentation for embedding widgets on your website.

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