LinkedIn Connections
HubSpot Contacts8 fieldsHow to import LinkedIn Connections data into HubSpot
When you download your LinkedIn data (Settings, Data Privacy, Get a copy of your data), you get a Connections.csv file. This template maps the export to HubSpot's standard contact fields: names, email, company, job title, and the LinkedIn profile URL. Lifecycle Stage and Lead Status, which the export doesn't carry, are set to Lead and New on every row. Emails are lowercased and name fields are title-cased. One thing to know before you start: LinkedIn only includes the email of a connection who turned on email sharing, typically 10 to 30 percent of rows, so most rows land in HubSpot without an email. The Connected On date has no native HubSpot field; the Columns we don't use section covers it.
Field-by-field mapping
This is the complete column mapping from LinkedIn Connections to HubSpot. The left column is the header in your CSV export. The right column is the HubSpot field it should map to.
| LinkedIn Connections column | HubSpot field | |
|---|---|---|
| First Name | First Namefirstname | |
| Last Name | Last Namelastname | |
| Email Address | Emailemail LinkedIn only includes the email of a connection who turned on email sharing, typically 10 to 30 percent of rows. Blank rows still import but won't have a primary email in HubSpot. TransformLowercased and trimmed | |
| Company | Company Namecompany | |
| Position | Job Titlejobtitle | |
| URL | LinkedIn Biohs_linkedinbio Maps to HubSpot's LinkedIn Bio property, the home for a contact's LinkedIn profile. | |
| "Lead" | Lifecycle Stagelifecyclestage Set on every row. The LinkedIn Connections export doesn't ship a lifecycle stage, and a connections list imported into a CRM is a Lead. Change the value, or remove it, in the column mapper if your process is different. | |
| "New" | Lead Statushs_lead_status Set on every row. The export doesn't ship a lead status, and a newly imported prospect starts as New. Change the value, or remove it, in the column mapper if your process is different. |
Columns we don't use
Your LinkedIn Connections export includes 1 column this template doesn't map. Each one below explains why, plus the workaround if you want the data in HubSpot.
- Connected On
HubSpot Contacts has no native field for the date a LinkedIn connection was made. HubSpot's own Create Date is set when the contact is created in HubSpot.
If you need it. Add a custom date property to the HubSpot Contact called LinkedIn Connected On, then map this column to it by hand in the column mapper.
Formatting and cleanup
LinkedIn Connections exports rarely match the format HubSpot expects. Fix these before you import.
- 1.Lowercases and trims email addresses
- 2.Maps the LinkedIn profile URL to HubSpot's LinkedIn Bio property
- 3.Sets Lifecycle Stage to Lead and Lead Status to New on every row, since the export carries neither
- 4.Title-cases name fields
- 5.Trims whitespace and removes blank rows
Or skip the manual work
Operelio runs this cleanup and mapping for you. Upload your LinkedIn Connections export and download a clean, import-ready file for HubSpot.
LinkedIn Connections to HubSpot FAQ
How do I get my LinkedIn connections data?
Go to Settings, Data Privacy, Get a copy of your data. Select Connections and request the download. LinkedIn will email you when the file is ready, which can take up to 24 hours.
Why are most email addresses blank?
LinkedIn only includes the email of a connection who turned on email sharing in their privacy settings, typically 10 to 30 percent of rows. Connections without a shared email still import into HubSpot, they just won't have a primary email until you add one. Dedupe on the LinkedIn URL rather than email if you import more than one export, since email is too sparse to match on.
Where does the Connected On date go?
HubSpot Contacts has no native field for the date a LinkedIn connection was made, so the template leaves Connected On unmapped. To keep it, add a custom date property to the HubSpot Contact called LinkedIn Connected On and map the column to it by hand in the column mapper. HubSpot sets Create Date itself on import, and you can't override it.
Why does the template set Lifecycle Stage and Lead Status?
The LinkedIn Connections export doesn't carry a lifecycle stage or a lead status, but HubSpot has both fields and reps expect them filled. A connections list imported into a CRM is a Lead in the New status, so the template sets Lifecycle Stage to Lead and Lead Status to New on every row. If your process uses different values, change them, or remove them, in the column mapper before you run the job.
What's the difference between this and the Sales Navigator export?
The Connections export comes from your personal LinkedIn data archive and includes everyone you're connected to. Sales Navigator exports come from curated lead lists and include more fields like Industry and Location.
Will this create duplicates if connections already exist in HubSpot?
HubSpot uses email as the unique identifier. Contacts with matching emails update the existing record. Because most LinkedIn rows have no email, those rows always create new records, so dedupe your CSV on the LinkedIn URL before import.
