Mailing Lists Overview
What it is
A mailing list is a collection of recipient records - names, addresses, and optional contact details - that you use to drive mail orders. Every send on thanks.io targets one or more mailing lists, whether you are placing a one-off batch or running an automated campaign.
Lists are the connective tissue of the platform. Campaigns attach to lists. QR scan automations move people between lists. Analytics track engagement per list. A well-organized set of lists gives you precise control over who gets what mail and when.
The Mailing Lists page
Open Mailing Lists under Audience in the sidebar. Every list shows its name, its kind (for example "System list" or "Suppression list"), when it was added, and how many recipients it holds. System lists, such as All QR Scans and the list your Neighbor Blast campaigns fill, are pinned to the top and filled automatically; you can't rename, delete, or add to them. Suppression lists are shown in red.
Use Search lists to find a list by name or type, and the sort menu to order them by Newest, Latest added, or A-Z.
Creating a list
- Open Mailing Lists in the sidebar.
- Click Add Mailing List.
- Enter a List name (e.g., "Q3 New Leads" or "Just Listed Farm - Oak Park").
- Click Create list.
The new list opens, ready for recipients. While a sub-account is active, the list is created in that sub-account.
Before you have any lists, the Mailing Lists page offers Add recipients directly; that dialog names a new list as part of adding its first recipients.
Adding recipients
Open a list and click Add recipients to open the Add Recipients dialog. Each option opens a guided setup:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Upload Mailing or Email CSV | Import recipients in bulk from a .csv, .xlsx or .xls file: match your columns, verify the data, then import. See CSV Upload & Format. |
| Manually Enter Address | Add one recipient at a time with full mailing details. Keep adding, then click Done. |
| Manually Enter Email Address | Look up a person's mailing address from their email address and add them. This is a paid lookup. |
| Radius Search | Buy the addresses nearest to one you choose. See Radius Search. |
| Connect an App | Add people automatically as they come in from Zapier, HubSpot, HighLevel, Make, or a webhook. Links to Integrations & API and to the list's add-to-list webhook. |
Recipients can also arrive from outside the dashboard:
- API - add recipients programmatically using the thanks.io REST API. See docs.thanks.io for the full endpoint reference.
- Zapier - use the thanks.io Zapier integration to add recipients from any connected app (e.g., CRM, form builder, or spreadsheet) without writing code.
- Add-to-List Webhook - every list has its own webhook URL that a CRM workflow can fire to add a contact. See Add-to-List Webhooks.
- HubSpot - add a contact or company to a list from the record's sidebar in HubSpot (see HubSpot Integration), or add every record a HubSpot workflow enrolls with the Add to Mailing List workflow action (see Add records to a mailing list from a HubSpot workflow).
- Address collection landing page - a hosted form people fill in themselves. See Address Collection Landing Pages.
- Campaign automation - campaigns can move recipients between lists automatically on send or scan events.
Existing rows can also gain contact details on their own: when your account requires contact info to redeem gift cards, the email address or phone number a recipient enters to claim their card is written back to the list the card was mailed from. It fills blank fields only, matches on mailing address, and never overwrites an email or phone already on the row. See Gift Card Redemption Contact Info.
Working with a list
The list page shows the list's kind, recipient count, date added, and its ID (# followed by a number). Use the Rename list button next to the name to rename it; campaigns and sends that use it keep working.
- Send to this list opens Send Mail with the list already chosen as the recipients.
- The ⋮ menu has Campaign actions (the list's campaign page), View orders (Orders filtered to this list), Append entire list, the exports (see Exporting Lists), Advanced settings, and Delete list. While a search or the Undeliverable only filter is active, the menu also offers Append filtered recipients, which searches phone & email for just the recipients matching the filter (on every page of results), and the whole-list option is labeled Append entire list (ignores filters).
Searching and filtering recipients
Use Search name or address to find recipients, and sort by newest, oldest, name, upcoming birthday or anniversary, city, state, or Undeliverable first. Switch on Undeliverable only to surface addresses that failed verification and need attention. An undeliverable address shows a warning with the reason.
Click any row to edit the recipient. For an undeliverable address, the edit dialog explains why and offers Mark deliverable if you know the address is good. Each row's menu also has Search phone & email, Send to this person, Search everywhere (opens Recipient Search for that name), and Remove from list.
Select recipients with the checkboxes (across pages if you need to) to Send to selected, Search phone & email for just those recipients (a paid lookup), Move them to another list, or Delete them. See Moving Contacts Between Lists.
Advanced settings
A list's tracking URL, QR scan actions, suppression setting, address collection landing page, retargeting code, and add-to-list webhook are on its List settings page. Open it from the list's ⋮ menu → Advanced settings, or the Advanced settings link under the recipients. These settings are part of the Business plan.
Paid data lookups
Some ways of adding to or enriching a list use a pay-per-use data service:
| Lookup | Where | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Find a mailing address from an email | Manually Enter Email Address, or Find mailing addresses from emails on a CSV upload | 7¢ per address found |
| Search phone & email for one recipient | The recipient's row menu → Search phone & email | 20¢ per lookup (some matches take two) |
| Search phone & email for a whole list | The list's ⋮ menu → Append entire list | 20¢ per match, for every recipient not yet searched |
| Search phone & email for part of a list | Append filtered recipients in the ⋮ menu (while a filter is active), or select rows and click Search phone & email | 20¢ per match, for every recipient in that scope not yet searched |
| Search phone & email on import | Search phone & email for every row on a CSV upload | 20¢ per lookup (some matches take two) |
A lookup only runs when you choose it. Each one asks you to confirm with its fee first (the whole-list search states the most it can cost), and a CSV upload runs a lookup only if you tick it. Paid lookups need a card on file and a credit balance that isn't negative; otherwise the option explains why and links to Settings → Payment Method. See Data Services.
Recipient Search
Recipient Search, under Audience in the sidebar, searches every one of your mailing lists and your sent mail at once. Type at least three characters of a name or address. Results come in two tables: recipients on your lists (with the mailing list each is on) and the pieces you have sent (with the order, status, scans, and a PDF proof where one is available). Click a list or an order to open it. Each table shows up to the 25 most recent matches. A recipient's menu lets you Edit them, or Mark deliverable an undeliverable address, right from the results. While a sub-account is active, the search covers that sub-account only.
Deleting and restoring a list
Delete a list from its ⋮ menu → Delete list. Deleted lists are set aside rather than erased: switch on Show deleted lists on the Mailing Lists page to see them and Restore one with a single click. Restoring a list brings its recipients back too.
Automated campaigns that were bound to the list are removed when the list is deleted, and they stay deleted when the list is restored. Recreate any campaigns you still want under Campaigns. Full walkthrough: Deleting and Restoring Lists.
Tips & best practices
- Name lists by purpose and date so they stay organized (e.g., "Birthday Campaign 2026").
- Keep separate lists for different campaign types - don't mix drip recipients with birthday recipients.
- Use the Undeliverable only switch regularly before sending.
- Use Move Recipient on Send or Move Recipient on Scan to build engagement-based segments automatically.
Plan-based limits
- List management is available on all tiers, including Free.