Bulk Campaign Builder Guide

Introduction

Use the Bulk Campaign Builder to create campaigns across many projects at once. Instead of going into each project one by one, you can upload a single file to create and distribute campaigns across multiple projects.

This is great if you manage many projects, like a hotel chain with hundreds of locations, a franchise with regional branches, or a healthcare network with multiple clinics.

Before You Start

You need two things set up before using the Bulk Campaign Builder:

1. Project Codes -- Each project needs a unique code so the system knows where each row in your CSV file belongs.
2. Default Campaigns (optional) -- You can designate a "catch-all" campaign in each project. This is covered in Step 2.

Step 1: Add Project Codes

Every project needs a short, unique code. This code tells the Bulk Campaign Builder which project each row belongs to.

How to add a Project Code

1. Go to Project Settings
2. Find the Project Code field.
3. Type a short code (although you can enter up to 100 characters, we strongly advise keeping it very short, max 10 chars). Each code must be unique across your account.
4. Save your changes.

> Tip: Use simple codes that are easy to remember.

Step 2: Set a Default Campaign (Optional)

If you want a single catch-all campaign per project that receives rows without a specific campaign name, you can set a "default" campaign. This is useful when you always want new opportunities to land in the same campaign without having to specify a name each time in your file.

How to set a Default Campaign

1. Go to the project that contains the campaign you want to set as default.
2. Click the campaign menu (the three-dot icon or mega menu).
3. Click Default for Bulk Campaign Builder.

1. If another campaign is already the default for that type, you will see a message asking if you want to replace it. Click Yes to confirm.

Things to know about Default Campaigns

• Only one campaign per type can be the default in each project.
• Recurring campaigns cannot be set as default.
• The default campaign shows a special icon on the All Campaigns table and the Campaign Card.

Step 3: Prepare Your CSV File

Your CSV file tells the system what to import and where. Each row is one item (a URL, keyword, etc.) that goes into a specific project and campaign.

Required columns

Optional columns (CSV Import campaigns only)

Which Campaign Name option is right for me?

Example CSV file

Project Code,Campaign Name,URL NYC-HOTEL-01,Spring Outreach,https://example.com/blog NYC-HOTEL-01,Spring Outreach,https://another-site.com LONDON-HQ,Default,https://uk-blog.co.uk PARIS-01,,https://french-site.fr    

> Tip: Check out a template file here or click the View Template File link on the upload screen.

Step 4: Upload Your File

1. Go to All Campaigns > New Classic Campaign. You must be on the main account level, not inside a specific project. If you see a project name in your navigation bar, click the project dropdown menu and select All Campaigns.
2. Select "Bulk Campaign Builder"
3. Pick Campaign Profile Type (Blog Search by Keyword, CSV Import, Competitor Backlink, etc.).
4. Follow a typical campaign creation process.

Upload settings

Before uploading, you can set two options:

• Has Headers? -- Turn this ON if the first row of your file has column names (like "Project Code", "Campaign Name", etc.). Most CSV files include headers, so this should typically be ON.
• Create Campaign If Does Not Exist -- This controls what happens when a campaign name in your file does not match any existing campaign or is left blank.
  • ON: A new campaign is created automatically.
  • OFF: Those rows are skipped.

Step 5: Map Your Columns

1. For each column, select the matching field from the dropdown (like "Project Code", "Campaign Name", "URL", etc.).
2. The system will try to match columns automatically based on your column headers.
3. Mapping Project Code and Campaign Name is required.
4. When you are done mapping, click Next. Pitchbox will validate your import before creating campaigns.

Step 6: Review Warnings

After you click Next, Pitchbox checks your file for issues and conflicts. If you see a Warnings screen, this does not mean your whole import failed -- it just means some rows had problems and will be skipped.

Common warnings

Domain consolidation

If your file has URLs from different sub-domains of the same website (like blog.example.com     and shop.example.com    ), Pitchbox will ask if you want to combine them under one root domain.

• Check the box next to each domain you want to consolidate.
• Or click the checkbox at the top to select all.

What to do if you get a Warnings screen

• If you select Continue, the problem rows will be skipped, but everything else will be processed.
• If you select Cancel, the import will be cancelled. Fix your file and try again.

> Important: If all rows have problems, the system shows an error message: "The CSV file is empty or all projects were excluded." You will need to fix your file before trying again.

Step 7: Import Complete

After you click Continue, the system processes your file. Once complete:

• New campaigns are created only if the "Create Campaign If Does Not Exist" option was turned ON.
• Data is added to existing campaigns.
• Campaign runs are started for keyword and integration campaigns.
• You are taken to the All Campaigns page where you can track the progress of each campaign.

Which Campaign Types Work Together?

Not all campaign types are compatible with each other. When your file references an existing campaign, the import type and the existing campaign type must be compatible.

If your file tries to add data to an incompatible campaign, those rows will be skipped with a warning.

Quick examples

• You are running a Keyword import and a row points to a CSV campaign -- that row is skipped with a warning.
• You are running a CSV Import and a row points to a Keyword campaign -- that row works! The system adds the URLs as opportunities to the keyword campaign and triggers a manual run so the campaign processes them.
• You are running an Integration import and a row points to a CSV campaign -- that row is skipped with a warning.

Limits

The Bulk Campaign Builder has the following limits per import. Rows that exceed these limits are skipped and a warning is shown in Step 6.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if a Project Code is missing?

Rows without a valid Project Code cannot be matched to a project. You will see a warning specifying which rows were skipped.

Can I upload to the same campaign from multiple rows?

Yes. If several rows share the same Project Code and Campaign Name, all of their URLs or keywords will be added as new opportunities in that campaign.

What happens if a campaign is currently running?

Rows that reference a currently running campaign will be skipped. You will see a warning listing the affected campaigns. Wait for those campaigns to finish or remove them from your file before uploading again.

Can I use the Bulk Campaign Builder for just one project?

Yes. It works the same way even with a single row or project.

What file formats are supported?

Only CSV files (.csv) are supported. Make sure your file uses commas to separate values.

How do I know which rows were skipped?

The Warnings screen (Step 6) shows the exact CSV row numbers for every skipped row. You can use these numbers to find and fix problems in your file.

What does "Match by Token" mean?

When you map a column to "Match by Token," you are asked to enter a personalization token (Ex: MRG_     or FLD_    ). Pitchbox searches for that token across your campaigns and maps the data if found. If the token does not exist and the "Create Personalization Field" option is checked, the system creates a new personalization field.

Need Help?

Have questions or need a hand? Reach out to your Pitchbox account manager or email us at support@pitchbox.com.