Build a segment
Rules that pick an audience, re-answered every time you use it.
A segment is a saved set of rules. Build one at Segments — the count updates as you type, so you can see what a rule catches before you save it.
How rules combine
Add as many rules as you like and choose whether contacts must match all of them or any. A live preview shows the count and a sample of who’s in it.
Start loose and tighten. A segment that matches nobody is usually one rule too many, and the count tells you which one did it.
What you can match on
| Field | Examples |
|---|---|
| Email, first name, last name, phone | contains, equals, is set, is not set |
| Status | is / is not subscribed |
| List membership | is in / is not in a list |
| Your custom fields | contains, equals, is set, is not set |
| Engagement | see below |
“Is not set” is more useful than it looks — it’s how you find the contacts missing a first name before you send something that greets people by name.
Engagement rules
This is the one people don’t find on their own, and it’s the most valuable. You can segment on what people have actually done:
- Never opened · never clicked
- Opened at some point · clicked at some point
- Active within the last N days
- Dormant for N days or more
- Never sent anything
So a win-back audience is a segment, not a spreadsheet exercise: dormant for 90+ days, and you have it.
Worked out live, never stale
Engagement isn’t a stored score that goes out of date — it’s computed when you use the segment. Someone who clicks tomorrow leaves your dormant segment tomorrow, with nothing to refresh.
“Never opened” and “dormant” only count people you have actually emailed, so a contact you’ve never sent anything to isn’t miscounted as disengaged.
Using a segment
- Target a campaign at it — alongside lists if you want.
- Start an automation when someone begins matching it.
- Branch inside a flow on the same kind of rules.
- Export it — the download reflects the rules currently on screen, so you can export a segment before saving it.
Common issues
My segment matches nobody
Switch all to any to see which rule is doing it, then put it back. Rules that combine a custom field with an exact value are the usual culprit — check the value is stored the way you think.
It matches everyone
A segment with no rules matches your whole audience. That’s deliberate, and occasionally what you want.
The count is different from the campaign's
A campaign only counts subscribed contacts. A segment counts everyone matching its rules, which can include people who have unsubscribed — add a status rule if you want the numbers to agree.
FAQs
Do segments update automatically?+
Yes — they’re answered fresh each time, so there’s nothing to refresh and nothing to go stale.
Can I use a segment inside another segment?+
Not directly. Copy the rules across — or, if you’re combining a fixed group with a rule, use a “is in list” rule inside the segment.
Does deleting a segment affect contacts?+
No. It only removes the saved question.