Recipient Segments let you create dynamic groups of contacts for email campaigns. You build them with filters such as tags, contact fields, activity and engagement. Segments update automatically as contacts meet or stop meeting the criteria you choose, and you can reuse them across campaigns.
What You'll Learn
How recipient Segments work, how to build and save a Segment in an email campaign, how AND/OR filtering works, and how Segments differ from Smart Lists.
What Is a Recipient Segment?
A recipient Segment is a dynamic group of contacts built from filter conditions such as tags, contact fields, email activity or engagement. Contacts automatically enter or leave the Segment as their data changes.
You can reuse saved Segments when selecting recipients for other email campaigns.
How to Build a Recipient Segment
Build a recipient Segment while preparing an email campaign. This lets you target contacts that match the filter conditions you set.
Go to Marketing → Email → Campaigns.
Create a new campaign or open an existing one.
In the Email Builder, click Send or Schedule.
In the Recipient (To) area, select Build Segments.
Choose the filters for the Segment. For example:
Tag is Compliant
AND Pre-Built Segment is Contacts Engaged in Last 7 Days
Use Add Filter to add more conditions, or Add OR Filter to create alternate condition groups.
Click Save to reuse the Segment later, or continue to Review and Send when preparing the campaign.
Smart Lists vs. Recipient Segments
Smart Lists and recipient Segments are both dynamic, filter-based groups, but they do different jobs. Smart Lists are mainly used to organise and work with contacts in the CRM. Recipient Segments are built for selecting audiences in email campaigns.
Feature | Smart Lists | Recipient Segments |
Primary location | Contacts | Email Campaign Builder |
Primary purpose | Dynamic CRM contact views | Email campaign recipient targeting |
Updates automatically | Yes | Yes |
Uses filter criteria | Yes | Yes |
Reusable | Yes | Yes |
Manual contact inclusion | No; contacts qualify through filters | No; contacts qualify through filters |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I reuse the same Segment in different email campaigns?
Yes. Saved Segments can be reused across email campaigns.
Are Segments static or automatically updated?
Segments update automatically as contacts meet or stop meeting the criteria you've set.
Can I use OR logic in a Segment?
Yes. Use Add OR Filter to create alternate groups of conditions alongside your other filters.
What is the difference between a Smart List and a recipient Segment?
Smart Lists are dynamic, filtered contact views managed from the Contacts area. Recipient Segments are dynamic audience groups used when selecting recipients for email campaigns.
Can I use a pre-built audience condition inside a custom Segment?
Yes. The Segment builder supports Pre-Built Segment criteria alongside other conditions. For example, you can combine a contact tag with Contacts Engaged in Last 7 Days.
Can I manually add or remove contacts from a Segment?
No. Contacts are included or excluded based on the Segment's filter conditions. If you need a manual way to group contacts, add a tag to them and include that tag in your Segment criteria.