Build a segment with the rule builder
The rules that decide who's in a segment, how match all and match any differ, and how to read the live count.
Go to Segments, click New segment, give it a name, add rules, and click Create segment. The count at the bottom of the builder (≈ N contacts match) updates as you type, so you see the effect of every rule before you save.
A new segment opens with one rule already in place: Status is Subscribed. Keep it unless you have a reason not to.
Add rules
Each rule is a row reading left to right: a field, an operator, and a value. Click + Add rule for another.
The Match dropdown above the rows reads “Match all/any of the following rules” and decides how they combine:
- all: a contact must satisfy every rule. Use this to narrow.
- any: a contact matching one rule is in. Use this to combine unrelated groups.
There’s one match mode per segment; you can’t nest a group of rules inside another.
The fields
Contact
| Field | Operators | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Status | is, is not | Subscribed, Unsubscribed, Cleaned, Pending |
| Subscribed date | before, on, after | a date |
| in the last | a number of days |
Lists & tags
| Field | Operators | Value |
|---|---|---|
| List | is in, is not in | one of your lists |
| Tag | has, does not have | one of your tags |
Engagement (one field per event): Opened, Clicked, Received
| Operators | Value |
|---|---|
| in the last, not in the last | a campaign (or any campaign) and a number of days |
An engagement row reads as a sentence: Opened · not in the last · any campaign · 90 days.
Scoping engagement to one campaign
Leave the campaign dropdown on any campaign for account-wide engagement, or pick a campaign to ask about that send specifically.
Clicked · not in the last · Spring launch · 30 days only matches people the Spring launch campaign actually reached. Somebody who was never sent it isn’t counted as “didn’t click it”. A campaign you’ve never sent matches nobody.
Save it
- Give the segment a Name: it’s what you’ll pick from the campaign audience dropdown, so make it self-explanatory (“Engaged, newsletter” beats “Segment 3”). Names are unique per account.
- Add a Description if the rules need context.
- Click Create segment.
For a saved segment, See who matched opens the contacts table filtered to it. Edit rules and View contacts are on the row’s menu.
Starter segments
Before you’ve built any segments, the Segments page offers three ready-made starters. Picking one opens the builder pre-filled, so you can rename it, adjust any rule, and save. Nothing is created until you click Create segment.
- Engaged (30d): Status is Subscribed and Opened · in the last · any campaign · 30 days. Your most receptive audience, and a sensible first send from a new domain (see Warm up a new sending domain).
- Cold (90d): Status is Subscribed and Opened · not in the last · any campaign · 90 days. The re-engagement list. Send one honest “still want these?” email, then remove whoever doesn’t respond (see Clean your list of inactive contacts). Ninety days is the widest inactivity window there is (see Why engagement rules only look back 90 days).
- Recently joined: Status is Subscribed and Subscribed date · in the last · 30 days. Good for a one-off welcome. To welcome every new subscriber automatically, use an automation instead (see Create a welcome series from a recipe).
One more shortcut: on any tag’s row, → Segment opens the builder with Status is Subscribed and Tag has that tag already in place. A starter is a starting point: add List is in your list to keep it to one audience, swap Opened for Clicked to judge engagement by something opens can’t inflate, and change the day count to match how often you send.
When something goes wrong
- “Maximum of 20 rules reached.” A segment can hold 20 rules. Split it, or reach for a tag.
- The count reads “…” or an error appears next to it. A rule is incomplete (an empty date or day box will do it). Fill it in and the count returns.
- “Too many preview requests. Wait a moment.” The live count is rate limited. Pause a few seconds.
- “That segment can’t be used any more: …” on the contacts page: a rule names a list, tag or campaign that has since been deleted. Open the segment and fix that rule. The same cause makes a large export fail.