Creating segments in ActiveCampaign

A segment of a list is a subgroup of contacts that you can send highly targeted email campaigns to. Segments can be created by using any information available to you in the segment builder. This includes tags, standard and custom field information, website visits, actions, contact or deal score, and more.

Sending targeted email campaigns to a list segment has a variety of benefits. When contacts receive messages that are relevant to them, they're more likely to pay attention to your campaigns. This will create a positive feedback loop where your campaigns are opened more and receive more clicks. This will help your deliverability and strengthen your relationship with your contacts and will likely result in more sales.

Segment condition limitations

While you can use virtually any information available to you in the segment builder to create a segment, there are limitations around the number of conditions you can use.

  • You can use up to a total of 20 conditions in a segment.
  • You can use up to 5 "Action" type conditions. (This includes any condition listed under "Actions" in the segment builder.)
  • You can use up to 3 conditions that use the "Contains" operator.

How to create a segment during campaign creation

You have the option to create a segment of your list(s) during the campaign creation process. This allows you to quickly create your segment on the fly without having to navigate away from your campaign.

1. From the Campaigns overview page, create a new campaign.

2. When you're at the "List" stage of the campaign creation process, you'll be asked to select the list you're sending to. Your screen should look something like this:

3. Click the checkbox next to the lists you want to send to. When you do, a new option will appear, “Segment Selected Lists:”

4. If you already created a segment, click the "Select a segment" dropdown and click the segment you wish to use.

To create a new segment from this page, click "Create New Segment."

5. A modal window will appear where you can create a new segment. Type the segment name into the field provided and click the "Add Your First Condition" button.

6. The segment builder will appear. Use this segment builder to create your segment. When you're done adding your conditions, click "Done."

For step-by-step instructions on using the segment builder, see steps 2-8 in the "How to create a segment with advanced search" section above.

The segment you created should be selected in the segment dropdown:

Click “Next” in the upper right-hand corner to continue to the design step of the campaign creation process.

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