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How to Build Recipient Segments in Email Campaigns

Modified on: Fri, 2 Oct, 2026 at 12:26 AM 3 min read

Marketing • Email • Recipient Segments
How to Build Recipient Segments in Email Campaigns
Recipient Segments let you create dynamic groups of contacts for email campaigns using filters such as tags, contact fields, activity, and engagement. Segments update automatically as contacts meet or stop meeting the selected criteria and can be reused across campaigns.
What You’ll Learn

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.

1

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.

Saved Segments can be reused when selecting recipients for other email campaigns.

2

How to Build a Recipient Segment

Build a recipient Segment while preparing an email campaign to target contacts that match the filter conditions you define.

  1. Go to Marketing → Email → Campaigns.
  2. Create a new campaign or open an existing campaign.
  3. In the Email Builder, click Send or Schedule.
    How to Build Recipient Segments in Email Campaigns – Email Builder showing the Send or Schedule option
  4. In the Recipient (To) area, select Build Segments.
    How to Build Recipient Segments in Email Campaigns – Recipient To area showing Build Segments
  5. Choose the filters for the Segment. For example:
    • Tag is Compliant
    • AND Pre-Built Segment is Contacts Engaged in Last 7 Days
  6. Use Add Filter to add additional conditions or Add OR Filterto create alternate condition groups.
    How to Build Recipient Segments in Email Campaigns – Segment builder showing filters, AND OR controls, and save options
  7. Click Save to reuse the Segment later, or continue to Review and Send when preparing the campaign.
3

Smart Lists vs. Recipient Segments

Smart Lists and recipient Segments are both dynamic, filter-based groups, but they serve different purposes. Smart Lists are primarily used to organize and work with contacts, while recipient Segments are built for selecting audiences in email campaigns.

Feature Smart Lists Recipient Segments
Primary location Contacts Email Campaign Builder
Primary purpose Dynamic 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
4

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I reuse the same Segment in different email campaigns?
Yes. Saved Segments can be reused across email campaigns.
Q: Are Segments static or automatically updated?
Segments update automatically as contacts meet or stop meeting the configured criteria.
Q: Can I use OR logic in a Segment?
Yes. Use Add OR Filter to create alternate groups of conditions alongside your other filters.
Q: 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.
Q: 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.
Q: 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 classification method, use a tag and include that tag as part of your Segment criteria.
5

Need Help?

  • Cannot find Build Segments: Open an email campaign and select Send or Schedule, then review the Recipient (To) area.
  • A contact is missing from a Segment: Review the Segment filters and confirm the contact currently meets all required conditions.
  • A contact remains in a Segment unexpectedly: Review the contact record and confirm whether it still matches any AND/OR filter group.
  • Need a manually controlled group: Apply a tag to the contacts and use that tag as one of the Segment filter conditions.
  • Still need assistance? Contact your administrator or support team with the affected campaign and Segment details.