Pro Tips for Segmenting Your Email List

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Welcome back to The Intelligent Marketer, where over 12,260 growth-minded founders, agency owners, and marketers go to learn modern marketing strategies.

Every email is focused on helping you build owned marketing assets to drive leads and revenue for your business (instead of relying on paid channels).

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Let's dive into something that separates amateur newsletter operators from the pros: knowing when and how to segment your email list.

Here's the thing: blasting the same email to your entire list is like shouting in a crowded room. Sure, some people might hear you, but most will tune you out. You want to fix that…

The ultimate goal of every campaign: Get the right message to the right people.

Customer Behavior Segmentation (The Gold Mine Most Miss)

Here's a hard truth: not all subscribers are created equal. Some literally read every word you write, while others haven't opened an email in months. Here's how to segment based on behavior:

• Engagement Level

• Super Fans (opened last 5+ emails)

• Active (opened 2-4 of last 5)

• At-Risk (no opens in 30 days)

• Non-openers (no opens in 90+ days)

Pro Tip: I've found that sending exclusive content to "Super Fans" first creates a VIP feeling that boosts engagement even further. They become your micro-influencers.

Purchase History Targeting (Where The Money Is)

If you're selling products or services through your newsletter, this is your secret weapon. Here's my proven approach:

• Recent Buyers

• Send complementary product recommendations

• Ask for reviews (but wait 7 days post-purchase)

• Share advanced tips for their specific purchase

• Window Shoppers

• Track clicked links but no purchase

• Send targeted case studies

• Offer limited-time incentives

The magic happens when you combine these. Example: A window shopper who's also a Super Fan gets different messaging than one who barely opens emails.

Here's a re-engagement sequence that works wonders:

1. "We miss you" (personal tone)

2. "Last chance for exclusive content"

3. "Final goodbye + special offer"

Key Metrics to Track

• Open rates by segment

• Revenue per subscriber

• Engagement trends over time

• List cleaning ROI

Action Steps for This Week

1. Audit your current list segments

2. Identify your Super Fans

3. Create one targeted campaign for your most valuable segment

That’s all for today!

Thanks for reading.

Eric Higgs
Founder of Summit Group
Newsletter & Email Marketing Agency

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help:

• If you’re reading this online, join over 3,000+ subscribers receiving regular emails helping them build, automate, and grow their business with email.

• If you’re struggling to grow your newsletter, click HERE to learn more about Summit Group, our full-service newsletter agency.