Segments

Segments let you divide your audience into targeted groups so you can send the right message to the right people. Instead of emailing your entire list with the same content, you can tailor campaigns to contacts who share specific characteristics.

Why Segmentation Matters

Segmented campaigns consistently outperform untargeted blasts. When recipients get content that matches their interests, engagement stage, or purchase history, they're more likely to open, click, and convert. Segmentation also reduces unsubscribe rates because people aren't getting emails that feel irrelevant to them.

With Pigeon Perch, you can create segments based on engagement scores, tags, contact status, location, and custom properties. Use them to target campaigns, trigger automations, and personalize your marketing across the board.

Dynamic Segments

Dynamic segments update automatically based on filter rules you define. When a contact matches the conditions, they enter the segment. When they no longer match, they leave. No manual maintenance required.

Examples of dynamic segments:

• "Highly Engaged": contacts with an engagement score above 70. Target these contacts for upsell campaigns or exclusive offers.
• "New This Month": contacts created in the last 30 days. Perfect for onboarding sequences.
• "VIP Customers": contacts tagged "vip". Give them early access to announcements or special treatment.
• "At Risk": contacts whose engagement score dropped below 30. Trigger a re-engagement automation to bring them back.
• "San Francisco Area": contacts located in a specific city. Send location-relevant content or event invitations.

Dynamic segments are the most common type and are ideal for ongoing marketing programs where the audience naturally changes over time.

Static Segments

Static segments are manually curated lists. You hand-pick which contacts belong to the segment, and the list only changes when you add or remove someone.

Static segments are useful for:

• A hand-picked list of priority leads for a sales outreach campaign
• Event attendees who need follow-up communications
• A test group for A/B testing new email formats
• An advisory board or beta tester group that doesn't fit into a simple filter

Location Interest Filters

If you use Location Intelligence, you can build segments based on where contacts are interested, not just where they live. The segment builder includes filters for locationInterestCity, locationInterestState, locationInterestScore, locationInterestCount, and locationInterestRadius. For example, you can create a segment of all contacts with an Austin interest score above 60, everyone who has more than 5 location signals in Colorado, or all contacts interested in locations within 25 miles of a specific point. The radius filter is especially useful for proximity targeting around a store, event venue, or new office location. These filters combine with all the standard contact fields, so you can get very specific about who receives each campaign.

Using Segments in Campaigns and Automations

When you create a campaign, you can select a segment as the audience instead of sending to all contacts. The same applies to automation triggers: the "Segment Entered" trigger fires when a contact first matches a dynamic segment's conditions.

Combining segments with suppression groups gives you precise control over both who receives a send and what type of content they get.