Segment by engagement

Group contacts by what they do - opens, clicks, silence - to protect deliverability and lift conversions.

Engagement segmentation groups contacts by what they do - who opens, who clicks, who's gone quiet - rather than just who they are. It's one of the most powerful things you can do with your list, because it lets you send based on real behaviour.

Why it matters

Profile data answers "who is this person?" Engagement answers the more useful "how do they interact with us?" - and acting on that pays off in four ways:

Better deliverability. Inbox providers watch engagement; keep sending to people who never open and your reputation (and inbox placement) drops. Focus on active contacts to protect it.
Higher conversions. Someone who clicked your last three campaigns is far likelier to act than someone silent for six months. Aim your best offers at the engaged.
Fewer unsubscribes and complaints. Over-mailing the disengaged is the fastest route to opt-outs. Dial frequency back for them, or run a win-back.
Better-spent budget. Every send costs something; engagement segmentation puts that spend where people are paying attention.

The engagement signals you can segment on

Criteria	What it means	Example
Opened a message	Opened a specific campaign, or any campaign in a window	Everyone who opened your last announcement
Did not open	Didn't open a campaign, or any in a window	People who missed an important update, for a re-send
Clicked a link	Clicked any link, or a specific one	High-intent contacts who clicked your pricing link
Did not click	Received but didn't click	Opened-but-didn't-click, for a different call to action
Engagement frequency	Number of opens or clicks over a period	Separate your most active from the occasionally engaged
Last engagement date	Date of their most recent open or click	Anyone quiet for 90+ days, for a win-back

Build an engagement segment

Select Audience, then Contacts.
Choose your list.
Select Create a segment.
Name it something descriptive, like "Engaged - last 30 days" or "Inactive - 90+ days".
Choose Email activity or Click activity as your condition.
Set the time window (last 30 days, last 90 days, or a custom range), and whether it applies to a specific campaign or any campaign.
Combine conditions with AND / OR to refine - for example, "opened any email in the last 30 days AND clicked at least one link".
Check the matching count, then click Save and exit.

The segment updates dynamically as people's engagement changes.

Ways to use it

Reward your most engaged. A segment of people who opened and clicked a few times in the last 30 days is your group for early access, exclusive discounts, or a loyalty programme.

Win back the dormant. Build a segment of contacts with no engagement for 90+ days and run a focused win-back ("We miss you - here's 20% off"). If two or three attempts don't land, consider suppressing them to protect your deliverability.

Tune your frequency. Tier your audience - highly engaged can take your full calendar; moderately engaged get just the important sends; the inactive drop to monthly or a re-engagement flow.

Tips

Start simple: just "engaged" and "disengaged", then expand.
Layer engagement with profile data for precision ("highly engaged AND purchased in the last 60 days").
Revisit your definitions quarterly - engagement shifts.
Suppressing the chronically disengaged isn't losing audience; it's protecting everyone else's inbox placement.

Troubleshooting

Zero contacts - you need sent campaigns to generate data, tracking mustn't be blocked, and the date range has to cover active campaigns. Allow 24-48 hours.

Contacts not entering as expected - check your AND/OR logic, widen the time window, and confirm open and click tracking is on.

Open tracking looks off - privacy features can inflate opens and some clients block them entirely, so lean on click activity when accuracy matters.

For the simpler version, see Create segments.