Unlock more value from your segments
So you’ve been sending for a while, and you've got your engagement-based segments set up. Maybe you've started experimenting with some behavioral segments, like customers versus prospects. These segments are doing important work: they protect your deliverability and help you avoid sending to people who aren't paying attention.
But what if your segments could do more than tell you who's engaged? What if they could tell you who's most likely to make a second purchase, which prospects are closest to converting, or which customers are at risk of churning?
That's where custom segmentation comes in. Custom segmentation is the practice of creating dynamic audience groups based on your business goals and customer behavior. Instead of grouping people only by engagement, you're grouping them by what they've done, what they've bought, or what they're likely to do next. The result is reduced list fatigue, increased customer lifetime value (CLV), and most importantly, real progress on the goals your business cares about most.
See how custom segmentation drives results
Custom segmentation doesn't replace your engagement-based segments. It builds on them. Watch the video below to see how the fictional brand Eastie evolved from basic segments to a custom segmentation strategy, and the results it drove for their business.
The custom segmentation formula
Every custom segment uses 3 components: consent + engagement + behavior or property. Together, they ensure your segment is compliant, deliverable, and tied to a specific goal.
The custom segmentation formula:
consent + engagement + behavior or property
Flip over the flashcards below to take a closer look at what each component means:
Consent is the legal foundation of every segment. It ensures you're only messaging people who have opted in to receive your marketing. Without it, you risk damaging your sender reputation and violating compliance requirements.
Engagement protects your deliverability. It filters for people who have recently interacted with your messages, such as opening or clicking an email within the last 30, 60, or 90 days. The right timeframe depends on your sending frequency and deliverability health.
Behavior or property is what makes your segment custom. It connects your segment to a specific business goal by targeting people based on what they've done or who they are, such as placing an order, viewing a product, or matching a specific profile property like location or predicted CLV.
Consent is the legal foundation of every segment. It ensures you're only messaging people who have opted in to receive your marketing. Without it, you risk damaging your sender reputation and violating compliance requirements.
Engagement protects your deliverability. It filters for people who have recently interacted with your messages, such as opening or clicking an email within the last 30, 60, or 90 days. The right timeframe depends on your sending frequency and deliverability health.
Behavior or property is what makes your segment custom. It connects your segment to a specific business goal by targeting people based on what they've done or who they are, such as placing an order, viewing a product, or matching a specific profile property like location or predicted CLV.
In the coming lessons, you'll learn how to choose the right behaviors and properties for your goals, and how to translate this formula into conditions in the Klaviyo segment builder.
Avoid common segmentation mistakes
Before you start building custom segments, there are a few common misconceptions worth clearing up. These assumptions can lead to strategies that feel productive but don't actually improve your results. Explore the dropdowns below to learn what to watch out for.
More segments does not equal better segmentation
It's tempting to create a segment for every possible audience. But having too many segments can overwhelm your strategy and make it harder to draw clear insights from your data. Overlapping segments also create confusion, both for you and your customers. A few well-defined segments aligned with your business goals will outperform a long list of hard-to-manage ones.
More conditions does not equal better performing segments
There's no ideal number of conditions a segment needs to have, and adding extra conditions doesn't automatically make a segment more effective. In fact, overcomplicating a segment can make it too narrow, limiting your reach and making performance difficult to measure. Every condition you add should serve a clear purpose. If it doesn't help you better identify the audience you're trying to reach, leave it out.
Segmentation without tailored content doesn't drive results
Creating a custom segment is only half the work. If every segment receives the same message, you lose the relevance and personalization that segmentation is designed to create. A segment of first-time buyers needs different content than a segment of loyal repeat customers. The real impact comes when you match each segment with content that reflects their specific behaviors and intent.
Over-targeting campaigns can harm your strategy
Custom segmentation is powerful, but it doesn't mean every send should go to a narrow audience. A balanced sending strategy reserves some room for broader campaigns alongside your targeted ones. Occasions like peak season sales, major product launches, or company announcements are times when reaching a wider engaged audience (such as your 180-day engaged segment) makes sense. If you only send to narrow segments, you risk missing customers who fall outside those groups but would still engage with the right message at the right moment.
With these misconceptions out of the way, you're ready to start building custom segments that drive real results. In the next lesson, you'll take the first step toward creating your own custom segments: identifying a business goal and linking it to specific customer behaviors.