# How to Segment Cold Subscribers for Re-Engagement Campaigns

Maintaining a healthy email list is vital for Australian small businesses. When a large portion of your list stops opening your emails, it doesn't just mean missed sales—it actively hurts your sender reputation, causing your emails to land in the spam folder for your most loyal customers.

Segmenting your "cold" subscribers allows you to run targeted re-engagement campaigns (often called 'win-back' campaigns) to either bring them back into the fold or clean your list to ensure your marketing budget is being spent effectively.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

Access to your Email Service Provider (ESP) such as Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or ActiveCampaign.
At least 6 months of sending history for accurate data.
A clear definition of what "inactive" means for your specific business model.

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Step 1: Define Your "Cold" Criteria

Before touching your software, you must define what a cold subscriber looks like for your Brisbane business.

For high-frequency senders (daily/weekly): Anyone who hasn't opened an email in 90 days.
For low-frequency senders (monthly): Anyone who hasn't opened an email in 6 to 9 months.
For seasonal businesses: Anyone who hasn't engaged in a full yearly cycle.

Pro Tip: Look at your average purchase cycle. If people usually buy from you every 3 months, a subscriber who hasn't opened an email in 4 months is officially "cold."

Step 2: Navigate to Your Audience Segments

Log in to your ESP. You are looking for the "Segments" or "Lists" section. Screenshot Description: You should see a dashboard with a sidebar menu. Click on 'Audience' or 'Contacts', then look for a sub-menu item labelled 'Segments'. There will usually be a button in the top right corner that says 'Create Segment'.

Step 3: Create a New Dynamic Segment

Ensure you choose a Dynamic Segment (sometimes called a 'Live Segment'). This means as people stop engaging, they are automatically added to this group, and if they suddenly open an email, they are automatically removed.

Step 4: Set the "Date Added" Filter

You don't want to accidentally target brand-new subscribers who simply haven't had time to open an email yet.

Add a rule: Date Added is before [30 days ago]. This ensures you are only looking at people who have been on your list long enough to show a pattern of behaviour.

Step 5: Set the "Engagement" Filter

This is the core of your segment. Add a rule to track inactivity.

Condition: Opened Email
Operator: zero times or has not done
Timeframe: in the last 180 days (or your chosen timeframe from Step 1).

Screenshot Description: In the segment builder, you will see dropdown menus. It should read like a sentence: "Contact has opened email zero times in the last 6 months."

Step 6: Exclude Recent Purchasers (Optional but Recommended)

If you use an e-commerce platform like Shopify or WooCommerce integrated with your email, add an exclusion rule. You don't want to tell a customer they are "cold" if they just spent $500 at your shop last week but simply didn't open the receipt email.

Add a rule: What someone has done -> Placed Order -> zero times -> in the last 90 days.

Step 7: Combine Rules with "AND" Logic

Ensure your segment logic is set to "Match ALL of these rules" (AND logic). If you set it to "Match ANY," you will end up with a massive list of almost everyone in your database.

Your final logic should look like this:

Subscribed more than 30 days ago AND
Has not opened an email in 180 days AND
Has not placed an order in 90 days.

Step 8: Name and Save Your Segment

Give it a clear, descriptive name like "[Internal] Cold Subscribers - 6 Months Inactive." This makes it easy to find when you are ready to send your re-engagement campaign.

Step 9: Review the Segment Size

Once saved, look at the total number of contacts.

Under 10% of your list: You have a very healthy, engaged list.
20% - 40% of your list: This is normal for most Australian SMEs.
Over 50% of your list: You may have deliverability issues or your content isn't resonating with your audience.

Step 10: Verify the Data

Scroll through the first 20-30 names in the segment. Do you recognise any loyal customers? If you see your most frequent buyers in this "cold" list, your tracking might be broken (e.g., they use privacy-focussed email clients like Apple Mail that block open tracking). If the list looks like people you haven't heard from in ages, your segment is working correctly.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

Forgetting the "Date Added" filter: As mentioned, this leads to emailing new sign-ups with "We miss you!" messages, which is confusing and unprofessional.
Relying solely on Open Rates: With the introduction of Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP), open rates aren't 100% accurate. If possible, include "Clicked an email" or "Visited Website" in your engagement criteria too.
Being too aggressive: Don't delete these subscribers immediately. Give them one last chance with a great offer before you remove them.

Troubleshooting

My segment shows 0 people: Check your logic. You might have set it to "Match ALL" with conflicting rules (e.g., "Has opened emails" AND "Has not opened emails"). Also, check that your date ranges aren't overlapping weirdly. The segment is way too large: Check if you accidentally included people who have engaged. Ensure the operator is set to "has NOT done" rather than "has done." I can't see the 'Placed Order' option: This means your website isn't properly synced with your email platform. You may need to install a plugin or API connection to see purchase data in your email marketing tool.

Next Steps

Now that you have your segment, it's time to take action:

Create a Win-Back Sequence: Draft a 2-3 email series with a compelling subject line (e.g., "Are we breaking up?") and a special discount to entice them back.
The Final Cut: If they don't engage with your win-back series, it is time to unsubscribe them. It feels painful to lose numbers, but your deliverability will skyrocket.
Automate: Set this segment to trigger an automated "Sunset Flow" so you never have to do this manually again.

Need help setting up your email automation or cleaning your list? The team at Local Marketing Group can help you optimise your digital strategy to ensure you're reaching the right Brisbane customers. Contact us today.

How to Segment Cold Subscribers for Re-Engagement