# Groups and segments

> Groups and segments split your subscribers into parts, so everyone gets the emails meant for them. You put people into a group yourself; a segment is a saved filter that updates itself.

Groups and segments split your subscribers into parts, so everyone gets the emails meant for them. You put people into a group yourself; a segment is a saved filter that updates itself.

## Group or segment: which one to use

| | **Group** | **Segment** |
|---|---|---|
| How does someone get in? | You put them in: by hand, by import, with a bulk action, or a form or the API adds them. | Automatically: whoever matches the filters is in, whoever stops matching is out. |
| When does it change? | Only when someone adds or removes a member. | All the time, following the subscribers' data and activity. |
| What is it good for? | Lists and interests the subscriber chose (for example **Hírlevél HU**, **Kerti klub**). | Targeting by behaviour and data (for example people who opened an email in the last 30 days, or who live in Budapest). |
| Can it have a filter? | No, but you can filter its members while viewing them. | Yes, the segment is the filter. |

**When to use which**

- **Group:** when membership comes from a decision or an event and must stay even if the subscriber's data changes. The people who registered for a webinar are a group.
- **Segment:** when membership follows from a rule. "VIP customers who are still reading" is a segment, because its members change on their own.
- The two work together: a segment can filter on group membership, so you can pick only the Budapest members of the **VIP vásárlók** group, for example.

## The group list

Open **Subscribers** in the left menu, then the **Groups** tab.

![The Groups tab with the list of groups](https://docs.uptools.io/_astro/03-groups-segments-groups-list.CKQsKRGC_ZYzn9k.webp)

Each group is a card. It shows the group's name and creation date, and three numbers:

- **Subscribers:** the number of active members.
- **Open rate** and **Click rate:** how many of all the emails ever sent to the active members were opened, and how many were clicked.

Above the list you can search group names (**Search groups**) and sort by **Date created**, **Group name**, **Subscribers**, **Open rate** or **Click rate**. The arrow next to it reverses the order.

> **Good to know**
>
> - If counting would take very long, this message replaces the numbers: **Counting the subscribers took too long, so the numbers are not shown for now.** Use **Try again** to retry.
> - Groups and segments can be created, changed and deleted by users whose role allows managing subscribers, such as Administrator and Manager.

## How to create a group

1. Open the **Groups** tab under **Subscribers**.
2. Click **Create group** in the top right corner.
3. Type the name in the **Group name** field.
4. Click **Create**.

   ![The Create group window with a name filled in](https://docs.uptools.io/_astro/03-groups-segments-groups-create.OPSncVOB_10bk5n.webp)

Echo creates the group and opens its page straight away. The group is empty at this point.

> **Good to know**
>
> - Two groups can't have the same name. If the name is taken, you'll see a message saying so.
> - You can also create a group during an import: type its name in the **Or add a new group** field on the **Import settings** page.

## How to add subscribers to a group

There are several ways into a group. Pick the one that suits the situation.

| From | How |
|---|---|
| **The group's page** | Click **Add subscribers** above the member list. The import page opens with this group already selected in the settings. |
| **The subscriber list** | Select the subscribers, then choose **Add to group** in the **Actions** menu. |
| **A subscriber profile** | At the bottom of the **Subscriber details** box, click **Manage groups** and tick the group. |
| **An import** | On the **Import settings** page, choose the group in step **1. Add subscribers to groups**. |
| **Adding one subscriber** | On the **Add single subscriber** tab, choose it in the **Add to a group** list. |

The [Subscribers](https://docs.uptools.io/echo/user-guide/subscribers/) chapter covers these steps in detail. Signup forms and your own systems can also add subscribers to a group; see the [Integrations](https://docs.uptools.io/echo/user-guide/integrations/) chapter.

> **Good to know**
>
> - If an active automation starts when someone joins the group (a welcome series, for example), a new member starts in it according to the automation's settings. For imports you have to ask for this with the **Yes, the imported subscribers should start the automation workflow** checkbox.

## How to remove subscribers from a group

1. Open the **All subscribers** tab under **Subscribers**.
2. Click **Choose a filter**, pick the **Groups** condition and choose the group. Now only the group's members are listed.
3. Select the subscribers you want to take out.
4. Click **Actions** and choose **Remove from group**.
5. Choose the group and click **Remove**.

For a single subscriber the profile is quicker: untick the group in the **Manage groups** window.

> **Good to know**
>
> - A subscriber removed from a group stays in your account and in their other groups. To remove someone completely, see the [Subscribers](https://docs.uptools.io/echo/user-guide/subscribers/) chapter.

## How to view the members of a group

1. Open the **Groups** tab.
2. Click the group's name or **View group**.

![The VIP vásárlók group page with its member list](https://docs.uptools.io/_astro/03-groups-segments-group-detail.CEvcuaGB_JwPC2.webp)

The group page shows the member list with the number of members above it. The list shows the group's active members. Click an email address to open that subscriber's profile.

You can filter the member list too: click **Choose a filter** and set conditions as you would for a segment (see [How to build the filters](#how-to-build-the-filters)). This filter only affects what you see. It doesn't change the group and isn't saved.

> **Good to know**
>
> - **Create automation** immediately creates a draft automation that starts when someone joins this group, and opens it in the editor. The draft doesn't run until you start it. See [Automations](https://docs.uptools.io/echo/user-guide/automations/).

## How to rename, split or delete a group

All three actions are in the three-dot menu at the end of the group's card and in the top right corner of the group page.

![The group menu: Rename, Split, Delete](https://docs.uptools.io/_astro/03-groups-segments-groups-menu.DbIBqO4U_ZYt0Qw.webp)

**Rename**

1. Click the three dots, then **Rename**.
2. Type the new name in the **Group name** field.
3. Click **Save changes**.

Members, automations and campaign settings stay linked to the group after renaming.

**Split**

Splitting places the group's members into new groups at random, for example to try an offer on a smaller part of the list first.

1. Click the three dots, then **Split**.
2. Enter the names and shares (in percent) of the new groups. By default you get two groups of 50% each, ending in A and B.
3. To split into more parts, click **Add group**.
4. Check that the **Total:** line says 100%.
5. Click **Split**.

![The Split window with two new groups of 20 and 80 percent](https://docs.uptools.io/_astro/03-groups-segments-groups-split.VxIbAqtj_CxfYr.webp)

**Delete**

1. Click the three dots, then **Delete**.
2. Click **Delete** in the confirmation window.

![The Delete this group? confirmation window](https://docs.uptools.io/_astro/03-groups-segments-groups-delete.DQjdTtYP_Z2munws.webp)

Deleting removes the group and its memberships. The subscribers stay in your account, and their other groups don't change. Deleting can't be undone.

> **Good to know**
>
> - A split takes 2 to 10 new groups, each share a whole number from 1 to 99, adding up to 100. The original group stays as it is.
> - You can't delete a group that a segment's filter or an unsent campaign (draft, scheduled, paused or currently sending) uses. Echo lists the segments or campaigns that use it. Change those first.

## The segment list

Open the **Segments** tab under **Subscribers**.

![The Segments tab with the list of segments](https://docs.uptools.io/_astro/03-groups-segments-segments-list.B6i5Srxf_1Bztmd.webp)

Each card shows the segment's name, creation date, the number of matching active subscribers (**Subscribers**), and the **Open rate** and **Click rate**. Use **Search segment** to search, and sort by **Date created**, **Name** or **Subscribers**.

> **Good to know**
>
> - The numbers on the card come from the last count. Echo counts again when you save the segment or click **Refresh** on its page. Membership itself always follows the current state.

## How to create a segment

1. Open the **Segments** tab and click **Create segment**. The **Segment library** opens.
2. Choose:
   - **Start from scratch:** click **Create**, enter a name in the **Segment name** field and click **Create** again. The segment page opens with an empty filter. The segment is only created when you click **Save segment** after setting up the filters.
   - **A ready-made segment from the library:** use **Create** on its card. Echo suggests the card's name, which you can change. When you click **Create**, the segment is created at once with the ready-made filters, and its page opens.

![The Segment library with the Start from scratch card and the ready-made segments](https://docs.uptools.io/_astro/03-groups-segments-segments-library.DA_zFvd__Z6yGd3.webp)

The ready-made segments in the library. The buttons above them (**All**, **High-value subscribers**, **Win-back audience**, **Smart targeting**) narrow the list.

| Ready-made segment | Who is in it | Filters |
|---|---|---|
| **Frequent link clickers** | Subscribers who click more than 10% of the emails they receive. | **Stats**: **Click rate (%)** **Is greater than** 10 |
| **Active openers** | Subscribers who opened an email in the last 30 days. | **Email actions**: **Opened**, 30 days |
| **Not active lately** | Subscribers who received emails but opened none in the last 90 days. | **Email actions**: **Not opened**, 90 days, and **Stats**: **Emails sent** **Is greater than** 0 |
| **No opens yet** | Subscribers who received emails but never opened one. | **Stats**: **Emails sent** **Is greater than** 0, and **Emails opened** **Equals** 0 |
| **Location-based** | Subscribers with a known location. | **Location**: **Is set** |
| **Time zone-based** | Subscribers with a known time zone. | **Time zone**: **Is set** |

**Location-based** and **Time zone-based** are starting points: after creating them, change the rule to **In any** or **Is**, for example, choose the countries or the time zone, and save.

**A segment from the subscriber list**

If you've already set up a filter on the **All subscribers** tab, you can save it as a segment: click **Save segment**, enter a name and click **Save segment** in the window.

## How to build the filters

A filter is made of one or more conditions. You use the same filter builder on segment pages, in the subscriber list, on group pages and in the **Advanced** recipient choice of a campaign.

1. Click **Choose a filter**. The list of conditions opens in three parts: **Subscriber data**, **Activity** and **Other**. Type in **Search filters** to narrow the list.

   ![The list of conditions under Choose a filter](https://docs.uptools.io/_astro/03-groups-segments-segments-picker.B1wRyZs1_1ghLKC.webp)

2. Click a condition. A row with the condition's name appears.
3. In the row's first list choose the rule (for example **Belongs to**, **Opened**, **Is greater than**), then enter the value: a group, campaigns, a number of days, a date or text. For **Stats**, choose the statistic first.
4. If another condition must also be true, click **+ And** at the bottom of the box and choose it.
5. If another set of conditions is also enough, click **+ Or** below the boxes. This opens a new box.
6. Remove a condition with the X at the end of its row. **Clear** removes all conditions.
7. Look at the list below. As soon as every condition is filled in, the list and the count above it show how many active subscribers match.
8. Click **Save segment**.

![A new segment with two sets of conditions and the matching subscribers](https://docs.uptools.io/_astro/03-groups-segments-segments-builder.D2T7JWjk_vcaA5.webp)

**How to read And and Or**

- Inside a box the conditions are joined by **and**: all of them must be true.
- Boxes are joined by **or**: it's enough if all conditions in one box are true.

The example above reads: subscribers who belong to the **VIP vásárlók** group **and** opened an email in the last 30 days, **or** whose click rate is greater than 20%.

> **Good to know**
>
> - **Save segment** stays disabled while a condition isn't filled in. With no condition at all, you'll see **Add at least one filter.**
> - You can have up to 20 boxes, with up to 20 conditions in each. A number of days, weeks, months or years can be from 1 to 3650.
> - Segments and their counts only include **Active** subscribers.
> - If you try to leave the page with unsaved changes, the browser asks whether you really want to leave.

## Filter conditions

Conditions under **Subscriber data**:

| Condition | What it checks | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| **Email** | The email address. | **Equals**, **Does not equal**, **Contains**, **Does not contain** |
| **Fields: …** | The value of a field. Every built-in and custom field has its own entry (for example **Fields: City**, **Fields: Rendelések száma**). The rules depend on the field type, see below. | |
| **Groups** | Group membership. | **Belongs to**, **Does not belong to** (one group); **Belongs to any**, **Does not belong to any** (several groups); **No groups** |
| **Location** | The country of the subscriber's location. | **Is**, **Is not** (one country); **In any**, **Not in any** (several countries); **Is set**, **Is not set** |
| **Signup date** | When they subscribed. | **Is before**, **Is after** (a date); **Is in the last**, **Is not in the last** (a number of days) |
| **Signup source** | Where they came from. | **Is**, **Is not**, with the value **Added manually**, **Imported**, **API**, **Form**, **Landing page**, **Integration** or **Preference center** |
| **Time zone** | The subscriber's time zone. | **Is**, **Is not**, **Is set**, **Is not set** |

Field rules by type:

| Field type | Rules |
|---|---|
| **Text** | **Equals**, **Does not equal**, **Contains**, **Does not contain**, **Is set**, **Is not set** |
| **Number** | **Equals**, **Does not equal**, **Is less than**, **Is less than or equal**, **Is greater than**, **Is greater than or equal**, **Is set**, **Is not set** |
| **Date** | **Is after**, **Is on or after**, **Is before**, **Is on or before**, **Is on**, **Is not on** (compared to a date); **Is in last interval**, **Is in the next interval**, **Is after interval** (compared to today, in days, weeks, months or years); **Is set**, **Is not set** |

Conditions under **Activity**:

| Condition | What it checks | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| **Automation workflows** | Taking part in the chosen workflows. | **Is active in** (moving through it now), **Is not active in**, **Has completed**, **Has not completed**, **Was never active in** |
| **Campaigns** | Any of the chosen campaigns. | **Was sent**, **Was not sent**, **Was opened**, **Was not opened**, **Was clicked**, **Was not clicked** |
| **Email actions** | Emails from any campaign or automation in the last given number of days. | **Sent**, **Not sent**, **Opened**, **Not opened**, **Clicked**, **Not clicked**, **Opened or clicked** |
| **Last emailed** | When they last received an email. | **Exclude subscribers emailed in the last** … days. Subscribers who were never emailed stay in. |
| **Stats** | The subscriber's totals: **Emails sent**, **Emails opened**, **Emails clicked**, **Open rate (%)**, **Click rate (%)**. | **Equals**, **Is less than**, **Is greater than** |

The condition under **Other**:

| Condition | What it checks | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| **Created date** | When the subscriber was added to your account. | **Is before**, **Is after** (a date); **Is in the last**, **Is not in the last** (a number of days) |

> **Good to know**
>
> - Text comparisons ignore case: "budapest" and "Budapest" are the same.
> - Negative rules (**Does not equal**, **Does not contain**, **Is not on**) also include subscribers whose field is empty.
> - **Location** checks the location shown on the subscriber's profile. That's not the same as the **Country** field you fill in yourself; use **Fields: Country** for that one.
> - The interval rules of date fields compare the full date, year included. So a birthday isn't found by **Is in the next interval**; use an automation that starts on the anniversary instead.
> - Rates are in percent: 20 means twenty percent.

## How to edit, duplicate or delete a segment

1. On the **Segments** tab, click the segment's name or **View segment**.
2. Change the conditions.
3. Click **Save changes**. If you don't want the changes after all, click **Undo changes**.

![The Budapesti VIP vásárlók segment page with its conditions and the last count](https://docs.uptools.io/_astro/03-groups-segments-segments-detail.C6PY8jqt_ZtEWlU.webp)

Below the buttons you see how many subscribers matched at the last count, and under it the current list of members. Click **Refresh** at any time to count again.

The three-dot menu in the top right corner has three actions:

- **Rename:** give the segment a new name.
- **Duplicate:** creates a new segment with the same conditions. Echo suggests the name "… copy", which you can change. Useful when you want a variant of an existing segment.
- **Delete:** deletes the segment. Subscribers aren't affected.

![The segment menu: Rename, Duplicate, Delete](https://docs.uptools.io/_astro/03-groups-segments-segments-menu.Cizus59S_5zk00.webp)

> **Good to know**
>
> - You can't delete a segment that an unsent campaign uses. Echo lists those campaigns.
> - If counting would take too long, Echo shows the result of the last count and tells you when it was made.
> - **Create automation** here also creates a draft automation, one that starts when someone enters this segment.

## How to email a group or a segment

The quickest way is the group's or segment's own page:

1. Open the group or segment page.
2. Click **Create campaign**.
3. Pick the campaign type and click **Create campaign** on its card.

Echo creates the draft with this group or segment already among its recipients, and opens the wizard.

**Choosing recipients in the campaign's settings**

For an existing campaign, or to combine several groups and segments, choose the recipients on the campaign's **Details** step.

1. In the campaign's **Recipients** section, click **Select recipients**.
2. On the **Basic** tab, tick the segments and groups you want. To leave out the members of a group or segment, click **Exclude** at the end of its row.
3. If you need your own conditions, open the **Advanced** tab and build the filter as you would for a segment.
4. Check the **Recipients selected:** number at the bottom of the window and click **Select**.

The [Campaigns](https://docs.uptools.io/echo/user-guide/campaigns/) chapter describes the campaign steps.

> **Good to know**
>
> - Someone who is in several of the chosen groups or segments gets only one email from a campaign.
> - Echo works out a segment's members when the send starts, so a scheduled campaign reaches the people who match the filter at that moment.
> - Campaigns only go to **Active** subscribers, even if a group or segment also contains subscribers with another status.

## FAQ

**If I delete a group, are its members deleted too?**
No. Only the group and the memberships go. The subscribers stay in your account, and their other groups don't change.

**Why is the number on the segment card different from the member list?**
The card shows the result of the last count, while the member list always shows the current state. Open the segment and click **Refresh**: the numbers will match.

**How do I reach people who haven't opened my emails for a long time?**
Create a segment from the **Not active lately** card in the library, or build an **Email actions** **Not opened** filter with the number of days you want. To unsubscribe them, use the **Clean up inactive** tab under **Subscribers**, described in the [Subscribers](https://docs.uptools.io/echo/user-guide/subscribers/) chapter.

**Can I filter on another segment inside a segment?**
Not in the filter builder, but you can reuse any segment's conditions: make a copy with **Duplicate** and add to it. Automation conditions do have a **Segment membership** condition; see the [Automations](https://docs.uptools.io/echo/user-guide/automations/) chapter.

**Can a colleague look at the groups without being able to change them?**
If their role only allows viewing subscribers, they see the groups and segments, but the create, change and delete buttons don't appear for them.