What is an email segment?
An email segment is a defined group of users who share a specific characteristic or behavior, such as signing up recently, clicking a link, or using a particular feature.
These segments become the backbone of your targeted campaigns, automated journeys, and lifecycle communications and are relevant for you no matter what kind of business you have or industry you’re in.
12 email segments to set up for your SaaS company
Depending on your industry you’re in, you could have other types of segments and they would vary in importance. We’re discussing the 12 email segments that are most commonly found in the SaaS industry.
New signups (last 7 days)
Who this includes: Brand-new users who just signed up and are exploring your product.
Emails to send: Welcome emails, onboarding sequences, quickstart guides, feature introductions.
Onboarded users
Who this includes: Users who’ve completed the onboarding checklist and seen initial value.
Emails to send: Tips for using advanced features, webinar invitations, milestone celebrations, feedback surveys.
Trial users
Who this includes: Users in the trial phase approaching expiration of their free trial and are yet to upgrade.
Emails to send: Upgrade nudges, limited-time offers, ROI explanations, social proof.
Free plan users nearing usage limit
Who this includes: Freemium users hitting usage caps (contacts, sends, or features).
Emails to send: Usage alerts, plan comparisons, upgrade incentives, “unlock benefits” messages.
Power users
Who this includes: Highly engaged users actively using key product features.
Emails to send: Referral invites, loyalty rewards, early access programs, testimonials.
Used feature A but not feature B
Who this includes: Users adopting one major feature but not exploring others.
Emails to send: Feature education, cross-use-case prompts, setup guides.
Clicked on pricing/upgrade link
Who this includes: Users showing buying intent by clicking pricing or upgrade CTAs.
Emails to send: Personalized follow-ups, case studies, benefits recap, live demo invites.
Lead magnet downloaders
Who this includes: Users who downloaded gated content or submitted top-of-funnel forms.
Emails to send: Drip nurture sequences, product introductions, and relevant case studies.
Dormant accounts
Who this includes: Users inactive for a while, like 30 days, and there is a chance they may be losing interest.
Emails to send: Re-engagement campaigns, product updates, personalized support offers.
Cancelled plan users
Who this includes: Former paying customers who cancelled subscriptions.
Emails to send: Win-back offers, “what’s new” updates, personalized outreach.
Attended the webinar but didn’t try the product
Target audience: Leads showing interest by attending an event but not signing up.
Emails to send: Product signup CTAs, feature walkthroughs, free trial offers.
Enterprise plan users
Target audience: Large-scale, high-value customers on top-tier plans.
Emails to send: Personalized onboarding, strategic check-ins.
How to create these segments in Mailmodo
Now, let’s check out the steps that you can follow to group your audience.
Go to the Contacts tab and click on Create Segment.
Choose Start from scratch. Name your segment, choose the contacts to include, and then select either a Dynamic or Static segment. Click Next when done.
Alternatively, you can use Mailmodo AI to quickly generate a segment by providing a simple prompt.
Add your segment conditions. You can include additional And/Or conditions alongside the first condition.
Click Create Segment to save your segment.
Final thoughts
The more precisely you segment your audience, the more relevant your emails become. This way, you will get better open rates, stronger engagement, and higher conversion.
With Mailmodo’s robust segmentation capabilities, including dynamic updates and behavior triggers, you can tailor every message to where your users are in their journey.
Start with these 12 proven segments and evolve from there. The more your email strategy aligns with user behavior, the faster your SaaS company grows.
