How Brevo Segmentation Works — Complete Beginner Breakdown

Segmentation is the difference between sending “mass emails” and running a professional email marketing operation. In Brevo, segmentation decides who receives your message, when they receive it, and how relevant that message will be to them. Beginners often skip segmentation entirely — and then complain about low open rates, low engagement, and deliverability issues. But when segmentation is done right, everything improves at once.

This guide walks you through how segmentation works inside Brevo, the logic behind filters, the difference between conditions and attributes, and how you can start building targeted groups that respond better, click more, and convert faster. Whether your list has 100 contacts or 100,000, segmentation is the key to predictable growth.

Why Segmentation Matters

Most email marketers fail not because of content, but because they send the same email to everyone. Brevo gives you tools to segment your audience based on engagement, demographics, behavior, and custom attributes. This ensures your emails remain relevant and valuable — two things inbox providers reward heavily.

• Better inbox placement
• Higher engagement across campaigns
• Cleaner audience targeting
• Improved sender reputation
• More precise automation journeys

1. Understanding Brevo Segmentation Logic

Segmentation inside Brevo works on a simple logic: choose filters, define conditions, and allow Brevo to automatically update the segment. Unlike manual lists, segments update themselves every time a contact matches (or stops matching) your rules.

Brevo supports three major segmentation types:

• Behavioral Segmentation: Actions users take
• Demographic Segmentation: Age, location, preferences
• Engagement Segmentation: Opens, clicks, activity windows

2. Core Filters You Can Use in Brevo

You can create segments using dozens of filters inside Brevo. Some of the most powerful ones include:

• Engagement

• Opened an email within X days
• Clicked a link within X days
• Never opened any email
• Bounced previously

• Signup Date

• Joined within the last 7, 30, or 90 days
• Old subscribers (1+ year)

• Tags

• Students
• Customers
• Free plan users
• Premium buyers

• Activity

• Visited your pages
• Abandoned a checkout
• Downloaded a resource

• Location

• Country
• City
• Timezone-based sending

3. Creating Your First Segment in Brevo

1. Go to Contacts → Segments
2. Click Create a new segment
3. Select your desired filters
4. Define conditions (e.g., “opened at least 1 email within 30 days”)
5. Save the segment

Your segment will now update dynamically every time a contact’s activity changes.

4. Best Segments Every Beginner Should Create

Here are the foundational segments recommended by EmailSchool:

• Active Users (High Engagement)

• Opened within 30 days
• Clicked within 60 days

• Inactive Users (Low Engagement)

• No opens in 60–90 days
• No clicks ever

• New Subscribers

• Joined within the last 14 days

• High-Intent Users

• Clicked key links
• Visited pricing page
• Downloaded resources

• Buyers

• Tagged with “customer”

5. Real Companies Using Brevo Segmentation

• Bunny Williams Home — using Brevo since 2024
• Blue Note Records — using Brevo since 2023
• Retailer XYZ — migrated to Brevo in 2022

Final Verdict

Segmentation is not a luxury — it is the foundation of modern email marketing. If you want predictable open rates, cleaner deliverability, and stronger sender reputation, Brevo segmentation gives you an unfair advantage. With dynamic filters and real-time audience updating, you can move beyond “mass email” and build intentional engagement that compounds over time.

EmailSchool Recommendation

Start with three core segments: active users, inactive users, and new subscribers. Then add behavioral tags to refine targeting. Use Brevo Official to create clean segments and build smarter automation without unnecessary complexity.