Subscriber Tags & Segmentation

Sending the same email to your entire list means some readers get irrelevant content. Tags and segmentation let you group subscribers by interest, behavior, or relationship, so every email you send is relevant to the person receiving it.

What You'll Learn

• What tags are and how to create them
• How to tag subscribers manually and automatically
• How to use tags for campaign targeting
• Segmentation strategies for common author scenarios

Understanding Tags

Tags are labels you attach to individual subscribers to categorize them. Each subscriber can have multiple tags.

Examples of Useful Tags

• romance-reader — interested in romance books
• fantasy-fan — interested in fantasy
• arc-reader — has participated in an ARC campaign
• purchaser — has bought a book from you
• vip — superfan who engages with everything
• new-subscriber — joined in the last 30 days
• inactive — hasn't opened an email in 90+ days
• series-dragon-chronicles — interested in a specific series

Creating and Managing Tags

Creating a Tag

1. Navigate to Marketing > Subscribers > Tags
2. Click "+ New Tag"
3. Enter a tag name and optional description
4. Click "Save"

Applying Tags to Subscribers

Manually:

1. Open a subscriber's detail page
2. Click "+ Add Tag"
3. Select from your existing tags
4. Save

In Bulk:

1. Select multiple subscribers from the list view (checkboxes)
2. Click "Bulk Actions > Add Tag"
3. Select the tag to apply

Automatically (via sequences):

• Tags can be added as a step in an email sequence
• Example: After completing your welcome series, automatically tag the subscriber as "onboarded"

Automatically (via source):

• ARC campaign applicants can be auto-tagged with "arc-reader"
• Website signups can be auto-tagged with the page they signed up from

Using Tags for Campaign Targeting

When creating a newsletter campaign, the "Recipients" section lets you target by tag:

Send to Specific Tags

• Include — send only to subscribers with this tag (e.g., romance-reader)
• Exclude — send to everyone except subscribers with this tag (e.g., unengaged)

Combining Tags

• Include "fantasy-fan" AND "arc-reader" — subscribers who read fantasy AND have been ARC readers
• Include "purchaser" EXCLUDE "reviewed" — people who bought but haven't reviewed (perfect for review request emails)

Segmentation Strategies

By Genre Interest

Tag subscribers based on which books or genres they've shown interest in:

romance-reader  →  Send romance-related content
fantasy-fan     →  Send fantasy releases
thriller-lover  →  Send thriller announcements

By Engagement Level

vip             →  First to hear about new releases, exclusive content
active          →  Regular newsletter recipients
unengaged       →  Re-engagement campaigns, then cleanup

By Relationship Depth

new-subscriber  →  Welcome sequence, introductory content
arc-reader      →  ARC campaign announcements, reviewer appreciation
purchaser       →  Cross-sell other books, discount offers
superfan        →  Exclusive chapters, signed copies, events

By Series Interest

series-dragon-chronicles  →  Updates about this specific series
series-shadow-realm       →  Updates about that series

Tag-Based Automation

Combine tags with email sequences for powerful automation:

Example: Post-Purchase Flow

1. Reader purchases a book → auto-tagged purchaser
2. Tag triggers "Post-Purchase Sequence"
3. Day 0: "Thank you for your purchase! Here's how to download..."
4. Day 7: "How are you enjoying the book?"
5. Day 14: "Would you consider leaving a review?"

Example: New Subscriber Nurture

1. Reader subscribes → auto-tagged new-subscriber
2. Tag triggers "Welcome Sequence" (5 emails over 14 days)
3. After sequence completes → remove new-subscriber tag, add onboarded tag

Analytics by Tag

Navigate to Marketing > Subscribers > Analytics and filter by tag to see:

• Growth rate for each tag segment
• Open rates by segment (which audience engages most?)
• Unsubscribe rates by segment
• Best-performing segments for click-through

This data helps you identify your most valuable subscriber segments and invest more in growing them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is there a limit to how many tags I can create?
A: No. Create as many tags as you need for effective segmentation.

Q: Can I rename a tag?
A: Yes. Renaming a tag updates it everywhere — all subscribers with that tag will show the new name.

Q: Can I see all subscribers with a specific tag?
A: Yes. On the Subscribers list page, filter by tag to show only tagged subscribers.

Q: Do tags affect deliverability?
A: No. Tags are internal organizational tools. They have no impact on email deliverability or sender reputation.

Related Articles

• Managing Your Subscriber List
• Sending Newsletter Campaigns
• Automated Email Sequences (Drip Campaigns)
• Newsletter Analytics & Reporting