If you’re tired of blasting the same email to every lead and hoping for the best, you’re not alone. Most B2B outreach falls flat because it’s generic, irrelevant, or just plain annoying. This guide is for sales and marketing folks who want to actually connect with prospects—without spending hours combing through spreadsheets or paying for yet another list. We’ll break down exactly how to use Copilotai advanced filters to target the right people and send messages that don’t get deleted on sight.
Why Segmentation and Personalization Matter (and Where Most People Mess Up)
Let’s be honest: Most B2B outreach campaigns are a numbers game. It’s easy to fall into the trap of blasting the same message to everyone with a LinkedIn profile. But here’s the thing—your prospects can smell a mass email a mile away. That’s why segmentation (grouping contacts based on real differences) and personalization (making your message actually relevant) matter.
The problem is, most tools make this harder than it should be. You end up with too many filters, too little data, or you just don’t trust the results. Copilotai’s advanced filtering is designed to help you slice and dice your lead lists so you can actually say something meaningful—but only if you use it right.
Step 1: Get Your Lead Data in Order
Before you even touch a filter, get your contacts organized. Garbage in, garbage out.
- Import from one source if possible. Mixing LinkedIn, CSVs, and hand-scraped data makes for a mess.
- Standardize fields. Make sure job titles, industries, company sizes, and locations are consistent.
- Clean up duplicates and junk. You don’t want to pitch the same person twice or message “Test Account.”
Pro tip: If your data is a mess, spend an afternoon cleaning it. It’s annoying, but it’ll make everything else easier.
Step 2: Understand Copilotai’s Advanced Filters
Copilotai gives you a bunch of filters to play with, but you don’t need to use them all. Here’s what actually matters for B2B outreach:
- Industry – Duh, but go deeper than “Tech” or “Finance.” Look for sub-industries.
- Job Title/Function – Target decision-makers or influencers, not just anyone.
- Company Size – Messaging for a 10-person startup is different from a 10,000-person enterprise.
- Seniority Level – Manager vs. C-suite vs. analyst. Speak their language.
- Location – Sometimes time zones or regions matter more than you think.
- Tech Stack (if available) – Useful for SaaS, but don’t get obsessed with it.
- Engagement Signals – If Copilotai tracks opens or replies, you can filter for people who’ve shown interest.
What to ignore: Hypey filters like “likely to buy” or “AI-powered intent.” Unless you know exactly how these are calculated, take them with a huge grain of salt.
Step 3: Build Segments That Actually Make Sense
The biggest mistake? Over-segmenting or under-segmenting.
- Too broad: “All tech companies in North America.” Your message won’t land.
- Too narrow: “CFOs at seed-stage SaaS startups with exactly 13 employees.” You’ll run out of leads fast.
Aim for 3-5 segments per campaign. For example: - CEOs at 50-200 person B2B SaaS companies in the US - Directors of Marketing at healthcare firms in Canada - HR managers at manufacturing companies with 2000+ employees
How to do it in Copilotai: 1. Select your lead list. 2. Use the side panel to apply filters for industry, company size, and job title. 3. Save each segment as a smart group or list. 4. Name each segment clearly (e.g., “US SaaS CEOs 50-200”).
Pro tip: If you’re not sure where to start, segment by company size and job function. Those two alone cover most outreach needs.
Step 4: Personalize—But Don’t Get Creepy
Personalization isn’t about dropping someone’s first name in the subject line. It’s about showing you understand their world. Here’s how to do it without making your outreach sound robotic or, worse, like a stalker.
- Reference their job, company, or a recent event.
- “Saw your team just rolled out a new product—congrats!”
- Mention a challenge common to their segment.
- For HR at big companies: “I know onboarding at scale is a headache.”
- Keep it short and human. Skip the fake flattery and jargon.
- Use merge fields in Copilotai for details like company name or role, but check your templates—bad data looks worse than no personalization.
What NOT to do: - Don’t pretend you’ve done hours of research if you haven’t. - Don’t use fake urgency (“I’m following up on my previous email…” when you never sent one). - Don’t over-automate. If your email reads like a Mad Libs, prospects notice.
Pro tip: Have 2-3 message templates per segment. Test them and see what actually gets replies.
Step 5: Test, Track, and Tweak
No campaign is perfect out of the gate. Here’s how to keep improving:
- A/B test your messages. Try different subject lines, CTAs, or openers.
- Watch your response rates. If one segment is ice-cold, rethink your filters or message.
- Don’t obsess over vanity metrics. Opens are nice, but replies and booked meetings are what matter.
- Keep your segments fresh. People change jobs. Companies grow or shrink. Update your lists monthly.
What to stop worrying about: Hitting “perfect” personalization. A good, relevant message to the right segment beats a creepy, over-engineered email every time.
Step 6: Scale Up—But Stay Sane
Once you’ve got a few segments and templates that work, it’s tempting to crank things up. Just don’t lose what makes your outreach work:
- Don’t blast everyone at once. You’ll get flagged as spam, and you can’t handle 100 replies at once anyway.
- Automate the boring parts, not the human touch. Scheduling follow-ups? Sure. Writing every word by AI? Not so much.
- Document what’s working. Save your best templates, note which filters get results, and share with your team.
Pro tip: If your segment gets too big, break it up. 200 highly targeted contacts are better than 2,000 random ones.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What works: - Clear, simple segments based on real business needs. - Personalization that feels human, not forced. - Regular testing and updates.
What doesn’t: - Overly complicated filters that look fancy on a dashboard but don’t translate to better conversations. - Relying on “AI magic” to tell you who’s ready to buy. - Templates that sound like everyone else’s.
Ignore: - Any feature that promises “done-for-you” personalization. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. - Recommendations that don’t fit your audience. Trust your gut and your results.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Don’t overthink it. Get your data in order, build a few smart segments, and send messages you’d actually reply to. Use Copilotai’s advanced filters to make your work easier—not to impress your boss with how many dropdowns you clicked. Test, tweak, and keep going. The less you try to game the system and the more you focus on real, relevant outreach, the better your results will be. Stick with it, and you’ll get more replies (and fewer unsubscribes) than the “spray and pray” crowd.