Marketing is a lot easier when you talk to the right people about the right things. If you’re a marketer, sales pro, or just someone tired of sorting through messy spreadsheets, this guide’s for you. I’ll walk you through how to automatically segment leads in Outgrow so you can actually use the data you collect—without burning hours on manual sorting.
Outgrow’s quizzes, calculators, and interactive content can pull in a ton of leads. The trick is making sure those leads end up in the right buckets for follow-up, not just a generic newsletter list. Here’s how to do it without losing your mind.
Step 1: Know What “Segmentation” Really Means (and Why It Matters)
Let’s cut through the buzzwords. Segmentation just means sorting your contacts into groups based on things that actually matter to your business—stuff like budget, industry, needs, or behaviors.
Why bother?
- You’ll stop sending “one-size-fits-all” emails everyone ignores.
- Your sales team won’t waste time chasing dead-end leads.
- You can personalize offers, which almost always means better conversion.
Warning: Don’t overthink it. Start with a couple of key segments that fit your goals. You can always get fancier later.
Step 2: Plan Your Lead Segments Before You Touch Outgrow
It’s tempting to jump into Outgrow and start building. Resist that urge for five minutes. Draw out what segments would actually help you.
Ask yourself:
- What do I need to know about a lead to market to them better?
- Are there obvious ways to split my audience? (e.g., by company size, pain point, or product interest)
Example:
If you’re selling software, you might want to segment by:
- Company size (Solo, Small Business, Enterprise)
- Use case (HR, Sales, IT)
- Budget range
Pro Tip:
Don’t make your quiz or calculator an interrogation. People bail if there are too many questions.
Step 3: Set Up Your Outgrow Experience to Capture Segment Data
Now, open Outgrow and pick the interactive format you want (quiz, calculator, survey, etc.).
Here’s what matters: - Add questions that directly map to your segments (e.g., “What’s your monthly marketing budget?” or “Which department are you in?”) - Use multiple-choice or dropdowns when possible. It’s easier to segment structured answers than free text.
Skip This:
Don’t ask for information you’ll never use. If you’re not going to segment by location, don’t ask for location.
Step 4: Create Logic to Assign Segments Automatically
This is where Outgrow does the heavy lifting. You’ll use “Outcomes” or “Results” logic to sort leads.
How to do it: 1. In Outgrow, head to the “Outcomes” or “Results” section. 2. Set up each segment as an “Outcome.” For each outcome, define the rules that put someone in that bucket. For example: - If Q1 = “Small Business” AND Q2 = “Marketing,” assign to “Small Biz Marketing.” - If Q1 = “Enterprise,” assign to “Enterprise.” 3. You can use AND/OR logic to get more granular, but don’t get lost in complexity unless you really need it.
Heads up:
If you have overlapping criteria (like someone who fits two segments), Outgrow will match them based on the order of your outcome rules. Test this to make sure nobody falls through the cracks.
Step 5: Set Up the Lead Capture Form
This is where you actually get their contact info. Place your lead form right before the results page.
Tips: - Keep it short: Name and email are usually enough. - If you need more info for segmentation, try to capture it earlier in the experience, not here.
Optional:
You can make some fields hidden and pass values from earlier answers. This keeps the form clean but still collects the data you need.
Step 6: Map Lead Data and Segments to Your CRM/Email Tool
Don’t let those segments just sit in Outgrow. Get them into your email platform or CRM where you’ll actually use them.
How to do it: - Go to Outgrow’s integrations. Popular options: Mailchimp, HubSpot, Salesforce, ActiveCampaign, Zapier. - Map each segment/outcome to a tag, list, or custom field in your CRM or email tool. - For example, if someone is in the “Small Biz Marketing” segment, tag them as such in Mailchimp. - Test your mapping with a few dummy leads. Check the data lands where you expect.
If your tool isn’t on the list:
Use Zapier or a webhook. It’s a bit more work, but not rocket science.
Don’t Bother:
If you’re not planning to actually email or nurture these leads differently by segment, you’re overcomplicating things. Sometimes a single list is fine.
Step 7: Build Targeted Follow-Up Campaigns
Now you’ve got segmented leads in your CRM or email tool. Set up automations or drip campaigns that speak to each group.
What works: - Personalize the first email based on their segment (e.g., “Here’s how small businesses are saving with our tool” vs. “Enterprise solutions for your HR team”) - Offer relevant resources, not generic ones. - Keep your automations simple to start. You can always add more complex paths later.
What doesn’t: - Don’t just change the greeting and call it personalization. - Don’t set up so many segments that you can’t keep track of them.
Step 8: Test, Tweak, and Don’t Get Fancy Until It Works
No system is perfect on the first try. Send yourself some test leads all the way through—start to finish.
Check: - Are leads being put in the right segment? - Does the data show up correctly in your CRM or email tool? - Are the right emails going to the right people?
If you find mistakes:
Fix the logic in Outgrow or update your integration mappings. Don’t patch things with manual workarounds—you want this to run itself.
What to Ignore (For Now)
There’s a lot of noise about “hyper-personalization” and AI-driven segmentation. Here’s what you can skip until you’ve nailed the basics: - Overly complex quizzes with 20 outcomes. Start with 2–4 segments. - Asking for tons of data you won’t use. - Integrating five different tools at once. - Automating every edge case. Focus on the main flows.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Automatic lead segmentation in Outgrow isn’t rocket science, but it does take a little planning upfront. Start with a couple of meaningful segments and make sure the whole thing actually works before you pile on complexity. Remember, your goal is to make your job easier and your messages more relevant—not to win a prize for the most complicated setup.
If you keep it simple, check your logic, and actually use the segments you create, you’ll get more out of your leads with less hassle. Iterate as you go. Most importantly, don’t let “perfect” get in the way of “done.”