If you’re sending cold emails to B2B prospects, you know that blasting the same message to everyone is a great way to get ignored—or worse, marked as spam. Segmentation is how you keep your outreach relevant, personal, and actually worth someone’s time. This guide is for folks using Mailstand who want to move beyond “spray and pray” and start sending targeted, useful emails to the right people.
Let’s get practical. Here’s how to segment your B2B prospect lists in Mailstand, what’s worth your time, and what you can skip.
Why bother segmenting your B2B lists?
Before we get into the how, let’s be clear on the why:
- Higher reply rates: People are more likely to respond to stuff that sounds like it’s actually for them—not just “Dear Sir/Madam.”
- Fewer spam complaints: The less you sound like a robot, the less likely you are to get flagged.
- Better data: Segmentation lets you see what’s working, and where you’re wasting your effort.
If you’re reading this, you probably already know the pain of sending 1,000 emails to get 2 meh responses. Segmentation won’t fix a bad offer, but it’ll make a good one stand out.
Step 1: Define what “targeted” actually means for you
Don’t overcomplicate this. “Targeted” isn’t some mystical AI thing. It just means grouping prospects by traits that actually matter for your offer.
Common ways to segment B2B prospects: - Company size (employees, revenue) - Industry or vertical - Job title or function (e.g., CTO vs. HR Manager) - Geography (country, region, city) - Tech stack (what software/tools they use) - Buying signals (recent funding, hiring, new product launch) - Engagement history (who’s opened or clicked before)
Pro tip: Pick 2–3 segments to start. Don’t try to slice your data 15 ways unless you love spreadsheets more than sales.
Step 2: Clean up your raw prospect list
Segmentation is useless if your data’s a mess. Before you import anything into Mailstand, do a quick cleanup:
- Remove duplicates: No one wants three emails from you in a week.
- Check for missing fields: Segments only work if the data is there (e.g., don’t try to segment by job title if half your list is blank).
- Standardize values: “VP, Sales,” “Vice President Sales,” and “Sales VP” should all be the same.
Pro tip: Use Google Sheets or Excel for this. Mailstand isn’t a data cleaning tool—get your house in order before you upload.
Step 3: Import your prospects into Mailstand
Mailstand lets you import via CSV. Here’s what matters:
- Map your headers: When you upload, Mailstand will let you match your CSV columns to fields like “First Name,” “Company,” “Job Title,” etc. Get this right—your segments will depend on it.
- Custom fields: If you want to segment by something Mailstand doesn’t have by default (say, “Tech Stack”), add it as a custom field in your CSV and map it during import.
- Tagging: You can add tags during import. Tags are an easy way to group prospects (e.g., “SaaS,” “Series A,” “Midwest”).
What to ignore: Don’t get hung up on having every possible field. More isn’t better—just make sure you have what you actually plan to use for segmentation.
Step 4: Build your segments in Mailstand
Now that your data’s in, you can create segments. In Mailstand, this usually means using filters or saved searches based on your fields and tags.
Example segments you might build: - All CTOs at SaaS companies with 50–200 employees - Manufacturing companies in Texas that use Salesforce - Prospects who opened your last email but didn’t reply
How to do it: 1. Go to your prospect list in Mailstand. 2. Use the filter options (by field, by tag, by past activity). 3. Combine filters to get as specific as you want. 4. Save the segment or export it for your next campaign.
Don’t overthink it: If you find yourself making segments like “Finance companies in Boise with exactly 42 employees,” you’re probably getting too cute. Start broad enough to have a real group, but narrow enough that your message will feel relevant.
Step 5: Write emails that actually match your segments
This is where segmentation pays off—or falls flat. Don’t just segment for the sake of it. Tailor your emails so the recipient feels like, “Hey, this person actually knows my world.”
Tips for writing segmented emails: - Reference something specific to the group (“Saw you just raised a Series A” or “I help HR teams at manufacturing companies…”) - Keep personalization tokens (“Hi {First Name}”) but don’t rely on them alone—real relevance comes from knowing the segment’s pain points. - Avoid writing ten nearly identical emails for ten micro-segments. If the message is the same, you probably don’t need separate segments.
What doesn’t work: Generic outreach with a fake veneer of personalization. People can spot it a mile away.
Step 6: Test, measure, and adjust
Segmentation isn’t set-and-forget. Keep an eye on your open rates, reply rates, and positive responses by segment. Here’s what to do:
- If a segment bombs: Maybe your offer doesn’t fit, or your list is off. Don’t be afraid to drop it.
- If you’re getting replies: Double down. Can you get even more specific? Or is it time to scale up?
- Watch for patterns: Sometimes you’ll find that certain industries or roles just never respond—don’t waste cycles on them.
Metrics that matter: - Reply rate (not just open or click—actual replies) - Quality of replies (are they interested, or just “unsubscribe me”) - Spam/complaint rate
Don’t chase vanity metrics. If you’re not getting good conversations, it’s time to tweak your segments or your messaging.
What works, what doesn’t, and what to skip
Works: - Segments based on real business differences (industry, job role, company size) - Targeting based on triggers (recent funding, hiring, product launches) - Keeping segments manageable—don’t try to personalize everything
Doesn’t work: - Over-segmentation (“CTOs at fintech startups with blue logos” is not a real market segment) - Relying only on personalization tokens—people see through it - Outdated or messy data (nothing kills a campaign faster)
Skip: - Segments you can’t actually write a different message for - Chasing the latest “AI-powered” micro-segmentation tools (at least until you’ve nailed the basics)
Wrapping up: Keep it simple, keep improving
Don’t let segmentation become another excuse to procrastinate. Start with a couple of real, useful segments in Mailstand, write emails that speak to them like actual humans, and see what happens. Iterate from there. Over time, you’ll find what works for your audience—and you’ll spend less time sending emails into the void.
Remember: It’s not about being clever. It’s about being relevant. Good luck.