If you’re reading this, you’ve probably got a pile of leads sitting in your Listkit account, and you’re tired of blasting the same pitch to everyone. Good. You know what happens when you treat every contact the same: low reply rates, wasted time, and a creeping suspicion you’re leaving money on the table. This guide is for sales folks, founders, and anyone who wants to actually get results—not just tick the “personalization” box.
Let’s walk through how to segment your contacts in Listkit so you can run smarter, more personal sales campaigns that don’t sound like they were written by a robot.
Why Bother Segmenting in the First Place?
Before we get into the how, let’s get something straight: segmentation isn’t busywork. It’s the difference between sounding like you care and being marked as spam. Here’s what good segmentation gets you:
- Higher response rates: Personal messages get answered. Generic ones don’t.
- Less wasted effort: Spend time on the right people, not everyone.
- Better data: You’ll actually learn what’s working and what isn’t.
Bad segmentation? That just means you’re still batch-and-blasting under a fancier name. Let’s avoid that.
Step 1: Get Your Contacts Organized
You can’t segment what you can’t see. Before diving into Listkit’s features, take a hard look at your contact data:
What you need: - Names, companies, roles, emails (obviously) - Industry, company size, location - Buying signals (e.g., tech stack, recent funding, job postings) - Any custom fields you care about (like lead source, last contact date, etc.)
Pro tip:
If your data’s a mess, fix it now. Garbage in, garbage out. Don’t wait until you’re halfway through a campaign to realize you’re missing half the info you need.
Step 2: Import and Tag Your Contacts in Listkit
Once your spreadsheet’s cleaned up, it’s time to get your contacts into Listkit. Here’s how to do it without introducing chaos:
- Upload your list: Use the import tool. Map fields carefully—double-check that “Industry” isn’t ending up in “Notes” by accident.
- Use tags from the start:
Tags aren’t just for organizing later—they’re your first line of segmentation. Think in terms of: - Industry (e.g., SaaS, Healthcare, Retail)
- Lead source (e.g., LinkedIn, Website, Event)
- Priority (e.g., Hot, Warm, Cold)
- Anything else that matters to your business
What to ignore:
Don’t go overboard with 20+ tags. You’ll just drown in your own system. Start with a handful of meaningful ones. You can always add more as you go.
Step 3: Build Segments That Actually Matter
Here’s where most people get tripped up—they segment for the sake of it, not because it leads to better messaging. Don’t get fancy just to feel like you’re working. Instead, ask yourself:
- What differences in my audience actually change what I say or offer?
- Can I realistically write a different message for each segment?
Common, useful segments: - Industry: Messaging for SaaS vs. eCommerce is totally different. - Seniority/Role: C-suite cares about big-picture outcomes; managers care about fixing daily pain. - Company size: An SMB doesn’t have the same budget or process as an enterprise. - Buying signals: Someone who just hired a new VP of Sales is a hotter lead than someone who hasn’t grown in years.
How to do it in Listkit: - Use filters to select contacts with shared traits (tags, custom fields, activity). - Save each filtered view as a segment (Listkit lets you do this—use it!). - Name segments clearly. “SaaS CEOs – US – Recent Funding” is better than “List 3.”
Pro tip:
If you’re not sure a segment’s worth it, don’t overthink it. Try it with a small test batch and see if it outperforms your general campaign.
Step 4: Personalize Messages for Each Segment
Now, the whole reason you bothered with segmentation: making your outreach sound like you actually know who you’re talking to.
What works: - Referencing something specific: “Saw you just raised a Series A—congrats!” - Mentioning a pain point: “Growing SaaS teams usually struggle with onboarding new sales reps—does that ring true?” - Offering value that’s relevant: “We help retail brands reduce returns by 20%—happy to share how.”
What doesn’t: - Mail merge gone wrong: “Hi [First Name], I noticed you work at [Company Name].” Yawn. - Overpersonalizing: Don’t creep people out by referencing their dog’s name from Instagram. - Writing a novel: Keep it short and punchy.
How Listkit helps: - Use dynamic fields (merge tags) for basic personalization—just don’t let this be your only trick. - Build templates per segment, not per person. You don’t have time to handcraft every note, but you can target a handful of meaningful groups.
Step 5: Test, Tweak, and Don’t Get Precious
If you’re waiting for the perfect segmentation strategy, you’ll never send anything. Here’s what to do instead:
- Start simple: 2–3 segments is plenty to begin with.
- Track results: Open rates are nice, but replies are what matter. If a segment isn’t performing, tweak your message or rethink the segment itself.
- Iterate: Maybe “SaaS CEOs” are biting, but “eCommerce Founders” aren’t. Adjust your targeting or message. Don’t be afraid to drop segments that flop.
What to ignore:
Chasing vanity metrics. If you’re not booking meetings, who cares if your open rate is 60%?
Step 6: Keep Your Segments Fresh
Life changes, and so do your leads. Segments that made sense last quarter might be stale now.
- Update data regularly: If you’re syncing from another tool, schedule it. If not, batch update every month or so.
- Prune dead leads: Don’t keep messaging folks who never reply. Create a “No Response” or “Do Not Contact” segment and actually use it.
- Refine segments: As you learn, merge or split segments as needed. No shame in pivoting if something’s not working.
Quick Tips for Sanity
- Don’t automate yourself into oblivion. Tools are great, but if you lose the human touch, you’re just another spammer.
- Stick to what you can manage. Ten perfect contacts are better than a thousand ignored ones.
- Ask for feedback. If someone responds, “Wow, this actually felt personal,” you’re on the right track.
- Document what works. If you find a killer segment/message combo, write it down so you can replicate it.
The Bottom Line
Segmenting your contacts in Listkit isn’t rocket science. Start with what you know, keep it simple, and use your common sense. Don’t get hung up on building the perfect system—just get started, pay attention to what works, and tweak as you go. The goal isn’t more work, it’s better results. And if you ever find yourself spending more time tinkering with segmentation than talking to real people, it’s probably time to step away from the filters and send some actual emails.