If you’re tired of blasting generic campaigns and hoping something sticks, intent-based targeting is the smarter way to go. This guide is for marketers and sales folks who want to use Regie to actually reach people who care—not just anyone with an email address. No fluff, just real steps you can follow. If you’re new to Regie, or you’ve poked around but haven’t set up intent targeting yet, you’re in the right place.
Why Intent-Based Targeting?
Let’s be honest: Most outreach tools give you a big list and say “go wild.” That’s a good way to annoy people and burn your sender reputation. Intent-based targeting flips it. Instead of spamming the universe, you focus on people showing real buying signals—like researching your product, reading competitor reviews, or searching for solutions in your category.
What does that really get you?
- Higher response rates: You’re talking to people who might actually care.
- Less wasted effort: Fewer “never heard of you, stop emailing me” replies.
- Better data: You quickly see what messaging works on people who are already looking.
But don’t expect magic. Intent targeting isn’t perfect. It’s only as good as your data sources and your follow-up. Still, if you want to do outbound without annoying the world, it’s a major upgrade.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Use Case
Before you even log in to Regie, get specific about who you want to reach and why. Otherwise, you’ll drown in options.
Ask yourself:
- What buying signals matter to us? (e.g., researching competitors, visiting our pricing page, recent funding)
- Who is a great fit for our product? (company size, industry, location, job title)
- What action do we want them to take? (book a demo, download a whitepaper, sign up for a trial)
Pro tip: Write this down. You’ll need it when building your intent audiences and messaging.
Step 2: Set Up Your Intent Data Sources
Regie doesn’t magically know who’s interested—it needs intent signals from somewhere.
The Basics
- First-party data: Your own website behavior, email opens/clicks, and CRM activity.
- Third-party data: Tools like Bombora, G2, or 6sense track broader buying signals.
How to Connect Data Sources in Regie
- Login to Regie and go to the “Intent Data” or “Integrations” section.
- Connect your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.)—Regie usually has point-and-click integrations.
- Add third-party intent feeds if you have them. You’ll need API keys or login info for these.
- Verify data is flowing—Regie should show when it last synced and how many signals it’s pulling in.
Don’t have third-party intent data? You can still use website activity and CRM data, but your targeting will be limited to folks already engaging with your brand.
What to skip: Don’t bother integrating every tool you own. Focus on sources that actually show buying intent, not just random engagement.
Step 3: Build Your Intent Segments
Now it’s time to decide who you’ll target.
Creating an Audience
- Head to the “Audiences” or “Segments” section.
- Click Create New Audience (or similar).
- Filter by intent signals: For example, “Visited pricing page AND works at a SaaS company,” or “Searched for competitor X in last 30 days.”
- Add firmographic filters: Company size, industry, geography, job title, etc.
- Preview your segment. If it’s huge, tighten it up. If it’s tiny, loosen your filters a bit.
Tips: - Start with 1-2 intent triggers. More triggers = more targeted, but fewer people. - Don’t overcomplicate. You can always refine segments later.
Real talk: You’ll rarely get perfect matches. Aim for “good enough to test,” not “flawless.” You can always tweak as you learn.
Step 4: Map Your Messaging to Intent
Here’s where most people screw up: They treat everyone the same, regardless of intent. Don’t do that.
Match Message to Signal
- High intent (e.g., demo request, pricing page): Go straight to the point—“Saw you checked out our pricing. Any questions I can answer?”
- Mid intent (e.g., competitor research): Focus on differentiation—“Noticed you’re comparing tools. Here’s what makes us different from X.”
- Low intent (e.g., general category interest): Educate—“Saw you’re exploring [category]. Can I send over some helpful resources?”
How to set this up in Regie:
- Go to the “Sequences” or “Campaigns” builder.
- For each audience, create a tailored sequence. Use dynamic fields to personalize based on the intent signal.
- Review your messaging—avoid canned templates. The more specific, the better.
Pro tip: Save your best-performing messages as templates for future use. But don’t set and forget. Rotate them based on what’s working.
Step 5: Launch Your Campaign (and Don’t Forget Testing)
Ready? Send your first batch, but don’t blast your whole list. Start small so you can learn.
Steps:
- Set campaign limits: Don’t send more than you can handle replies for.
- A/B test subject lines and first lines—sometimes even small tweaks make a huge difference.
- Monitor deliverability: If reply rates are low or bounce rates spike, pause and fix before scaling.
- Track outcomes: Regie’s reporting should show opens, replies, meetings booked, and so on.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over vanity metrics like “impressions” or “opens.” Focus on replies and meetings booked—they’re what actually matter.
Step 6: Iterate and Improve
No one gets it perfect on the first try. The real work is in tuning your segments and messaging over time.
- Review your results weekly: Which segments are converting? Which messages get replies? Kill what’s not working.
- Tweak your filters: Maybe your intent triggers are too broad, or you’re missing a key job title.
- Rotate your messaging: If you see fatigue (lower replies), swap in new angles or value props.
Pro tip: Ask your sales team for feedback. Sometimes the best tweaks come from real conversations, not dashboards.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Watch Out For
Works: - Tight, specific segments based on real intent. - Personalized messages tied directly to the buying signal. - Starting small and scaling what gets results.
Doesn’t: - Treating intent data like a silver bullet. It helps, but you still need good targeting and copy. - Overcomplicating your segments. Simple wins. - Relying on bad or outdated data feeds.
Watch out for: - Privacy and compliance. Only use data you’re allowed to use, and respect opt-outs. - Over-automation. Regie can automate a lot, but don’t lose the human touch.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Stay Curious
Intent-based targeting in Regie is a great way to stop wasting time on people who don’t care. But don’t expect magic—think of it as a smarter starting point, not a guaranteed win. Start simple, test your way forward, and always keep an eye on what’s actually getting real replies. Iterate as you go, and you’ll get better results without burning out your list or your team.
Now get out there and talk to people who actually want to hear from you. That’s where the real win is.