Cohort Segments

Cohort Segments let you create reusable groups of contacts based on shared characteristics or behaviors. Instead of building the same filter criteria every time you run a report, you can define a segment once and apply it across dashboards, reports, and analyses.

What is a Cohort Segment?

A cohort Segment is a saved set of filter criteria that defines a group of contacts. When you apply a cohort segment to a report, only contacts who match all of the criteria in that segment are included.

Cohort Segments are people-based, meaning they filter at the contact level. This is different from report filters, which filter at the data or display level.

When to use Cohort Segments

Cohort Segments are useful when you:

• Repeatedly analyze the same group of contacts across multiple reports
• Want to compare different customer segments side by side
• Need to isolate a specific audience for deeper analysis
• Want to track how a particular segment performs over time

Create a New Cohort Segment

Follow the steps below to create a new Cohort Segment:

1. Log in to SegMetrics and navigate to the Segments tab in the left sidebar
2. Click New Segment
3. Give your Segment a descriptive name
4. Select Cohort Segment and the Type
5. Define your criteria using the available filter options, such as tags and lists, order data, touchpoint data, ad platform data and more.
6. Lastly, click Create Segment to save the segment for reuse across reports

How Cohort Segments interact with other filters

• Cohort segments are applied first in the filtering pipeline
• Cohort segment → Selects which contacts are included
• Report filters → Sets date range and dimensions
• Attribution filters → Distributes credit across touch points
• Post filters → Cleans up display
• This means a cohort segment determines the base contacts for your report. All other filters operate within that cohort set of contacts.

Tips

Name your segments clearly: Use descriptive names like "Q1 2026 Webinar Leads" or "Stripe Customers > $500 LTV" so your team can understand them at a glance.

Combine criteria carefully: All criteria within a segment use AND logic — contacts must match every condition. If you need OR logic, consider creating separate segments and comparing them.

Segments are dynamic: Contacts are evaluated against the segment criteria each time the report is run. If a contact's data changes (e.g., they make a new purchase), they may move in or out of the segment automatically.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Can I use Cohort Segments on dashboards?

A: Yes. You can apply cohort segments to dashboard widgets to filter the data displayed.

Q: Are cohort segments the same as CRM segments?

A: Not exactly. CRM segments (like ActiveCampaign lists or tags) are defined in your email platform. SegMetrics cohort segments can use CRM data as criteria, but they also incorporate purchase data, touchpoint data, and other information that your CRM may not have.

Q: How many cohort segments can I create?

A: There is no hard limit on the number of cohort segments you can create.

Q: Can I share cohort segments with my team?

A: Cohort segments are available to all users on your SegMetrics account.