Tags & Segmentation

What are Tags?

Tags are labels you attach to contacts to categorize them. Unlike lists (which are mutually exclusive groups), a contact can have many tags.

Example tags for an author:

• Genre preference — romance, thriller, fantasy
• Series reader — read-series-a, read-series-b
• Engagement level — super-fan, vip, arc-team
• Source — bookfunnel, newsletter-swap, website
• Trope interest — enemies-to-lovers, second-chance

Creating Tags

1. Go to Email Studio → Tags
2. Click + New Tag
3. Enter a tag name
4. Optionally add a description
5. Click Create

Tag Naming Tips

• Use lowercase with hyphens (billionaire-romance)
• Be specific (prefers-kindle vs just kindle)
• Create a consistent naming system
• Group related tags with prefixes (interest-paranormal, interest-contemporary)

Applying Tags to Contacts

Manual Tagging

1. Open a contact's profile
2. Click + Add Tag
3. Select the tag

Bulk Tagging

1. Select multiple contacts from the list
2. Click Bulk Actions → Add Tag
3. Choose the tag to apply

Automatic Tagging

Tags can be applied automatically when:

• Someone signs up through a specific form
• Someone clicks a link in an email
• Someone downloads a reader magnet
• Automations trigger based on behavior

What are Segments?

Segments are dynamic groups based on conditions. Unlike static lists, segments automatically update as contacts meet (or stop meeting) criteria.

Example segments:

• Engaged readers: opened or clicked an email in the last 60 days
• Quiet readers: no opens or clicks in the last 90 days
• Romance + paranormal: has both tags
• Newsletter, not on the ARC team: on one list, missing one tag

Creating Segments

1. Go to Email Studio → Segments
2. Click + New Segment
3. Name your segment
4. Define the conditions
5. Save, then open the segment again and click Preview to see how many readers match and who they are

Segment Conditions

Combine conditions to define your segment:

Email Activity

Email activity looks at the emails this pen name has sent, from campaigns and automations alike, over the number of days you choose.

• Opened or clicked in the last N days finds readers who opened or clicked any of those emails in that time.
• Had no opens or clicks in the last N days finds readers you emailed in that time who didn't open or click any of those emails. You can also ask for readers who were sent at least a few emails, so one missed newsletter doesn't count against anyone.

A reader you haven't emailed in that time never counts as inactive. That keeps brand-new subscribers, and readers you just imported, out of a cleanup segment until they've had a real chance to read your mail. Only emails sent from StorytellerOS count, so a list you moved over from another email service starts with no history here. Some mail apps open every email on their own, so opens can run a little high.

Cleaning Up Your List

1. Create a segment with two conditions, matching ALL: Status is subscribed and Email activity had no opens or clicks in the last 90 days.
2. Preview it to see who is in it.
3. Send those readers a "Do you still want to hear from me?" campaign: open the campaign's Settings and choose the segment.
4. A few weeks later, check the segment again and decide what to do with readers who still haven't opened anything.

AND vs OR Logic

• AND — Contact must meet ALL conditions
  Example: Has "romance" tag AND has "vip" tag
• OR — Contact must meet ANY condition
  Example: Has "romance" tag OR has "contemporary" tag

Using Tags and Segments

For Email Campaigns

When creating a campaign, choose recipients by:

• Sending to everyone on a list or with a specific tag
• Sending to a segment (pick it in the campaign's settings). Readers who match it are added to anyone on the lists and tags you chose, and each reader gets one copy.

A segment is checked again at the moment a campaign sends, so a scheduled campaign goes to whoever matches then. While a campaign that hasn't been sent yet uses a segment, the segment can't be deleted.

For Personalization

Use tags to personalize content:

• Show different book recommendations based on genre preference
• Address super fans differently than new subscribers
• Mention their specific interests in emails

For Analysis

Understand your audience by looking at:

• Which tags have the most contacts
• Which segments are growing
• Where people come from (source tags)

Common Tag Systems

By Genre Interest

interest-romance
interest-thriller
interest-fantasy
interest-contemporary
interest-paranormal

By Series

series-mountain-haven-read
series-mountain-haven-waiting
series-dark-nights-read
series-dark-nights-waiting

By Engagement

engagement-superfan
engagement-arc-team
engagement-beta-reader
engagement-street-team

By Source

source-bookfunnel
source-newsletter-swap
source-facebook-ad
source-website-popup

Best Practices

• Be consistent — Use the same naming convention everywhere
• Tag at signup — Capture interests when people subscribe
• Tag on click — When someone clicks a link, tag their interest
• Clean up unused tags — Remove tags no one has
• Document your system — Keep notes on what each tag means
• Review segments regularly — Make sure conditions still make sense