# How to build segments

> Build a segment from rules on contact fields, lists, tags and email activity, preview who matches, and let it refresh itself on a regular schedule.

Product: Kelune CRM Cloud (hosted by us). Page: https://kelunecrm.com/docs/cloud/contacts/segments

A segment is a group of contacts defined by rules instead of picked by hand, such as "tagged Gift buyer and active" or "has not opened an email in 90 days". Kelune CRM Cloud recalculates who matches, so the segment stays current as contacts change. You can send a campaign to a segment like you would to a list.

## Create a segment

1. Click **Contacts** in the sidebar, then the **Segments** tab.
2. Click **Create segment**.
3. Enter a **Segment name** and, if you like, a **Description**.
4. Choose the **Match type**: **Match all conditions (AND)** or **Match any condition (OR)**.
5. Under **Conditions**, choose a field, an operator, and a value.
6. Click **Add condition** for each rule you need.
7. Check the **Preview** count, such as "281 contacts match".
8. Click **Create**.

![The segment editor with a group of two tag conditions, a status condition and the preview count](https://kelunecrm.com/images/docs/cloud/contacts/segments/segment-builder.webp)

## Group conditions

Click **Add group** to combine conditions that follow a different rule from the rest. A group has its own setting, **Match all in the group** or **Match any in the group**.

For example, the segment above matches contacts tagged "Gift buyer" *or* "Holiday 2025" (a group set to match any), *and* whose status is **Active**.

## What you can filter on

| Condition | Examples of operators |
| --- | --- |
| Contact fields: **Email**, **First name**, **Company**, **City**, **Country**, and more | **Contains**, **Starts with**, **Is empty** |
| **Status** | **Is**, **Is not** |
| **Lists** and **Tags** | **In any**, **In all**, **Not in**, **Has any**, **Does not have** |
| **Created at**, **Updated at**, and date custom fields | **Before**, **After**, **In last X days** |
| Number custom fields | **Greater than**, **Less than** |
| **Activity** | **Did** or **Did not**: **Open an email**, **Click a link in an email**, **Click a smart link**, **Bounce an email**, **Unsubscribe**, in the last so many days |
| **Sequence** | In a sequence, in any state or **Active**, **Completed**, or **Canceled** |
| **Assigned to**, **Created by**, **Created via** | **Is any of**, **Is none of** |

Your [custom fields](https://kelunecrm.com/docs/cloud/contacts/custom-fields) are listed under **Custom fields** in the field menu.

## Keep a segment up to date

With **Auto refresh** on, the segment is recalculated on a schedule. How often depends on your plan, from once a day on Free to every 15 minutes on Scale.

To recalculate one segment now, click the refresh button (**Refresh membership**) in its row on the **Segments** tab.

![The Segments tab with each segment, its description and its number of contacts](https://kelunecrm.com/images/docs/cloud/contacts/segments/segments.webp)

> **Note:**
>
> A campaign counts the contacts a segment had at its last refresh. Refresh the segment before you send if it must include contacts added in the last few minutes.

## Use a segment

- Choose it under **Target segments** or **Exclude segments** in a campaign's **Audience** step.
- Use it in automation conditions and in recurring campaigns.
- Export its contacts from the segment's **More actions** menu.

## Common questions

**A segment shows "Stale".** It has not been recalculated within your plan's refresh interval. Click **Refresh membership**.

**A segment shows "Not refreshing".** It has more conditions than your plan allows, or you have more segments than your plan can refresh. Remove conditions or upgrade.

Each plan limits the number of segments and conditions per segment. See [How to check plans, usage, and billing](https://kelunecrm.com/docs/cloud/getting-started/plans-and-usage).

## Where to go next

- [How to send your first campaign](https://kelunecrm.com/docs/cloud/getting-started/first-campaign)
- [How to organize contacts with lists and tags](https://kelunecrm.com/docs/cloud/contacts/lists-and-tags)
- [How to export contacts](https://kelunecrm.com/docs/cloud/contacts/export-contacts)