Lists, tags and segments explained
When to use a list, a tag or a segment, and how to create each one to organize contacts and target campaigns.
InboxRoads gives you three ways to group contacts. Each contact exists once in your account, however many lists, tags or segments it belongs to.
| What it is | Best for | |
|---|---|---|
| List | A fixed group you add contacts to | Main audiences, such as "Newsletter" or "Customers" |
| Tag | A label on a contact | Attributes and interests, such as "webinar-2026" or "vip" |
| Segment | A saved set of rules that updates by itself | Targeting, such as "subscribed contacts in the US tagged customer" |
Lists
Campaigns send to lists and segments. Verification jobs can check a whole list.
Create a list: Go to Lists → New list, enter a Name and an optional Description, then click Save list.
Add contacts to a list:
- Choose the list when you import a CSV.
- On Contacts, tick contacts, choose Add to list and click Apply.
- When adding or editing a single contact, tick lists in the Lists panel.
A list's page shows its contact count and buttons to Import, Verify list and Edit. Deleting a list keeps its contacts in your account.
Tags
Create tags: Go to Settings → Tags, type a name and click Add. Then apply tags:
- during a CSV import
- on Contacts with the bulk action Add tag (or Remove tag)
- in the Tags panel when editing a contact
Tags appear with a # on the Contacts page, and you can filter the page by tag.
Segments
A segment is a set of rules. Contacts that match are included automatically, and the count updates as your data changes.
- Go to Segments → New segment.
- Enter a Segment name.
- Under Contacts must match, choose All rules (AND) or Any rule (OR).
- Click Add rule and set a field, a condition and a value. Fields include Email, First name, Last name, Company, Phone, Country (2-letter), Subscription status, Verification status, Date added, Tag and List. Conditions include is, is not, contains, starts with, is empty, is before and is after.
- Click Save segment.
For lists and tags, use is or is not.
Example: Match All rules. Subscription status is Subscribed, Verification status is Valid and Tag is customer.
Using them in campaigns
In a campaign's Audience step, tick lists and segments under Send to, and optionally some under Exclude. A contact who is in several selected lists receives the email only once. See create and send a campaign.
Key takeaways
- Use lists for main audiences, tags for labels and segments for rule-based targeting.
- Create tags and custom fields in Settings.
- Segments update automatically, so they're ideal for "valid and subscribed" audiences.
Still stuck? Our team answers every message.
Contact supportLast updated September 12, 2026