Effective email marketing requires sending the right message to the right audience. Crafted Call's segmentation and A/B testing tools help you target subscribers strategically and optimize your campaigns for better results.
Email Segmentation Basics
Segmentation divides your subscriber list into smaller groups based on characteristics or behavior. Targeted campaigns to segments outperform broadcasts because they're more relevant to recipients.
Why Segment?
Relevance - Send artists information about artist calls, collectors information about exhibitions
Engagement - Highly engaged subscribers receive different messaging than dormant subscribers
Efficiency - Avoid overwhelming inactive subscribers with frequent emails
Metrics - Segment performance reveals which audiences respond best to your content
Building Segments
Segments in Crafted Call are built using two methods: tags and engagement tier tracking.
Segment by Tags:
Tags are the primary segmentation method. Navigate to Marketing > Campaigns, select recipients, and filter by one or more tags. When you create a campaign, you choose which tags to target:
In campaign creation, go to Recipients
Select Filter by Tags
Choose tags (subscribers must have ALL selected tags)
Optionally add exclusions (subscribers to exclude, e.g., "Do not email")
Review recipient count before sending
Example segments:
Artist Prospects - Tag: "Artist" OR "Artist Prospect"
Inactive Subscribers - Tag: "Inactive" (applied manually or via automation)
High-Engagement Collectors - Tags: "Collector" AND "High Engager"
Event Attendees - Tag: "Event Attendee 2026"
Tip: Use consistent tag naming across your organization. Establish a tagging convention (e.g., "Audience-Artist," "Engagement-HighEngager") to keep tags organized.
Engagement Tier Tracking:
Crafted Call automatically tracks engagement levels based on email opens and clicks over the last 90 days:
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High Engager - Opened 50%+ of recent campaigns and clicked at least 25%
Regular Engager - Opened 25–49% of campaigns
Low Engager - Opened 0–24% of campaigns
Inactive - No opens in 90+ days
You can target campaigns to specific engagement tiers, or exclude low/inactive subscribers. For example:
Send frequent campaigns only to high/regular engagers
Send a single targeted re-engagement campaign to inactive subscribers
Avoid sending to bounced addresses automatically
Creating Effective Segments
Strong segments share common characteristics:
Size - Segments should contain at least 50–100 subscribers to track meaningful metrics
Relevance - Members should find the campaign content valuable
Consistency - Members should be tagged consistently over time
Example segment strategies:
By Audience Type:
Artists (art professionals submitting to calls)
Collectors (art buyers interested in exhibitions)
Educators (academic/institutional subscribers)
Media (press/review contacts)
By Interest:
Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Digital Media
Contemporary, Abstract, Figurative
Local artists, National artists, International artists
By Activity:
Past applicants to calls
Exhibition attendees
Event registrants
Website visitors
A/B Testing
A/B testing (split testing) compares two versions of a campaign to identify which performs better. Test one variable at a time to determine what resonates with your audience.
Setting Up an A/B Test
To create an A/B test:
In campaign creation, click Enable A/B Testing
Select your variable to test (see below)
Configure variant A and variant B
Set a test duration (typically 24–48 hours)
Set a winning threshold (e.g., winner is variant with highest open rate)
If no clear winner, select which variant sends to remaining subscribers
A/B Test Variables
Subject Line Testing - Your primary testing variable. A/B test different subject lines to identify headlines that drive opens. Examples:
Content Testing - Test different campaign body content:
Variant A: Focus on artist benefits ("Reach 50,000 collectors")
Variant B: Focus on program details ("12-week residency with stipend")
Send Time Testing - Send to different groups at different times:
Variant A: 8:00 AM Eastern Time
Variant B: 6:00 PM Eastern Time
Button Text Testing - Different call-to-action wording:
Variant A: "Apply Now"
Variant B: "Submit Your Work"
Interpreting A/B Test Results
After your test period, Crafted Call displays metrics for each variant:
Open Rate - Percentage of recipients who opened the email
Click Rate - Percentage who clicked a link
Conversion Rate - Percentage who completed a goal (application, registration, purchase)
Statistical significance matters. With small segments (under 500 subscribers), a 2–3 point difference in open rate may not be meaningful. Crafted Call indicates when results reach statistical significance.
Best practice: Test one variable per campaign. Testing multiple variables simultaneously makes it impossible to identify which caused improved performance.
A/B Testing Best Practices
Start with subject lines - Subject lines have the largest impact on open rates
Run sufficient tests - Each variant should reach at least 250 subscribers for meaningful results
Avoid testing obvious winners - "Free" typically outperforms "Paid" in subject lines
Test seasonally - Email performance varies by season; test assumptions each year
Document results - Track what you learn for future campaigns
Segment Performance Analysis
Crafted Call provides segment-level analytics:
Navigate to Analytics > Segments
View open rates, click rates, and conversion rates by segment
Identify your highest-performing audience segments
Allocate budget and effort toward segments that drive business results
