Segmentation is one of the simplest ways to make your communication and ticketing strategy more effective.
By grouping your contacts based on what they have in common, you can tailor messages, build exclusive offers, and truly understand how different audiences interact with your events.
Before we dive in, remember: you stay in full control. You can edit, delete, or recreate segments anytime.
In this article
What is a segment
A segment is a group of contacts who share a similar attribute: maybe they attended the same event, live in the same city, or follow your organizer page.
These groups help you understand your community and deliver meaningful, targeted experiences.
💡 Send a special “thank you” email to your top buyers, or unlock tickets early access for your super fans.
💡 Shotgun automatically creates default segments to get you started:
Recent contacts → Added in the last 30 days
Top buyers → Attended 4+ of your events
Followers on Shotgun → People who follow your organizer page
2024 buyers → Purchased at least one ticket since January 2024
[music_genre] lovers → Fans of your dominant genre (for organizers active before June 2024)
"[keyword]" ticket buyers → Buyers of your most frequent ticket type (for organizers active before June 2024)
Use them as is, or adapt them to fit your needs, nothing is locked.
Create a segment
You can create new segments in two ways depending on what you want to do.
1. Create a dynamic segment
Dynamic segments are based on your contacts’ attributes. They evolve automatically as your community changes.
This option works best when you want your audience to stay up to date. For example, “Followers”, “People who spent over €50”, or “Attended at least one event this year”.
From Marketing > Segments:
Step 1: Click New segment > Create a dynamic segment
Step 2: Choose the filters you want (e.g., Followers, Ticket type, Event attended).
💡 You can combine as many criteria as needed. Mixing filters helps refine your target. For example: Followers AND Bought in the last 90 days.
Step 3: Name your segment and click Create.
💡 Dynamic segments update automatically. If someone new follows your page, they are automatically included, no manual updates required.
2. Create a static segment (CSV import)
Static segments are built from a contact list you upload. They remain fixed until you update them.
This option works best if you already have a list on hand, for example, a list of VIPs or partners.
From Marketing > Segments:
Step 1: Click New segment > Create a manual segment (CSV)
Step 2: Upload your CSV file.
Step 3: Name your segment and click Save as a segment.
💡 Adding new contacts to an existing static segment is simple: re-upload a file. Contacts already in the segment won’t be duplicated.
Understand your segments
From Marketing > Segments, click the segment you want to review.
You’ll see several useful data points:
- The list of contacts included in the segment
- Socio-demographic data to understand who is behind the segment: age, gender, total events attended, average amount spent
💡 You can edit the segment or export it at any time.
Use a segment
Now that your segments are ready, you can activate them across your marketing and ticketing tools.
Create exclusive tickets for a segment
Want to offer a special discount to a selected audience? Or give your followers access to an exclusive price?
You can restrict a ticket type so that only contacts from a specific segment can buy it.
This is a simple way to boost sales, reward loyal fans, or encourage more people to follow your Shotgun public page.
👉 See Restrict ticket sales to specific contact segments
Send a newsletter to a segment
Once your segments are set up, you can send newsletters tailored to an audience.
With the built-in Newsletter tool, you can create and send marketing campaigns or event updates in just a few clicks, no need to switch platforms.
💡 Shotgun also integrates with Mailchimp and Brevo.
Step 1: Go to Marketing > Campaigns > Send email.
Step 2: Choose Promotional email > Contacts from a segment and select your segments.
Step 3: Create and send your email
👉 For more information, see our dedicated article Send a newsletter.
