Even though Acoustic Campaign initially limits emails, segmentation is still necessary for the successful maintenance of a good IP address and domain reputation.
When you segment a database, you correctly target a demographic, remove inactive users, and choose only active and engaged users. Sending to the wrong segment of a database can have consequences to both conversions and to your IP address and domain reputation. When you ramp up a new IP address or domain, use list segmentation to choose the best possible data.
Age
The first segments include all active accounts. Regardless of age, select all of the active mailboxes. The inactive mailboxes are then segmented by age.
| Segment # | Age of Mailboxes |
| 1 | All active mailboxes regardless of age |
| 2 | 0 - 3 months old inactive mailboxes |
| 3 | 4 - 6 months old inactive mailboxes |
| 4 | 7 - 9 months old inactive mailboxes |
| 5 | 10 - 12 months old inactive mailboxes |
| 6 | 13 - 15 months old inactive mailboxes |
We do not recommend sending to any address older than 15 months. However, if you choose to send to older addresses, the mailboxes should be segmented as follows:
| Segment # | Age of Mailboxes |
| 1 | 16 months old inactive mailboxes |
| 2 | 17 months old inactive mailboxes |
| 3 | 18 months old inactive mailboxes |
| 4 | 19 months old inactive mailboxes |
| 5 | 20 months old inactive mailboxes |
| 6 | 21 months old inactive mailboxes |
| 7 | 22 months old inactive mailboxes |
| 8 | 23 months old inactive mailboxes |
| 9 | 24 months old inactive mailboxes |
Tip: We suggest going monthly after 15 months so that the open rate versus the abuse rate (complaints) can be seen and the likelihood of hitting spam traps is reduced. At some point, it becomes clear that the open rate is too low for the abuse rate (negatively impacting the IP reputation), and it might not make sense to continue sending.
Volume/rate
Here's a look at segment size by volume/rate:
| Segment # | Small list, least aggressive | Medium list, midaggressive | Large list, aggressive | Extra large list, very aggressive |
| Segment # 1 | 500 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Segment # 2 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| Segment #3 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 5,000 | 4,000 |
| Segment # 4 | 3,000 | 3,000 | 7,500 | 6,000 |
| Segment # 5 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| Segment # 6 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 12,500 | 15,000 |
| Segment # 7 | 10,000 | 12,500 | 15,000 | 25,000 |
| Segment # 8 | 15,000 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 50,000 |
| Segment # 9 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 50,000 | 75,000 |
| Segment # 10 | 25,000 | 40,000 | 75,000 | 100,000 |
| Segment # 11 | 40,000 | 60,000 | 100,000 | 150,000 |
| Segment # 12 | 50,000 | 75,000 | 150,000 | 300,000 |
| Segment # 14 | 75,000 | 100,000 | 200,000 | 500,000 |
| Segment # 15 | 100,000 | 125,000 | 300,000 | 750,000 |
| Segment # 16 | 150,000 | 500,000 | 1,000,000 | |
| Segment # 17 | 200,000 | 750,000 | 1,500,000 | |
| Segment # 18 | 250,000 | 900,000 | 2,000,000 | |
| Segment # 19 | 1,000,000 | 2,500,000 | ||
| Segment # 20 | 3,000,000 | |||
| Segment # 21 | 3,500,000 | |||
| Segment # 22 | 4,000,000 |
More information
For more information about how to segment lists in Campaign, see the Segmentation article.