Last week, I was on a power hour strategy call with a public speaking coach.

She was buzzing with excitement about her new signature course that she knew her audience would love and needed help with pre-validating it. There's just one teensy problem...

She's got a list of around 4,000 subscribers (not too shabby, right?), but it's a mixed bag.

Her course was designed specifically for one part of her audience, yet her list targeted two distinct groups.

She didn’t know which person fit into which group.

Oh boy.

Her million-dollar question?

"Should I blast my course idea to everyone and hope for the best?"

Let me tell you, this challenge can lead to some major missed opportunities.

She isn't alone. I see it all the time with coaches, course creators, and solopreneurs. They do so much to build their lists, but then treat them like one big homogeneous blob.

It's like inviting vegans and carnivores to the same BBQ and wondering why half the folks aren't touching the food.

Sending one-size-fits-all emails means you risk alienating part of your list—or worse, getting no response at all.

Think about it: The wrong message to the wrong person? Nada.

No one opens.
No one clicks.
No one buys.

But wait, it gets worse...

When you're not segmenting, you're not just missing out on sales. You're:

• Burning through your email sender reputation.
• Losing the trust of subscribers who feel like you don't "get" them.
• Wasting more time and energy than a hamster on a wheel.

But the good news is, with a little segmentation, you can avoid this headache entirely.

So, what did we do for our public speaking coach friend?

Before we even touched the course pre-validation strategy, we focused on breaking down her list. We needed to figure out who was who and who was interested in what.

Why?

Because without segmenting, it’s like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping it sticks.

The result? She'd be able to:

• Speak directly to each group's pain points (pun intended).
• Offer tailored lead magnets that make her subscribers go "OMG, it's like she's reading my mind!"
• Test her course idea with the right audience without alienating the other.

And that’s something you should be focusing on too (right from the start).

Now, I know what you're thinking.

"That's great and all, but how do I actually DO this segmentation thing?"

You don’t have to overcomplicate this. Here’s how I approach it with my clients and how you can, too:

1) The Origin Segment

Where did your subscribers come from?

Did they opt in through a specific lead magnet, a landing page, or a partnership?

Understanding the origin of your subscribers helps you tailor your message to their specific interests.

2) Self-Segmenting

Let your subscribers do the work for you. Give them options to choose what they want to hear from you.

This can be as simple as adding a quick survey to your sign-up form:

• “What are you most interested in learning?”
• “What challenges are you facing in your business right now?”

Or, you can throw in a one-question survey in your welcome email or thank-you page.

They’ll tell you exactly what they want, and you can tailor your messaging to fit.

💡 Remember the questions I asked on my sign-up form and thank-you page?

3) Behavior-Based Segmentation

This is where the magic happens. Pay attention to what links they click on, which offers they engage with, or even what webinars they attend.

Someone clicks on a link about building confidence as a speaker? GOLD.

For example, one of my clients saw a 35% boost in conversions just by creating a segment for subscribers who clicked on links related to one specific service… and then following up with an evergreen promo sequence.

When you track behaviour, you can create highly targeted campaigns that speak directly to your audience’s needs.

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Of course, don’t forget to segment your buyers. The people who’ve already purchased from you are in a different stage of the journey compared to your non-buyers. They require different messaging, offers, and nurturing.

See, segmentation for me is about respecting your audience enough to give them what they actually want, not what you think they should want.

When you segment, you're saying, "Hey, I see you. I get you. And I'm here to help with exactly what you need."

And let me tell you, that kind of personalised attention? It pays off. Big time.

When you segment, your subscribers open more, click more, and buy more because your emails speak directly to their needs.

So, here's my challenge to you:

Take one small step towards segmenting your list this week.

Maybe it's adding that question to your sign-up form.

Maybe it's creating a simple survey for your existing subscribers.

Whatever it is, just start. Your future self (and your bank account) will thank you.

And hey, if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed or just want some personalised advice on how to segment your specific list, I'm here for you. Just ask for a call here.

P.S. Remember, every subscriber you don't segment is a potential sale you're leaving on the table. Don't let another day go by treating your unique, wonderful subscribers like they're all the same. They deserve better, and so do you!

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