Targeting cards to specific segments

Send different cards to different segments all within one edition.

Segment Cards lets senders assign individual cards within an edition to specific audience segments. When a card has a segment assignment, only recipients in those segments will see that card when the edition is delivered. Cards with no segment assignment are delivered to all series recipients by default.

Why it matters: Segment Cards let you personalize content at the card level — without creating separate editions. For example, you can:

• Include department-specific updates in a company all-staff edition,
• Share regional news with specific offices only,
• Target content by role, team, or any segment defined in your series.

Table of Contents:

1. How Segment Cards work
2. How to assign a card to a segment
3. How to edit or remove segment assignments
4. What to do if a segment is missing from the popover
5. Previewing Segment Cards with a test send
6. Confirming Segment Card assignments in the send modal
7. Managing Segment Cards from the Series Planner
8. Using Segment Cards in Templates
9. Frequently Asked Questions

1. How Segment Cards work

Each card in an Axios HQ edition has a segment assignment state:

• No segments assigned (default): The card is delivered to all recipients in the series audience. The card toolbar shows a people/audience icon with no badge.
• One or more segments assigned: The card is delivered only to recipients who belong to at least one of the assigned segments. The card toolbar shows a blue numbered badge indicating how many segments are assigned.

Unassigned cards and segment-assigned cards can coexist in the same edition. Recipients only receive a card once, even if they belong to multiple assigned segments.

💡 Segment Cards can only be modified on unsent editions. Once an edition has been sent, segment card assignments are locked and cannot be changed. Only users with sender permissions on a series can assign or modify segment cards.

2. How to assign a card to a segment

🛠️ How it works:

• Navigate to your edition in the Axios HQ editor and locate the card you want to assign to a segment.
• Click the audience icon (people icon) in the card's toolbar. This opens the Segment Card popover for that card.
• Review the "Who's receiving this card" field. If no segments are assigned, it will show "All Series Readers."
• Click [Edit] next to "Who's receiving this card" to open the segment selector.
• Search for and select one or more segments from your series audience. Each selected segment appears as a chip displaying the segment name and recipient count.
• Close the popover. The card toolbar will now show a blue numbered badge reflecting how many segments are assigned to that card.

💡 A single card can be assigned to multiple segments simultaneously. Recipients in more than one of those segments will still only receive the card once.

3. How to edit or remove segment assignments

🛠️ How it works:

• Click the blue numbered badge on the card to reopen the Segment Card popover. The popover will show all currently assigned segments as chips.
• Click [Edit] next to "Who's receiving this card" to modify the segment selection.
• Add or remove segments by selecting or deselecting from the segment list.
• To remove all segment assignments and return the card to its default state, deselect all segments. The card will revert to All Series Readers and the blue badge will be removed.

4. What to do if a segment is missing from the popover

The Segment Card popover only shows segments that have already been added to your series audience. If a segment does not appear in the popover, it means that segment has not been imported into the series yet.

🛠️ How it works:

• Click the Readers page link at the bottom of the Segment Card popover. This navigates to the series Readers page where you can import segments into the series.
• Once the segment is added to the series, return to your edition and open the Segment Card popover again — the segment will now appear as an option.
• If no segments exist in the series at all, the popover will display an empty state with the message "You don't have any segments!" Click Create Segment to create one from this screen, then return to the edition to assign it.

💡 Org-level segments must be imported into a series before they appear in the Segment Cards popover. See Managing recipients and segments with Org-level Audience for instructions on importing org-level segments into a series.

5. Previewing Segment Cards with a test send

Before sending your edition to your full audience, you can use a test send to preview exactly how each segment version of your edition will look. Because different segments may see different cards, the test send modal lets you choose which version you want to preview.

🛠️ How it works:

• Open the test send modal on an edition that contains Segment Cards. A segment version selector will appear showing all segments currently assigned to cards in that edition, each with its recipient count.
• Select a version to preview. 
  • Choose Base edition to see only the cards with no segment assignment — the content every recipient in your series will see regardless of their segment. This is the default selection. 
  • Choose a specific segment to see the base edition cards plus all cards assigned to that segment, which is exactly what a recipient in that segment will receive.
• Submit the test send. The test send will be delivered showing only the cards for the version you selected.
• To preview multiple versions at once, select the base edition and one or more specific segments simultaneously in the segment version selector. A separate test send will be delivered for each version you select, so you can review all variations of your edition in a single submission.

💡 If a specific segment does not appear in the segment version selector, no cards in the edition have been assigned to that segment yet. Return to the editor and confirm that at least one card has a Segment Card assignment for that segment.

6. Confirming Segment Card assignments in the send modal

When you are ready to send your edition to your full audience, the send modal will display a segment breakdown in the delivery settings section. The segment breakdown lists every segment that has at least one card assigned to it in the edition, along with the recipient count for each segment.

🛠️ How it works:

• Click Review and Send to open the send modal. The delivery settings section will show a segment breakdown listing each assigned segment and its recipient count.
• Review the segment breakdown to confirm that all segments that should receive targeted cards are listed, no segments are missing, and the recipient counts match your expected audience sizes.
• If the segment breakdown does not look correct, close the send modal and return to the edition editor to review and update your Segment Card assignments before sending.

7. Managing Segment Cards from the Series Planner

Segment Card assignments are visible and editable directly from the Series Planner. Cards with segment assignments display an audience icon on the right side of the card in the planner board.

🛠️ How it works:

• Open the Series Planner and locate the edition column. Cards with existing segment assignments will show an audience icon on the right side of the card.
• Click the audience icon to open the Segment Card popover. If the card does not yet have a segment assignment, click the three-dot menu on the card and select "Segment card" to access the popover.
• Alternatively, select a card to open the card editor view and click the audience button in the top right to access the Segment Card popover.
• Add or remove segments and close the popover to save. Changes are reflected immediately on the card in the Series Planner.

8. Using Segment Cards in Templates

Segment Card assignments can be configured directly on template cards in your series template. When a template is applied to a new edition, any segment assignments set on template cards carry over as defaults in that edition, saving you from reassigning segments each time you create a new edition.

🛠️ How it works:

• Open your template that you would like to assign segment cards to. 
• Click the audience icon in the card toolbar to open the Segment Card popover. 
• Click [Edit] to select one or more segments from the series audience, review the assigned segment chips and recipient counts, and close the popover to save.
• Use the back button in the template drawer to return to the template overview once you have finished editing a card. Your segment assignments on that template card are saved.
• Repeat for each card in the template that should have a segment assignment.

9. Frequently Asked Questions

What are Segment Cards in Axios HQ?

Segment Cards lets senders assign individual cards in an edition to specific audience segments. Only recipients in the assigned segments will see that card. Cards with no segment assignment are delivered to all series readers.

Who can use Segment Cards?

All organizations have access to Segment Cards regardless of their package. Only users with sender permissions can assign or modify Segment Cards. Writers can view all cards in an edition but cannot modify segment assignments.

When can segment card assignments be changed?

Only on unsent editions. Once an edition has been sent, segment card assignments are locked and cannot be edited.

If a recipient belongs to multiple assigned segments, will they receive the card more than once?

No. Each recipient receives a card only once, regardless of how many assigned segments they belong to.

Can I use Segment Cards and still send the full edition to my entire audience?

Yes. Cards with no segment assignment are always delivered to all series readers. Only cards with a segment assignment are filtered by segment.

Do segment card assignments carry over when I duplicate an edition?

Segment card assignments are copied when duplicating an edition in the same series. If you duplicate to another series, segment assignments will not be copied over. 

Why don't I see the Segment Cards button on a card?

The Segment Cards button only appears when all three of the following are true: you have sender permissions on the series, the edition has not been sent, and the card is a standard content card. The button does not appear on intro or outro cards.

What does the blue badge on a card mean?

The blue numbered badge indicates the card has been assigned to one or more segments. The number reflects how many segments are currently assigned to that card. Cards without a badge are set to all series readers.

What happens if a recipient belongs to multiple segments that are each assigned to different cards?

The recipient will receive all applicable segment cards, each delivered once and rendered in the order they appear in the edition.

Can I target individual recipients with Segment Cards?

No. Segment Cards support segment-based targeting only. Recipients must be organized into segments within the series audience to be targeted.

Who can assign segments to cards?

Only users with sender permissions can assign or modify Segment Card assignments. Writers can view all cards in an edition regardless of segment assignments but cannot make changes.

Does using Segment Cards change how analytics are reported?

No. Analytics remain unified under a single send. Segment-level engagement data is available in the Segments tab of the edition analytics report.

Can I create a new segment directly from the Segment Card popover?

No. Segments must already exist in the series audience before they can be assigned to a card. Navigate to the series Readers page to create or import a segment first, then return to the edition to assign it.

Can Segment Cards be assigned to intro or outro cards?

No. Intro and outro cards are always delivered to the full series audience. Segment Card assignments are only available on standard content cards in the body of an edition.

What happens if I delete a segment that is assigned to one or more cards?

There will be a warning that deleting the segment will remove it from any cards it is currently assigned to. If you confirm, the segment assignment is removed from all affected cards and those cards revert to their previous assignment state.

Can I see which segment a card was sent to after the send? 

Not yet. If this is something you'd like to see, share your feedback on our feedback board.