Audience Segmentation Worksheet

What it is

The Audience Segmentation Worksheet breaks your broad target market into distinct, actionable segments based on shared characteristics, behaviours, or needs. Rather than treating your audience as one homogeneous group, this template helps you recognise that different people have different information needs, preferences, and decision-making processes.

Effective segmentation is the foundation of strategic communications. It ensures your messages reach the right people with relevant information at the right time, improves resource allocation (you focus effort where it matters most), and increases the likelihood of meaningful engagement. This worksheet guides you through defining segments, profiling them, and determining where to invest communications effort.

When to use it

Use this template when:

• You’re launching a new product or service and need to understand different buyer segments
• Your current communications treat everyone the same but responses vary wildly
• You want to improve email or campaign performance through targeted messaging
• You’re planning resource allocation and need data on which segments matter most
• You have sales or customer data that suggests natural groupings

Don’t use this template when:

• You’re already working with pre-defined, well-understood segments
• Your market is too small to warrant segmentation (single-segment markets)
• You have insufficient data to identify meaningful differences between groups
• You’re doing a one-time, single-message communication to a small audience

Inputs needed

Before starting, gather:

• Customer data or user databases (demographics, purchase history, engagement)
• Sales team insights on customer types and decision processes
• Website analytics or engagement data showing user behaviour patterns
• Feedback from customer interviews or surveys
• Competitive intelligence on how market competitors segment their audiences
• Business strategy documents outlining growth priorities

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The template

Segmentation foundation

Before defining individual segments, answer these clarifying questions:

Question	Your answer
What’s the primary basis for segmentation?	(e.g., role/job function, industry, company size, buying stage, use case, geography)
What business problem does this segmentation help solve?
How many segments is optimal?	(Usually 3-5; more becomes unmanageable)
Do we have data to validate these segments?	(If not, this is exploratory research)
How might segments overlap?	(A person might belong to multiple segments)

Segment template (repeat for each segment)

Segment name: [Clear, memorable identifier]

Profile

Element	Details
Alternative names	What else is this segment called internally?
Size estimate	% of total target market / absolute numbers if known
Key demographics	Age range, gender, location, education level (if relevant)
Role/function	Job title, department, primary responsibilities
Industry	Specific industries or market verticals
Company characteristics	Size, growth stage, sector, revenue range

Behaviours & context

Element	Details
Typical situation	What’s happening in this segment’s world right now?
Key challenges	What problems keep them up at night?
Current solutions	What are they using now?
Decision-making process	How long? Who’s involved? What criteria matter?
Preferred information sources	Where do they go for information and advice?
How they prefer to communicate	Email? Phone? In-person? Digital? Frequency preference?

Motivations & values

Element	Details
Primary motivation	What outcome do they want most?
Secondary motivations	What else matters to them?
Key values	What’s important to this segment (quality, cost, speed, innovation)?
Success metrics	How do they measure success?
Risk concerns	What could go wrong that worries them?

Segment-specific messaging

Element	Details
Core message	The one key idea this segment needs to hear
Supporting messages	2-3 ideas that reinforce the core message
Proof points	What evidence/examples resonate with this segment?
Tone	How formal/casual? Technical/accessible?
Call-to-action	What’s the realistic next step?

Segment comparison matrix

Create a simple table to compare all segments side-by-side:

Attribute	Segment A	Segment B	Segment C	Segment D
Size (% of market)
Primary motivation
Key challenge
Preferred channel
Decision timeframe
Typical buying cycle
Budget authority
Risk sensitivity

Prioritisation framework

Score each segment on importance to business strategy:

Segment	Strategic fit	Growth potential	Current penetration	Resource required	Overall priority
	(1-5)	(1-5)	(1-5)	(1-5)	High/Medium/Low

Scoring guidance:

• Strategic fit: How aligned is this segment with our business strategy and growth plans?
• Growth potential: How much could revenue/impact grow if we successfully penetrate this segment?
• Current penetration: How much of this segment do we already serve? (Lower score = more untapped potential)
• Resource required: How much effort/investment would it take to serve this segment well? (Higher score = more resource needed)

Overall priority: Combine these factors using your business judgment. Often, highest priority goes to segments with high strategic fit, high growth potential, and reasonable resource requirements.

Segment overlap analysis

Do any of your segments overlap? Map this below:

Segment pair	How they overlap	Implications
	(e.g., same role in different industries)	(Different messaging needed? Shared content?)

Actionable insights summary

For each priority segment, note:

Segment: [Name]

• Top 3 insights: What’s most important to understand about this segment?
• Immediate opportunity: What can we do in the next 30 days to better serve this segment?
• Communication priority: What does this segment need to hear from us first?
• Current gaps: Where is our messaging or offering weakest for this segment?

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AI prompt

Base prompt

Help me segment our audience for [PRODUCT/SERVICE].

**Background:**
- Our target market: [BROAD_DESCRIPTION]
- Business objective: [PRIMARY_GOAL]
- Customer/market data we have: [DATA_SOURCES]
- Current understanding: [WHAT_WE_KNOW]

**Known variations in our market:**
- [Variation 1 - e.g., different roles]
- [Variation 2 - e.g., different company sizes]
- [Variation 3 - e.g., different use cases]

Using the Audience Segmentation Worksheet, help me:
1. Identify 3-5 distinct, actionable segments
2. Profile each segment with behaviours, motivations, and communication preferences
3. Compare segments side-by-side
4. Prioritise segments for immediate communications effort
5. Flag any overlapping or hybrid segments

Include realistic estimates of segment size and specific messaging recommendations for each.

Prompt variations

Variation 1: Starting from data

I have customer data showing these patterns:
[DESCRIBE DATA PATTERNS - e.g., "One group buys based on price, another on features; age split around 45; industry concentration in finance and manufacturing"]

Using the Audience Segmentation Worksheet, help me define segments that explain these patterns. For each segment, provide:
- A clear profile description
- Why they bought (or didn't buy)
- What messaging would resonate with each
- Which segment should be our priority

Variation 2: Sales insights-led

Our sales team reports four distinct buyer types:
1. [BUYER TYPE 1 DESCRIPTION]
2. [BUYER TYPE 2 DESCRIPTION]
3. [BUYER TYPE 3 DESCRIPTION]
4. [BUYER TYPE 4 DESCRIPTION]

Using the Audience Segmentation Worksheet, help me translate these sales insights into communications segments. For each, identify:
- Key messaging that resonates
- Information needs at each decision stage
- Preferred channels and communication style
- How our current messaging misses this segment

Variation 3: Growth-focused

Our growth strategy prioritises [SPECIFIC GROWTH GOAL - e.g., "expanding into SME market" or "increasing use within existing customers"].

Use the Audience Segmentation Worksheet to:
1. Define the segments we should focus on to achieve this goal
2. Identify what makes each segment distinct
3. Show how our messaging needs to change for each segment
4. Highlight segments we might be missing or underserving
5. Recommend where to invest communications resources first

Variation 4: Competitive context

Our main competitor targets these segments:
- [SEGMENT A]
- [SEGMENT B]
- [SEGMENT C]

We're trying to differentiate by serving [TARGET SEGMENTS] differently/better.

Using the Audience Segmentation Worksheet, help me:
1. Define our target segments clearly
2. Show how our segments differ from competitor targeting
3. Identify where we have differentiated messaging opportunities
4. Highlight segments competitors aren't serving well

Variation 5: Exploratory

We know our audience is diverse but haven't formally segmented before. We have [DATA TYPE - e.g., website analytics, customer interviews, survey results] suggesting different user groups.

Help me use the Audience Segmentation Worksheet to:
1. Identify preliminary segments from our data
2. Define characteristics of each segment (even if uncertain)
3. Flag what data we need to validate segments
4. Recommend a simple test to prove which segments are most important

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Human review checklist

• Segment distinctiveness – Does each segment have characteristics that would lead to materially different communication approaches, or are they artificially separated?
• Segment size realism – Are the estimated segment sizes reasonable and do they add up to your total addressable market?
• Data validity – Are segment definitions based on actual research/data, not untested assumptions?
• Decision relevance – Would knowing someone belongs to Segment A change how a sales or marketing person approaches them?
• Actionability – Can your team actually identify which segment a prospect belongs to in real-world settings?
• Motivation accuracy – Are stated motivations based on customer evidence (interviews, surveys) or best guesses?
• Channel appropriateness – Are the preferred communication channels actually where this segment actively engages, not where you hope they’ll be?
• Overlap clarity – Where segments overlap, is it clear whether this represents the same person in different roles or genuinely different segments?
• Messaging specificity – Are segment-specific messages concrete enough to actually guide content creation, or are they too generic?
• Update plan – Have you noted when and how you’ll revisit this segmentation (quarterly, annually) as your market and customer base evolve?

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Example output

Product: B2B project management software Segments identified: 4

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Segment 1: The PM Adopter (35% of market)

Profile: Project managers (5-10 years experience) in mid-market companies (100-500 people) who actively seek better tools and processes.

Key characteristics:

• Age: 30-40
• Role: Project Manager, Scrum Master, Programme Manager
• Decision authority: Recommends tools to management
• Pain point: “My team wastes 3+ hours weekly on status updates and duplicate communication”

Behaviours: Actively reads PM blogs; attends conferences; tests new tools. Makes buying decisions based on user reviews and free trial experience.

Preferred messaging:

• Core: “Reduce status update overhead by 60%”
• Proof point: User testimonial from similar-sized company
• Tone: Practical, data-backed, peer-to-peer

Priority: High – largest segment with strong buying intent

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Segment 2: The Sceptical Executive (25% of market)

Profile: C-level/director who approves tool purchases but views new software as a hassle. Needs convincing of ROI.

Key characteristics:

• Age: 45-60
• Role: Director, VP, C-suite (Operations, Finance)
• Decision authority: Final approval on budget
• Pain point: “Teams adopt new tools then stop using them. I need to know this will stick.”

Behaviours: Wants case studies and ROI calculations; doesn’t trial software themselves. Makes decisions slowly based on peer recommendations.

Preferred messaging:

• Core: “Measurable productivity gains without disruption”
• Proof point: ROI case study from same industry
• Tone: Executive summary format, focus on business impact not features

Priority: High – gate-keeper authority but long sales cycle

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Segment 3: The Resistant Team Member (30% of market)

Profile: Frontline team member (IC or junior manager) who will use the tool but wasn’t involved in purchasing decision.

Key characteristics:

• Age: 25-35
• Role: Team member, junior manager
• Decision authority: None (adopts what’s mandated)
• Pain point: “Why do we keep switching tools? Why can’t anyone get this right?”

Behaviours: Sceptical of new tools; influenced by peer feedback; adopts only if easy. Needs reassurance adoption won’t be painful.

Preferred messaging:

• Core: “Easier to use than what you’re using now”
• Proof point: Demo showing 2-minute setup
• Tone: Honest, acknowledge frustration, easy/quick wins

Priority: Medium – influences adoption success, not buying decision

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Segment 4: The Scale-up Founder (10% of market)

Profile: Founder/early-stage tech company CEO managing growth from 20 to 100 people.

Key characteristics:

• Age: 28-40
• Role: Founder, CEO
• Decision authority: Complete
• Pain point: “We’re growing fast and processes are breaking down”

Behaviours: Moves fast; wants minimum viable solution; willing to trial and pivot. Influenced by other founders and Twitter recommendations.

Preferred messaging:

• Core: “Scales with you from 10 to 100+ people”
• Proof point: Success story from similar-stage startup
• Tone: Direct, fast, acknowledges chaos of growth

Priority: Medium – smaller segment but high engagement, word-of-mouth influence

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Related templates

• Channel Strategy Matrix – Determine which channels reach each audience segment
• Campaign Brief – Develop messaging and strategy for prioritised segments
• Quarterly Comms Planning Grid – Plan segment-specific activities
• Stakeholder Mapping Matrix – Map stakeholder types and interests
• Objectives & Measurement Framework – Set segment-specific success metrics

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Tips for success

Start with what you know, then validate You probably already have intuitions about different customer types. Use this worksheet to make those intuitions explicit, then commit to validating them. Schedule customer interviews or surveys specifically designed to confirm segment definitions. Initial insights are often directionally correct but lack detail.

Look for behaviour, not just demographics The most useful segments reveal different behaviours, decision-making processes, or information needs—not just different ages or company sizes. A 40-year-old who emails daily is a different segment from a 40-year-old who’s still learning email. Behaviours predict response to communications better than demographics alone.

Make overlap explicit, not a problem Some people legitimately belong to multiple segments (the PM Adopter who’s also on the executive team). This isn’t a failure of segmentation; it’s reality. Document overlaps clearly so your team knows these individuals need multiple types of messaging.

Validate segment size before over-investing You might identify a segment that feels important but represents 2% of your market. That doesn’t mean ignore them, but it should influence resource allocation. Use early data on segment size to guide where to focus communications effort.

Revisit annually or when strategy changes As your product evolves, market dynamics shift, or your business strategy changes direction, segments can become obsolete or new ones emerge. Schedule annual segmentation reviews and adjust proactively rather than waiting until messaging stops landing.

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Common pitfalls

Confusing segments with personas A persona is a fictional character representing a segment. This template defines actual segments based on real data. Don’t stop at “create personas”; go further and use this worksheet to profile real segment characteristics and create genuine differentiation in how you communicate.

Segmenting on what’s easy to measure, not what matters Geography and company size are easy to segment on, but if they don’t correlate with different communications needs, they’re not useful segments. Prioritise segmentation dimensions that would genuinely lead to different messaging, channel choices, or sales approaches.

Creating too many segments More than 5-6 segments becomes difficult to manage and dilutes resource allocation. If you’ve identified 10+ segments, look for ways to consolidate. Segments should be big enough that it’s worth tailoring communications to each one.

Ignoring overlap and creating hybrid paralysis Some prospects belong to multiple segments. Rather than avoiding this, document it. Create segment combinations (e.g., “Segment A + Segment C” = Tech-savvy executive) and note how to address them. Pretending segments don’t overlap creates confusion.

Forgetting about non-customers Your segments should include potential customers who don’t yet engage. In exploring why a segment isn’t converting, you often find it’s not because they don’t exist—it’s because you’re not reaching them effectively. Segment includes both current customers and target prospects.

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