---
title: "How to segment and exclude contacts in a FirstSales campaign | FirstSales"
description: "Choose which lists a campaign targets and exclude contacts by list, campaign, tag, or active/completed enrollment so you never double-touch a prospect."
canonical: "https://firstsales.io/tutorial/contact-segmentation-exclusions/"
---

[Home](/)/[Tutorials](/tutorial/)/How to segment and exclude contacts in a FirstSales campaign

Campaigns

# How to segment and exclude contacts in a FirstSales campaign

Choose which lists a campaign targets and exclude contacts by list, campaign, tag, or active/completed enrollment so you never double-touch a prospect.

7 min read·Intermediate·7 steps

1. 1  
## See the segmentation summary  
The **Contact Segmentation** step shows a read-only summary — Contact Selection, Lists included, and Exclusion rules counts — and points you to “Edit contact selection in the **Campaign Settings** tab.” You can't edit lists here, only confirm them.
2. 2  
## Open Campaign Settings  
Go to the **Campaign Settings** tab. This is where include and exclude rules are actually edited.
3. 3  
## Choose Include Lists  
Under **Include Lists**, add the contact list(s) this campaign should target. The section shows “N list(s) selected” so you can confirm your choice.
4. 4  
## Exclude by Lists  
Under **Exclusions → Exclude by Lists**, add any suppression or do-not-contact lists whose contacts should never receive this campaign.  
![Exclude by Lists](/tutorials/exclusions-01-settings.webp)
5. 5  
## Exclude by Campaigns and Tags  
Use **Exclude by Campaigns** and **Exclude by Tags** to skip contacts already enrolled in other campaigns or carrying a specific tag, so audiences don't overlap.
6. 6  
## Exclude active/completed enrollments  
Toggle **“Exclude contacts in active campaigns”** — skips anyone currently enrolled in a running campaign — and **“Exclude contacts in completed campaigns”** — skips anyone who already finished a previous sequence. Both default to off.
7. 7  
## Save  
The included lists minus every exclusion rule becomes the actual campaign audience.

## Pro tips

Hard-won shortcuts that keep warm-up on track.

1

### Always exclude active campaigns

It's the single best guard against double-touching a prospect who's already mid-sequence somewhere else.

2

### Tags are your suppression layer

Tag opt-outs or bad-fit contacts once, then exclude that tag everywhere — it updates automatically as you tag new contacts.

3

### Exclude completed for fresh-only outreach

Turn on “Exclude contacts in completed campaigns” when you want this campaign to reach only net-new prospects.

4

### Edit in Settings, verify in the node

Make changes in Campaign Settings, then check the Contact Segmentation step's counts as your sanity check that exclusions actually took.

## Frequently asked questions

Where do I actually edit contact selection?

In the **Campaign Settings** tab. The Contact Segmentation node in the builder only shows a read-only summary.

How do I stop emailing people already in another campaign?

Use **Exclude by Campaigns** to name specific campaigns, and/or turn on **Exclude contacts in active campaigns** to skip anyone currently enrolled anywhere.

What's the difference between excluding active vs completed campaigns?

**Active** skips contacts currently enrolled in a running campaign. **Completed** skips contacts who already finished a previous sequence.

Can I exclude a whole list of do-not-contact addresses?

Yes — add that list under **Exclude by Lists**.

Do tag exclusions update automatically as I tag contacts?

Yes — **Exclude by Tags** is evaluated by tag, so newly tagged contacts are excluded automatically.

Is there a formal suppression list?

No dedicated suppression-list feature exists. Use excluded lists and tags to achieve the same effect.

What audience actually sends?

The contacts in your **Include Lists**, minus everyone matched by any exclusion rule.

## Ready to put this into practice?

Start your FirstSales trial and launch a warmed, authenticated mailbox in minutes.

[Start for $1](https://app.firstsales.io)

[All tutorials](/tutorial/)