How to Create and Use Suppression Segments in PropFuel

A Segment in PropFuel is a group of contacts built from filters — demographics, membership data, behavior, and AMS data. A Suppression Segment is a Segment you attach to a campaign to prevent a specific group from receiving check-ins, even if they're also part of an included Segment.

This lets you reuse the same Segments across many campaigns without modifying them each time.

As you build more Segments, you'll find that the same audience works across multiple campaigns — but each campaign needs to exclude a slightly different group. Suppression lets you handle that cleanly.

• Protects segment integrity: Your base segments stay clean and reusable. You don't need to modify them with exclusion filters for every use case.

• Simplifies management: Instead of creating "All Members Except Students," "All Members Except VIPs," and "All Members Except Board," you maintain one "All Members" segment and suppress as needed per campaign.

• Prevents cross-campaign conflicts: Editing a segment's filters affects every campaign using it. Suppression lets you customize per campaign without that risk.

🚨One rule governs everything: suppression always wins. If a contact appears in both an included Segment and a suppressed Segment, they will not receive the campaign.

Both can achieve a similar result. The difference is where the work happens.

Exclusion is built into the Segment itself. You use the Must Not Match filters to define who should never be in that Segment, regardless of which campaign it's attached to. Use exclusion when the criteria are part of the Segment's core definition — for example, a bar association Segment targeting lawyers licensed only in Pennsylvania would exclude anyone licensed in additional states at the filter level.

• Example: Demographic-based: You have a bar association targeting lawyers who can practice in Pennsylvania, but you want lawyers who only practice in PA. You'd use Must Not Match to exclude any lawyers that can also practice in another state. This keeps your segment definition clean and specific.

Suppression happens at the campaign level. The Segment itself stays untouched; you just tell a specific campaign to skip certain contacts. Use suppression when the same Segment needs to work across multiple campaigns, but each campaign has its own group to exclude.

• Example: You'd start by creating a segment of members coming up for renewal (expiring in 30, 60, 90 days, etc.), then create a suppression segment for renewed members based on criteria such as updated expiration dates. As members renew throughout your campaign, they automatically move into the suppression segment and stop receiving renewal reminders. You could use that same suppression segment for lapsed and dormant campaigns or as a inclusion filter for a “thank you for renewing” campaign, keeping your segments reusable across multiple campaigns. 

The short version: exclusion defines who belongs in the Segment. Suppression defines who sits out of a particular campaign.

Suppression Segments are dynamic. PropFuel continuously checks whether enrolled contacts meet the suppression criteria as the campaign runs — it's not a one-time snapshot at launch.

When a contact is suppressed:

• They will not receive more check-ins from that campaign

• Their status in the campaign shows as "Suppressed"

• You will not see any upcoming scheduled questions for that campaign in their Contact Profile

Renewal Campaigns

You'd start by creating a segment of members coming up for renewal (expiring in 30, 60, 90 days, etc.), then create a suppression segment for renewed members based on criteria such as updated expiration dates. As members renew throughout your campaign, they automatically move into the suppression segment and stop receiving renewal reminders. You could use that same suppression segment for lapsed and dormant campaigns or as an inclusion filter for a “thank you for renewing” campaign, keeping your segments reusable across multiple campaigns. 

Event Registration Campaigns

You could create a segment of target attendees (members, past attendees, etc.), then create a suppression segment for registrants. As contacts register for the event, they move into the suppression segment and are automatically suppressed from future event promotion emails in that campaign. You could use that suppression segment for an event engagement campaign closer to the event.

Targeted Communications

Send a general member update but suppress specific groups who need customized messaging.

Setup:

• Include: "All Members" segment

• Suppress: "Board Members" segment (they receive a separate communication)

• Suppress: "VIP Members" segment (they receive white-glove outreach)

1. After you create your segment, navigate to your campaign and click the Contacts tab

   1. Need to upload a list of contacts for your suppression segment? Follow these steps.

2. Scroll to the Suppressed Segments section

3. Click Add Segment

4. Search for and select the segment you want to suppress

5. Choose your sync setting:

   • Continuous Sync: Contacts are suppressed as they enter the segment and unsuppressed when they leave

   • Add Only: Contacts are suppressed when they enter the segment and remain suppressed even if they leave

   • Fixed: Suppresses the segment's current contacts with no future updates

Once attached, PropFuel will immediately suppress any enrolled contacts who appear in that segment.

Tip: Use Continuous Sync for suppression segments when the underlying data changes frequently (like membership status or registration status). This ensures your campaign always respects current eligibility.

Dynamic behavior: If you're using a dynamic segment for suppression with Continuous Sync, contacts can move in and out of suppression as their data changes. For example, if your "Student Members" segment is dynamic and a student upgrades to a full membership, they would automatically leave the suppressed segment and begin receiving campaign check-ins.

If you no longer need a segment suppressed from a campaign:

1. Go to the campaign's Contacts tab

2. Find the segment in the Suppressed Segments section

3. Click the trash can button next to the segment

Once removed, contacts who were previously suppressed by that segment will immediately return to active status in the campaign (if they're part of an included segment) and will resume receiving check-ins where they left off based on their original enrollment date in the campaign.

Name Your Segments Clearly.

Use descriptive names that make the segment's purpose obvious. When suppressing, you want to quickly identify the right segment without opening each one. Examples: "Active Full Members," "Student Members," "Already Registered - Q1 Event."

Layer Multiple Suppressions When Needed

You can attach multiple suppression segments to a single campaign. If a contact appears in any of them, they'll be suppressed. This is useful when you have several distinct groups to prevent from receiving communications.

Example:

• Include: "All Members"

• Suppress: "Student Members"

• Suppress: "Lifetime Members"

• Suppress: "Staff and Board"

Match Sync Settings to Your Goal

Use Continuous Sync when eligibility changes frequently (membership renewals, event registrations). Use Add Only or Fixed when you want to lock in a specific suppression list that shouldn't change mid-campaign.

Review Suppressed Contacts Periodically

Check your campaign's enrolled contacts occasionally to ensure suppression is working as expected. Filter by "Suppressed" status to see who's currently suppressed and verify it matches your intent.

Q: Can I attach multiple suppression segments to a single campaign? A: Yes. If a contact appears in any of the attached suppression segments, they will be suppressed from the campaign.

Q: What happens if a contact is in both an included segment and a suppressed segment? A: Suppression always takes precedence. The contact will be suppressed and will not receive any check-ins from the campaign.

Q: Will a suppressed contact receive reminders or follow-ups? A: No. Suppressed contacts will not receive any check-ins, reminders, or communications from that campaign.

Q: What happens if I remove the suppression segment from the campaign? A: All previously suppressed contacts immediately return to active status (if they're in an included segment) and will resume receiving check-ins where they left off based on their original enrollment date in the campaign.

Q: Does suppression permanently remove a contact from the campaign? A: No. Suppression prevents contacts from receiving communications based on the built segment. If a contact leaves the suppressed segment, they'll become active in the campaign again. To permanently remove someone, you need to upload a list to remove a contact or use exclusion filters. 

Q: How quickly does suppression take effect after a contact's data changes? A: If your segment is dynamic and set to Continuous Sync, it updates hourly by default. Once the segment updates and the contact appears in it, suppression takes effect immediately. Integration sync times vary by AMS but most update within an hour.

Q: Can I suppress contacts from a campaign without creating a segment first? A: No. Suppression works by attaching existing segments to a campaign. You'll need to create the segment first (or use an existing one), then add it as a suppressed segment in your campaign.

Q: I need help deciding which segments to suppress. Can PropFuel help? A: Absolutely! Your dedicated PropFuel Client Success Manager can help you structure your segments and suppression strategy. Just reach out to us.