Drip Custom Fields Scoring: A Complete Guide

Most Drip users know the platform’s power for email marketing and automation. But few tap into one of its most high-impact features: Drip custom fields scoring. This simple strategy lets you rank contacts based on their value to your business, so you can send the right message to the right person at the right time.

Whether you run an ecommerce store, a B2B SaaS, or a content site, Drip custom fields scoring cuts through the noise. It helps you stop guessing which leads are worth your time, and start focusing on the contacts most likely to convert.

What Is Drip Custom Fields Scoring?

First, let’s break down the basics. Drip custom fields are unique data points you collect about your contacts beyond default info like name and email. These can include job title, lead source, total spend, last purchase date, webinar attendance, and more.

Scoring is the process of assigning point values to these custom fields to create a single "contact score" for each subscriber. Drip custom fields scoring combines these two: using your custom field data to automatically rank contacts by engagement, fit, or purchase intent.

How Drip Custom Fields Work

Default Drip fields (email, name, signup date) come pre-built. Custom fields are ones you create to fit your business needs. You can set them as text, number, date, dropdown, or yes/no fields, and update them automatically via Drip integrations or workflows.

Why Use Drip Custom Fields Scoring?

Generic email blasts have low open rates and even lower conversions. Drip custom fields scoring fixes this by letting you:

• Better segment contacts: Group leads into tiers (hot, warm, cold) based on their score.
• Personalize messaging: Send targeted offers to high-scoring contacts, and re-engagement campaigns to low scorers.
• Prioritize sales outreach: Focus your sales team’s time on high-scoring qualified leads.
• Automate workflows: Trigger automations (like a demo invite) when a contact’s score hits a set threshold.
• Reduce churn: Identify dropping engagement early, and send save offers to at-risk contacts.

As highlighted in recent research from HubSpot, lead scoring can increase marketing ROI by up to 77% for businesses that implement it correctly.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Drip Custom Fields Scoring

Ready to get started? Follow these 6 steps to launch your Drip custom fields scoring system in under an hour.

Step 1: Define Your Scoring Goals

Start with the end in mind. What do you want your scores to measure? Common goals include:

• Lead quality for sales teams
• Purchase intent for ecommerce stores
• Engagement for content creators

If you’re a B2B SaaS, you might score based on job title, company size, and demo requests. For ecommerce, focus on total spend, cart abandonment, and product category interests.

If you’re new to Drip workflows, read our step-by-step Drip workflow automation guide (internal link placeholder) to get up to speed. For more tips on contact segmentation, check out our guide to Drip custom segments (internal link placeholder).

Step 2: Create Relevant Custom Fields in Drip

Go to Settings > Custom Fields in your Drip account, then click Add Custom Field. Choose the field type that fits your data:

• Number fields: For total spend, number of purchases, or existing lead score.
• Dropdown fields: For lead source, job title, or industry.
• Yes/No fields: For webinar attendance, demo requests, or VIP status.
• Date fields: For last purchase date, signup date, or last email open.

Stick to 5-10 high-impact fields to start. Too many fields will clutter your workflows later.

Step 3: Assign Point Values to Custom Fields

Map each custom field to a point value based on how much it indicates a contact’s value. Here’s a sample scoring model for an ecommerce brand:

• Lead Source: Referral = +20, Webinar = +15, Blog = +10, Social = +5
• Total Spend: $500+ = +50, $101-$500 = +30, $1-$100 = +10, $0 = 0
• Last Purchase Date: Within 30 days = +20, 31-90 days = +10, 90+ days = -10
• Cart Abandoned: In last 7 days = +15, No = 0

Adjust these values to fit your business. High-value actions (like a referral or $500+ spend) should get more points than low-value actions (like a social media signup).

Step 4: Set Up Scoring Rules in Drip Workflows

Drip doesn’t have a native "lead scoring" tab, but you can build scoring into your existing workflows. First, create a custom number field called "Contact Score" to track total points.

Open Drip’s visual workflow builder, and create a new workflow with these triggers:

1. When a contact is added to your account
2. When a custom field is updated
3. When a tag is applied (e.g., "Webinar Attended")

Add conditional steps: If custom field X equals Y, add Z points to the Contact Score field. For example: If Lead Source = Referral, add 20 points to Contact Score. Repeat this for every custom field you’re scoring.

Step 5: Segment Contacts by Score Tiers

Once your workflow is running, create segments based on score ranges:

• Hot Leads: 80+ points (prioritize for sales outreach, exclusive offers)
• Warm Leads: 40-79 points (send nurture campaigns, product demos)
• Cold Leads: 0-39 points (send re-engagement campaigns, surveys)

Use these segments to send targeted broadcasts, or trigger automated workflows for each tier.

Step 6: Test and Iterate

Your first scoring model won’t be perfect. Check your scores after 2-4 weeks of running the workflow. Ask:

• Are high-scoring contacts converting at the rate we expected?
• Are we over-scoring low-value actions?
• Do our score tiers align with sales team feedback?

Adjust point values as needed. For example, if webinar attendees aren’t converting, lower the points for webinar attendance, or increase points for demo requests.

Best Practices for Drip Custom Fields Scoring

• Keep it simple: Start with 5-10 custom fields, not 50. You can add more later as needed.
• Align with sales: Work with your sales team to define what a "qualified lead" looks like, so your scores reflect real business value.
• Automate field updates: Use Drip integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, Zoom) to update custom fields automatically, no manual work required.
• Avoid score inflation: Don’t assign 100 points for a single low-impact action, or all your contacts will be "hot leads".
• Audit regularly: Remove unused custom fields every 6 months to keep your Drip account clean.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• No clear goal: Scoring without a purpose leads to meaningless numbers that don’t help your business.
• Too many fields: Cluttered workflows are hard to update and troubleshoot.
• Forgetting to update rules: If you launch a new product or change your sales process, update your scoring rules to match.
• Not acting on scores: Scoring is useless if you don’t send targeted campaigns to each tier.

FAQ: Drip Custom Fields Scoring

Can I automate Drip custom fields scoring?
Yes. Use Drip workflows to update scores automatically when custom fields change, contacts take actions, or tags are applied. No manual work required once the workflow is set up.

How often should I update my scoring rules?
Review your rules every 1-3 months, or when you launch a new product, change your sales process, or see a drop in conversion rates.

Do I need technical skills to set up Drip custom fields scoring?
No. Drip’s visual workflow builder is no-code, so beginners can set up a basic scoring system in under an hour.

Can I use Drip custom fields scoring for ecommerce stores?
Absolutely. Score based on purchase history, cart abandonment, product preferences, and average order value to boost repeat sales.

Conclusion

Drip custom fields scoring is one of the easiest ways to improve your marketing ROI without increasing your workload. By ranking contacts based on their value, you can send more relevant messages, close more deals, and reduce wasted time on low-quality leads.

Ready to get started? Pick 3 core custom fields today, assign point values, and set up your first scoring workflow. You’ll see the difference in your engagement and sales within weeks.

Have questions about setting up Drip custom fields scoring? Leave a comment below – we’re here to help!