> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hightouch.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Build an audience

> Audiences define who currently qualifies for a campaign or workflow. Build one by adding conditions directly or asking the agent to draft and refine them, then review the audience before you save it.

## Before you begin

* Completed [schema setup](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/schema.md) by your data team.

## Overview

The audience builder is where you define who should be included in an audience using your warehouse data.

For example, you might define an audience of customers who:

* added an item to their cart in the last 24 hours
* haven't completed an order
* have a lifetime value greater than \$200

You can build an audience in two ways:

* **Add filters directly** in the visual builder.
* **describe the audience to the agent** in natural language and let it draft or refine the filters for you.

In both cases, you can review and edit the full audience definition before saving. Hightouch reevaluates the audience as your warehouse data changes, so membership stays up to date.

![Audience builder with the agent open alongside the filter conditions](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/usage/cs-aud-agent-builder.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=c4a33075881672670f5f10fb1dd1e4d6)

> [!NOTE]
>
> Most audiences are evaluated in batches on a schedule. If you need to respond
> to customer behavior within seconds, use [real-time
> audiences](https://docs.hightouch.com/real-time/overview.md) instead.

## Create an audience

1. Go to **Customer Studio > Audiences**.
2. Select **Add audience**.
3. Choose the parent model you want to build from, such as `Users` or `Accounts`.
4. Name the audience and optionally add a description.

![The Audiences list with the Add audience button](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/usage/cs-aud-list.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=2de7adf3aab6f2fe29391f2796c78e57)

The parent model determines what one audience member represents. An audience built from a `Users` parent model contains users; an audience built from an `Accounts` parent model contains accounts.

![Select a parent model when creating an audience](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/usage/cs-aud-select-parent.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=38a654d15cf5e93e519db511f2e7b56f)

See [Plan your data model](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/data-model.md) for more on choosing the right targeting grain.

## Define who qualifies

Add conditions for the customer attributes, behaviors, or related data that determine membership. You can build the conditions yourself, ask the agent to draft them, or combine both approaches on the same audience.

### Add filters in the visual builder

Select **Add filter** and choose what to filter on. Common filter sources include:

* **Properties** — Fields on the parent model, such as region or plan.
* **Events** — Behaviors such as purchases, logins, or product views.
* **Related records** — Purchases, subscriptions, accounts, or other connected models.
* **Traits** — Reusable calculated values such as lifetime value or purchase count.
* **Audiences** — Membership in another saved audience.
* **Journeys** — Participation in a journey.

![Choose a filter source in the audience builder](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/usage/cs-aud-filter-picker.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=e94d0396dd42b485a1f843eb71046c42)

You can also start from an [audience template](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/templates.md) to reuse a pattern your team has already built.

For advanced conditions, nested relationships, event sequences, JSON filtering, percentiles, and operator behavior, see [Audience filters](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/audience-filters.md).

### Build with the agent

Select **Agent** to open the agent chat alongside the builder, then describe the audience you want in natural language:

`Create an audience of customers who added an item to their cart in the last 30 days but did not complete an order.`

The agent drafts the matching conditions in the builder. You can also ask it to explore the fields and events in your schema, explain existing filters, or generate insights about the current audience.

To give the agent more context, attach an image or file to your message, such as a screenshot of a segment definition or a campaign brief.

![Open the agent from the audience builder toolbar](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/agents/agent-button.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=1a420f5e7b6efa7e7ded8e68e16b372e)

If you're not sure which field to filter on, you can hand the choice to the agent from inside the filter picker. Select **Add filter**, then select **Ask an agent** and describe what you're looking for:

`Help me find the right filter column for customer tenure.`

![Ask an agent to find the right filter from the filter picker](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/usage/cs-aud-ask-agent-filter.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=08d9ad5dee188c6f9ee97ec7cfa922e3)

To ask the agent about a condition you already built, open the filter's **...** menu and select **Add filter to chat**.

![Send a filter to the agent chat](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/agents/agents-ellipsis.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=cfc8aafa1971641528d8597745f89bf6)

For prompting patterns and guidance on getting reliable results, see the [Audience builder prompting guide](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/agents.md).

### Review and apply agent changes

The agent proposes changes rather than applying them silently. Review each proposal before it updates the audience:

1. Read the proposed conditions in the agent's response.
2. Select **Apply these changes**.
3. Inspect the updated definition in the builder.
4. Preview the qualifying members.

![Apply the agent's proposed changes](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/agents/agents-apply-button.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=c0b1b4103ab77b0c67b4d342430ed477)

If you applied a change you don't want to keep, select **Undo** before saving.

![Undo applied agent changes](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/agents/agents-undo-button.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=b55aee9c77b1bbe4f0628b2978557a47)

The agent can make mistakes, especially when a request is ambiguous or the schema doesn't clearly describe the available data. Treat the generated conditions as a draft you review, not as a result you accept unseen.

## Limit the audience size

By default, an audience includes everyone who meets its conditions. You can cap the number of members when you want to activate only your highest- or lowest-ranked customers, such as the top spenders or the accounts with the lowest engagement.

Select **Limit audience size**, choose **Random**, **Top**, or **Bottom**, set how many members to keep, choose whether to limit to a fixed number or a percentage, and rank them by a column such as `purchase_amount` or `last_purchase_date`.

![Limit an audience to the top or bottom members by a column](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/usage/limit-audience-size.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=f456da0b87c5a39f1acec7a8959bb638)

## Preview and validate the audience

Before saving, confirm that the audience matches the customers you intended to target.

Select **Calculate size** to see how many records currently qualify, then select the member count to inspect example records.

![Calculate audience size](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/usage/cs-aud-calculate-size.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=579a182f585dfbe222d1d9315ff569ca)

Check both:

* **The conditions** — Confirm they express the targeting rule you intended.
* **The members** — Confirm the resulting customers or accounts look right.

> [!NOTE]
>
> The count is exact unless [sampling](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/sampling.md) is enabled for
> the model, where it's an approximation. It reflects your current source data
> and refreshes when you change a filter or a sync runs. A matching preview
> confirms the audience logic, not delivery. To confirm records reach a
> destination, run a limited test sync before launching.

You can also ask the agent to explain the audience — for example, `Which condition removes the most customers?` [Audience insights](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/insights.md) shows composition, overlap with another audience, and a breakdown by attributes and traits.

### Preview destination rules

If your workspace uses [destination rules](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/destination-rules.md), select a destination in **Preview a destination** to see how those rules affect which records would be sent.

![Preview an audience for a destination](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/usage/cs-aud-preview-destination.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=fdcb3b2b60a53736f11c544686865364)

Destination rules don't change audience membership. A customer can qualify for the audience but still be excluded from a particular destination.

## Save the audience

When the definition and preview look right, select **Save audience**.

![Save an audience](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/usage/cs-aud-save.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=0e087fa295f5df3118f729701c334e47)

Hightouch reevaluates saved audiences as your source data changes, so customers can enter or leave the audience when they stop meeting its conditions. To recompute the current member count at any time, select **Calculate size**.

If you need membership to stay fixed for a specific use case, see [Audience snapshots](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/audience-snapshots.md).

## Decide what happens next

Once you've saved an audience, you can use it in different ways depending on what the campaign needs.

### Sync the audience directly

Use a [sync](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/syncs.md) when you want to keep a destination updated with the customers who currently qualify. For example, sync an audience to:

* an ad platform for targeting or suppression
* a CRM for sales outreach
* a messaging platform for campaign membership

### Use the audience in a journey

Use a [journey](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/journeys.md) when the campaign needs to unfold over time. A journey can coordinate:

* waits between steps
* branches based on customer behavior or attributes
* exit criteria
* destination actions at different points in the workflow

The audience determines **who qualifies**. The journey determines **what happens after they qualify**.

## Duplicate an audience

To reuse an existing audience as a starting point, open it and select **Make a copy** from its **...** menu. This creates a copy you can rename and adjust without affecting the original, and it lets you choose which of the source audience's syncs to carry over.

![Make a copy of an audience from its ... menu](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/usage/cs-aud-make-a-copy.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=8ee7f764ca7d4e5053aaf01c2bda82bf)

Make a copy when you want a variation on an audience you've already built. To standardize logic your whole team reuses instead, build an [audience template](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/templates.md).

## Other ways to work with an audience

After saving an audience, you can also:

* use [Audience insights](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/insights.md) to understand its composition and overlap
* save reusable audience logic with [templates](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/templates.md)
* run an [experiment](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/experiments.md) to compare treatment and holdout groups
* add or reuse calculated values with [traits](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/traits.md)

## Experimentation and governance

### Split audiences for experiments

Divide an audience into random or rule-based groups for testing.

| Split type | Description |
| - | - |
| **A/B Split** | Divide members randomly between two syncs. |
| **Multi-branch Split** | Route members to multiple destinations. |

Each profile is assigned once, based on its primary key.

Changing split percentages can reassign users—use a [snapshot](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/audience-snapshots.md) to preserve consistency.

### How audiences stay up to date

Audiences update automatically as your source data changes so campaigns always reach the right people.

| Behavior | Description |
| - | - |
| **Automatic updates** | New data or events trigger re-evaluation. |
| **Manual refresh** | Trigger a full recalculation from the overflow menu. |
| **Snapshots** | Freeze membership at a point in time to measure lift or maintain fixed test groups. |

### Segment by households or accounts

In some workspaces, audience data is organized around more than one entity type, such as: **People**, **Households**, or **Accounts**. When you enable [schema labeling](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/schema.md#label-your-models), the audience builder automatically reflects these relationships.

This allows you to create audiences that consider shared characteristics or behaviors across related entities, rather than limiting segmentation to individuals.

![Schema labels in dropdown](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/usage/householding-dropdown.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=3b2ae7e61189a553e98b127ac0e20f66)

With schema labels applied, filters adjust automatically so you can build audiences using data from connected entities. For instance, you can define a **People** audience that includes or excludes members based on traits of their associated **Household** or **Account**.

![Schema labels in audience filtering](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/usage/householding-audience-initial.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=3dbfe2d02c53e44c72daf755899a8809)

**Examples:**

* **Household segmentation:** Include people in households that meet a shared condition (for example, at least one member identifies as female or holds an active subscription).

  ![Householding audience example](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/usage/householding-audience-builder.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=29220332b2624fc4a90251e0c4430175)

* **Account segmentation:** Include people whose associated account shows recent activity or engagement (for example, a recent purchase or contract renewal).

  ![Account management audience example](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/usage/account-management-audience-builder.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=0b726efa3a6b2159d47557ad01c63d6a)

> [!NOTE]
>
> Schema labeling enables you to build audiences using both individual and
> group-level data. This supports coordinated targeting and measurement when
> multiple related entities—like people within households or employees within
> accounts—affect campaign outcomes.

## Example use cases

### Abandoned checkout retargeting

**Goal:** Retarget users who started checkout but didn’t complete.

**Filters**

* Event: `Checkout started` within last 24 hours
* Event: `Order completed` not performed in same window
* Trait: `LTV > 200`
* Property: `Email is not null`

**Sync to**

* Meta Custom Audiences
* Klaviyo List

> [!TIP]
>
> Combine this audience with a [subset](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/subsets.md) or
> [destination rule](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/destination-rules.md) to exclude opt-outs.

### Real-time travel personalization

**Goal:** Personalize offers for users who searched flights or hotels in the last 24 hours.

**Filters**

* Event: `search` where `category = flight OR hotel`
* Event: `search_time` performed within 24 hours
* Trait: `loyalty_status = Gold`

Enable **real-time evaluation**, split 80/20 for testing, and sync to ad platforms.
Learn more in [Same-session audiences](https://docs.hightouch.com/real-time/overview.md).

## Best practices

| Goal | Recommendation |
| - | - |
| **Start a new audience from a description** | Draft with the [Agent](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/agents.md), then review and refine the suggested logic in the builder. |
| **Ensure consistent segmentation** | Build complex logic once as reusable [traits](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/traits.md). |
| **Avoid audience drift** | Use [snapshots](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/audience-snapshots.md) to lock membership for control groups. |
| **Simplify experimentation** | Keep [experiment](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/experiments.md) audiences clearly named (for example, `retargeting_a` and `retargeting_b`). |
| **Test before activation** | Use [sampling](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/sampling.md) to preview results on smaller datasets. |
| **Iterate on saved audiences** | Ask the [Agent](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/agents.md) to explain exclusions or suggest changes when audience size or composition shifts. |

## Troubleshooting

| Issue | Likely cause | Resolution |
| - | - | - |
| Audience size changes unexpectedly | Real-time evaluation enabled | Use snapshots to lock membership |
| Filters return no results | Wrong relationship or null handling | Check schema configuration and null settings |
| Members appear in both split groups | Split percentages edited after launch | Avoid editing live splits |
| Cannot assign sync | Missing permissions | Contact your workspace admin |

If you see warehouse SQL errors (for example, unresolved columns, invalid identifiers, or object authorization failures), use [Resolve SQL compilation errors](https://docs.hightouch.com/models/sql-compilation-errors.md).

### Common issues and detailed resolutions

### Filter value suggestions not appearing

**Cause:** Column suggestions are not enabled, or the suggestion cache is stale.

**Resolution:** Ensure you’ve [enabled column suggestions](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/schema.md#enable-filter-value-suggestions). If suggestions are enabled but missing, refresh them in the filter UI.

![Refresh suggestions](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/refresh-column-suggestions.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=0d8998fb155171743ecdabd045de36ce)

### A filter references a deleted column

**Cause:** A model column was deleted but is still cached in Hightouch.

**Resolution:** Preview and re-save the model configuration to refresh cached columns. To see which audiences and syncs reference a column before you delete it, check the column's [Usage](https://docs.hightouch.com/workspace-management/lineage.md).

![Parent model error](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/hightouch-audiences/usage/parent-model-error.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=e66ab52b571796bfb7a89192afa7da67)

### A filter references an unresolved column

**Cause:** A filter or audience condition references a column that is not present in the model output, often due to a renamed or removed column or stale filter configuration.

**Resolution:**

1. Open the parent model and confirm the referenced column exists in the selected columns.
2. Preview and re-save the model to refresh available columns in Customer Studio.
3. Update audience filters that reference the missing column, or add the column back to the model.
4. Re-run audience preview to confirm the error is gone.

> [!TIP]
>
> If audience sizes or syncs change unexpectedly, review your 
> [schema relationships](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/schema.md) and 
> [sync schedules](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/syncs.md) regularly to ensure alignment.

## What’s next?

After creating audiences, you can activate and measure them using these related features:

* [Sync audiences to destinations](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/syncs.md)
* [Build and analyze audiences with the Agent](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/agents.md)
* [Add traits for filtering](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/traits.md)
* [Coordinate campaigns with journeys](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/journeys.md)
* [Reuse audiences with templates](https://docs.hightouch.com/customer-studio/templates.md)