> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.userlane.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.userlane.com/administration/audiences.md).

# Audiences

Reusable groups defined by attribute rules, used by both content targeting and analytics.

Without audiences, Userlane treats everyone in an application the same way. Every user sees the same content, and every analytics view reports one flat average. Audiences put the right content in front of the right people, show where adoption differs between departments or sites, and keep a goal measured against the group it was set for. One audience serves all three: it is defined once, then applied by display rules[^1] on a content item, by an analytics filter, or by a [goal](/intelligence/goals.md).

An audience answers who. A page rule answers where, by matching the address of the page a user is on. Most content uses both.

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://259567114-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FF6bxg8i3T6U4vZ3k7PHi%2Fuploads%2F5AxC6ASYKwSu41jifr9w%2FAudience%20Analytics.png?alt=media&#x26;token=42b1706a-1f81-4d27-8f67-55f620e237d3" alt="Audience Analytics in the Userlane portal, comparing results for several audiences"><figcaption><p>Audience Analytics compares results between audiences side by side.</p></figcaption></figure></div>

## What an audience is made of

An audience is a rule that resolves to a group of users. Conditions can be built from three types of information. [Attributes](/administration/attributes.md) describe who someone is: role, department, location, or any value a customer chooses to send. Behavior describes what someone has done: when they were first active, when they were last active, or whether they started or completed a guide. [Tags](/intelligence/tags.md) describe what someone interacted with: a tracked click or action in the application. [Build an audience from attribute rules](/administration/audiences/build-an-audience-from-attribute-rules.md) walks through every condition type.

## Finding audiences in the portal

Audiences appear in three places in the portal[^2], and they are not next to each other.

<table><thead><tr><th width="139.45703125">Area</th><th width="299.625">What it holds</th><th>Route</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><a href="/assistance/content-operations/targeting.md"><strong>Targeting</strong></a></td><td>The audience list, the audience builder, and page rules</td><td><code>targeting/list</code></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Audience Analytics</strong></td><td>Side-by-side comparison of scores between audiences</td><td><code>audience-analytics</code></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Settings</strong></td><td>The attributes that audiences are built from</td><td><code>application-settings/attributes</code></td></tr></tbody></table>

## Before relying on an audience

1. **Deleting an audience changes anything scoped to it.** A goal scoped to a deleted audience is silently re-scoped to the whole application. The goal keeps running and keeps reporting, but against a different population. Check what an audience is used by before you remove it.
2. **Attribute values are case sensitive.** An audience built on `Finance` matches nobody if the source system sends `finance`. The audience is valid, the rule is valid, and the result is empty. The audience builder has a setting to turn case sensitivity off, which treats the two as the same value. If an audience matches nobody and the values look right, that setting is the first thing to check.
3. **A new audience does not appear in Audience Analytics immediately.** It is available as a filter straight away, but the comparison view picks it up on the next daily refresh.

## What people use audiences for

Most audiences fall into a handful of patterns.

<table><thead><tr><th width="160.953125">Pattern</th><th width="186.16015625">Built on</th><th>Typical use</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Role or department split</td><td>Attributes from the identity provider or an upload</td><td>Finance guides reach the finance team and nobody else</td></tr><tr><td>New joiners</td><td>First Time Active (behavior)</td><td>Onboarding content runs for the first few weeks, then stops</td></tr><tr><td>Unfinished content</td><td>Guide started or not completed (behavior)</td><td>A reminder reaches only the people who dropped out</td></tr><tr><td>Targeted feedback</td><td>Any combination</td><td>A survey goes to one group rather than every user</td></tr><tr><td>Comparison</td><td>Any combination</td><td>Adoption is compared between two sites to find which one needs help</td></tr><tr><td>Goal scope</td><td>Any combination</td><td>A target is set and measured for one team</td></tr></tbody></table>

Audiences are worth defining when the answer would change what a person sees or what a number means.

## In this section

{% content-ref url="/pages/Zk1PSRimln0YLI1l2ZkI" %}
[Build an audience from attribute rules](/administration/audiences/build-an-audience-from-attribute-rules.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% hint style="info" %}
**Looking for something else?**

Try [Attributes](/administration/attributes.md), [Targeting](/assistance/content-operations/targeting.md), or [Audiences: design, test, and keep them accurate](/best-practices/audiences-design-test-and-keep-them-accurate.md).
{% endhint %}

## Relevant articles

{% content-ref url="/pages/gtcOzAVjL7zzv75As2Jd" %}
[Attributes](/administration/attributes.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/BkK6BtMQAoCXdpgXSBa5" %}
[Targeting](/assistance/content-operations/targeting.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/4EEk0gccQqxf2edKlhId" %}
[Goals](/intelligence/goals.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/NFn4yfhEX6UQ4Oy1WPAW" %}
[Audiences: design, test, and keep them accurate](/best-practices/audiences-design-test-and-keep-them-accurate.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

## FAQ

<details>

<summary>What is an audience in Userlane?</summary>

An audience is a named, reusable group of users defined by rules about their attributes, behavior, or tag interactions. Userlane uses audiences to target in-app content, to filter analytics, and to scope goals.

</details>

<details>

<summary>What is the difference between an audience and a page rule?</summary>

An audience defines which users a piece of content applies to. A page rule defines which pages it applies to. A single content item can use both.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Can an audience be built without connecting a source system?</summary>

Yes. Behavior conditions (**First Time Active**, **Last Time Active**, **Guide Interaction**) use data Userlane already holds. An audience built from behavior alone works from day one, with no external setup.

</details>

<details>

<summary>How quickly does audience membership update?</summary>

Membership updates when the underlying attribute values refresh. Refresh intervals are set per attribute source and run no more often than once a day.

</details>

<details>

<summary>What happens to a goal when its audience is deleted?</summary>

The goal is re-scoped to the whole application without a warning. It continues to run and report, but against every user rather than the original group.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Why does a new audience match no users?</summary>

The most common cause is a case mismatch between the value in the rule and the value the source system sends. Attribute values are case sensitive by default. The audience builder has a setting to turn case sensitivity off.

</details>

[^1]: Display rules control where and when a piece of content appears. They combine the audience, the page, and the content's publication state.

[^2]: The portal is the web application where administrators configure Userlane, target content, and view analytics.


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