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

# Building an audience

> Create a targeted audience from your data and deliver it to advertising platforms using Audience Studio

This guide walks through building an audience in Audience Studio — from selecting a data source and applying filters to choosing delivery destinations and creating the audience.

<Info>
  For a conceptual overview of how Audience Studio works, see [Audience Studio](/concepts/data-activation/audience-studio). For strategies on how to structure your underlying data, see [Structuring Audiences for Activation](/guides/activation/audience-strategies).
</Info>

## Prerequisites

* A dataset ingested into the platform with [Rosetta Stone attribute mappings](/guides/rosetta-stone/mapping-schemas), including at least one deliverable identifier (such as `sha256_hashed_email` or `sha256_hashed_phone`)
* At least one [connector](/reference/connectors/index) installed with an active profile, if you want to deliver the audience to an external platform

## Step 1: Select a source

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Audience Studio">
    Navigate to **My Audiences** in the sidebar, then click **Create Audience** or **Open Audience Studio**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a dataset">
    Select the dataset that contains the data you want to segment. Only datasets on the currently selected data plane are shown.

    The dataset must have Rosetta Stone attribute mappings — these determine which fields are available for filtering and which identifiers can be delivered to connectors.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 2: Choose connectors

Select one or more destination platforms where you want to deliver the audience.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Review connector eligibility">
    Audience Studio checks whether your source dataset contains the identifier types required by each connector. Eligible connectors are highlighted; ineligible ones show a warning explaining which identifiers are missing.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Toggle destinations on">
    Enable the connectors you want to deliver to. You can select multiple destinations — the audience will be delivered to all of them.

    Common destinations include [The Trade Desk](/reference/connectors/the-trade-desk), [Meta](/reference/connectors/meta), [TikTok](/reference/connectors/tiktok), [Google DV360](/reference/connectors/google-dv360), [Pinterest](/reference/connectors/pinterest), and [Amazon S3](/reference/connectors/amazon-s3).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 3: Apply filters

Filters narrow your source data to the audience you want. The available filter controls are determined by your dataset's Rosetta Stone attribute mappings.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add a filter">
    Click **Add Filter** and select the attribute you want to filter on. The filter attribute dropdown groups options into **Rosetta Stone** attributes and **Dataset Columns** for clarity.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure the filter">
    Depending on the attribute type, you will see different controls:

    * **Enum fields** show a checkbox list or searchable dropdown of values
    * **Numeric fields** show a comparison operator selector and a value input
    * **Timestamp fields** offer curated ranges (last 7/30/90 days), custom lookback, or a date range picker
    * **Boolean fields** show a toggle
    * **Null checks** — select **Is null** or **Is not null** to filter on the presence or absence of a value
  </Step>

  <Step title="Combine multiple filters">
    Add additional filters as needed. By default, filters are combined with **AND** logic — all conditions must match. To use **OR** logic (any condition matches), group filters together.

    You can also add **frequency** constraints to any filter — for example, "purchased at least 3 times."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Forecast the audience size">
    Click **Calculate** (or enable auto-calculate) to preview how many records match your current filters. The forecast runs a preview query without creating the audience, helping you verify the size before committing.

    Suggested filter values show what percentage of your forecasted audience matches each option, helping you understand the impact of each filter.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 4: Finalize and create

<Steps>
  <Step title="Set audience metadata">
    Configure the audience details:

    * **Name** (required) — Identifies the audience in the platform and destination systems
    * **Description** — Optional context about the audience's purpose
    * **Tags** — Optional labels for organization
    * **Refresh schedule** — Choose **One-time** for a static audience, or set a recurring schedule (daily, weekly, etc.) to keep the audience current as source data changes
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure connector settings">
    Each selected connector shows its **quick settings** panel. These are platform-specific fields required for delivery — for example:

    * **The Trade Desk**: Audience name, advertiser selection, historical data delivery
    * **Meta**: Ad account selection
    * **TikTok**: Business Center and ad account selection

    Fill in the required fields for each connector. A green checkmark indicates the connector is fully configured and validated.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the audience">
    Click **Create Audience**. Audience Studio:

    1. Generates and executes an NQL query based on your filters
    2. Materializes the results as a new audience dataset
    3. Creates connector deliveries for each destination
    4. If a refresh schedule is set, configures incremental updates to keep the audience current

    The audience appears under **My Audiences** in the sidebar.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## After creation

Once your audience is created, you can:

* **Monitor delivery** — Check connector delivery status from the audience's Connections tab
* **Clone the audience** — Select **Open in Audience Studio** from the action menu to create a new audience pre-populated with the same source, filters, and settings
* **Add more connectors** — Deliver the same audience to additional destinations from the Connections tab
* **Adjust the refresh schedule** — Change how often the audience is rebuilt

## Related content

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Audience Studio" icon="users" href="/concepts/data-activation/audience-studio">
    Conceptual overview of filter types, forecasting, and cloning
  </Card>

  <Card title="Structuring Audiences" icon="sitemap" href="/guides/activation/audience-strategies">
    Strategies for organizing data for activation
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connector Reference" icon="plug" href="/reference/connectors/index">
    Technical details and identifier requirements for each destination
  </Card>

  <Card title="Hashing PII" icon="hashtag" href="/guides/ingestion/hashing-pii">
    Prepare identifiers for upload and activation
  </Card>
</CardGroup>