> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.crowdwork.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.crowdwork.com/for-theatres/email-marketing/choosing-your-audience.md).

# Choosing Your Audience

Target your campaigns with saved segments or an inline custom filter, preview exactly who will receive them, and understand why the recipient count is smaller than your full list.

When you send a campaign, you decide who receives it on the **recipient step**. There are two ways to do that, and a **live recipient count** updates as you go so you always know how many patrons you're about to reach.

You'll find email tools in the **Emails** section of your Dashboard sidebar.

***

## Two ways to target

* **Saved Segment** — a reusable audience you've defined and named, so you can target the same group again and again
* **Custom Filter** — an audience you build inline, right on the recipient step, for a one-off send

***

## Saved segments

A **segment** is a saved audience. Create one in the **Segments** area of the Emails section: give it a name and an optional description, then define who belongs using the same filter fields available on the recipient step. Reuse it whenever you send.

<div data-full-width="false"><figure><img src="https://2845098317-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F4jXdYra1roPbWLdqrOHI%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-8e7efb80d886cc5f7e93f7bbe9c6a754466c94ef%2Fcrowdwork-email-audience-edit-segment-screen.webp?alt=media" alt="editing a saved segment — here, all patrons whose type is customer" width="310"><figcaption><p>Editing a saved segment</p></figcaption></figure></div>

To use one, pick **Saved Segment** on the recipient step and choose it from the list. A **Manage saved segments** link takes you to the Segments area from there too.

***

## Custom filters

For a one-off audience, choose **Custom Filter** on the recipient step and add one or more filters. Combine them with:

* **Match ALL filters** — a patron must meet *every* filter to be included (for example, "Level 1 AND a specific event")
* **Match ANY filter** — a patron is included if they meet *at least one* filter

The recipient count updates live as you add or change filters.

<div data-full-width="false"><figure><img src="https://2845098317-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F4jXdYra1roPbWLdqrOHI%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-b14c0f6fa2f3096432228e50870ddec2339f75e1%2Fcrowdwork-email-audience-custom-filter-recipient-step.webp?alt=media" alt="a custom filter on the recipient step with two filters combined with Match ALL" width="310"><figcaption><p>A custom filter using Match ALL</p></figcaption></figure></div>

### No filters = every patron

If you choose Custom Filter and add **no filters at all**, the campaign targets **every patron** — customers and students — in your theatre (still narrowed by the eligibility rules below).

{% hint style="warning" %}
**A half-finished filter matches no one.** A filter whose value is left blank deliberately matches zero patrons — your count drops to 0 rather than quietly ignoring the filter. Complete it or remove it.
{% endhint %}

***

## Filter fields

Filters are built on data CrowdWork already keeps about your patrons:

| Field                                   | Targets patrons by…                                                                                                                  |
| --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Patron type**                         | Whether they're a customer (ticket buyer) or student (class registrant)                                                              |
| **Tag**                                 | A tag applied to the patron                                                                                                          |
| **Event (show or class)**               | A specific show or class they're associated with                                                                                     |
| **Event date**                          | The date of an event they're associated with                                                                                         |
| **Event type**                          | Whether the event is a show or a class                                                                                               |
| **Last purchase**                       | When they last bought                                                                                                                |
| **Patron signup date**                  | When they joined your audience                                                                                                       |
| **Membership tier**                     | Which membership tier they hold                                                                                                      |
| **Membership status**                   | Where their membership is in its lifecycle — active, paused, canceled, or archived — or whether they’ve ever had a membership at all |
| **Total spend**                         | How much they've spent with your theatre                                                                                             |
| **Donations**                           | Their donation history                                                                                                               |
| **Gift cards**                          | Whether they’ve purchased — or received — a gift card                                                                                |
| **Engagement (clicked but didn't buy)** | Patrons who clicked a past campaign without purchasing                                                                               |

{% hint style="info" %}
**Memberships and gift cards belong to customer records.** A patron who is only a student never matches **Membership tier** *is any of*, **Membership status** *is* or *has any membership*, or any **Gift cards** filter. The opposite rules work the other way: **Membership tier** *is none of*, **Membership status** *is not*, and *has never had a membership* include students, so a "non-members" segment reaches your class students too. A student whose email address belongs to a member is still left out. **Donations** and **Total spend** count both customers and students.
{% endhint %}

<div data-full-width="false"><figure><img src="https://2845098317-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F4jXdYra1roPbWLdqrOHI%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-ce5d233b8a281822dbfb33be86c48517195964b0%2Fcrowdwork-email-audience-filter-field-dropdown.webp?alt=media" alt="the filter field dropdown listing all available fields for targeting patrons" width="310"><figcaption><p>The filter field dropdown</p></figcaption></figure></div>

***

## Preview exactly who you're emailing

Counts are useful; names are better. Choose **Preview Recipients** — available on the recipient step and in the segment builder — to open the actual list of matching patrons, 25 per page, searchable by email or name. In the Segments area, each patron also carries an **Opted in** or **Not opted in** badge showing their newsletter status.

***

## Why your recipient count is smaller than your full patron list

The recipient count is resolved when you send, and it's usually **smaller** than your total number of patrons. That's expected. These rules narrow it down:

1. **Newsletter consent** — *marketing* campaigns only reach patrons who **opted in to your newsletter**. Patrons who didn't opt in are not included.
2. **Suppression list** — anyone on your **Suppressions** list (bounced, complained, unsubscribed, or manually added) is excluded from both campaign types.
3. **Missing email addresses** — patron records without an email address can't be emailed and are skipped.
4. **Point of Sale placeholders** — patrons rung up at your box office without an email address get an internal placeholder address; those are skipped too.
5. **De-duplication** — a patron who matches more than once is counted and emailed only **once**.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Marketing vs. transactional reach.** The newsletter-consent narrowing applies to *marketing* campaigns. *Transactional* service messages reach every targeted patron regardless of newsletter opt-in, because they're operational rather than promotional. The other rules — suppressions, missing addresses, de-duplication — apply to both.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
**Want a bigger audience?** Collect more newsletter opt-ins at checkout via **Theatre Details → Checkout Options → Collect Newsletter Opt-Ins**. See [Customizing Your Theatre Settings](https://docs.crowdwork.com/for-theatres/customizing-your-theatre-settings).
{% endhint %}

***

## Related Tasks

| Task                                       | Guide                                                                                                                |
| ------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Build and send a campaign**              | [Building a Campaign](https://docs.crowdwork.com/for-theatres/email-marketing/building-a-campaign)                   |
| **Understand the two campaign types**      | [Email Marketing](https://docs.crowdwork.com/for-theatres/email-marketing)                                           |
| **See what a campaign earned**             | [Campaign Reports & Revenue](https://docs.crowdwork.com/for-theatres/email-marketing/campaign-reports-and-revenue)   |
| **Manage the do-not-email list**           | [Suppressions & Unsubscribes](https://docs.crowdwork.com/for-theatres/email-marketing/suppressions-and-unsubscribes) |
| **Collect newsletter opt-ins at checkout** | [Customizing Your Theatre Settings](https://docs.crowdwork.com/for-theatres/customizing-your-theatre-settings)       |

***

## Need Help?

If you run into a situation this guide doesn't cover, [contact our support team](https://docs.crowdwork.com/contacting-support) from your Dashboard. We're here to help!