> 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

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="/files/t4mDZwCyqEPrYOQ7sAxj" 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="/files/8jglkwpZ5bpkQspp1puL" 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" %}
**Membership, donation, and gift card filters look at customer records.** Those histories live on the patron's customer record, so a patron who is only a student won't match them. Total spend counts both customers and students.
{% endhint %}

<div data-full-width="false"><figure><img src="/files/l1yOn7l5c4hKzAQTPab4" 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!