How do I use Audiences?

We're extremely excited to share the details of our Audiences feature! Please reach out to your CSM or support@hustle.com to share your feedback! 

If you're managing outreach for large-scale events or campaigns, Audiences is built for you. It's a faster way to import and manage thousands of contacts for TeamRaiser events and CSV imports. Admins can import data unique to each event, such as event name or date, to segment your organization's contacts and automate outreach so the right message reaches the right people, every time. 

Ready to scale your outreach? This article walks you through everything you need to set up and use Audiences!

Note: Audiences don't require their own TCR campaign or phone numbers! Audiences created via CSV are also not subject to the 100K contact limit of groups.

Skip to: 

• What are Audiences?
• What are Audience Fields?
• What are Audience Categories?
• How do I set up Automations with Audiences?
• How do I create an Audience?
  • via CSV Import
  • via TeamRaiser Import
• How can I view and manage contacts in my Audience?
  • Adding Contacts
  • Removing Contacts
  • Viewing Audiences
• How can I view settings for my Audience?
  • General Audience Details
  • Managers

What are Audiences?

An Audience is a segment of contacts that can be built from TeamRaiser event data or via CSV. Audiences can be segmented for message targeting and automations by importing data unique to that Audience.

From the admin panel, admins can click Audiences to create, view, and manage Audiences, Audience Fields & Categories, and Imports in their organization. 

What are Audience Fields?

Audience Fields are the data fields attached to the contacts in an Audience. Admins can think of Audience Fields as a template for the information they want to track for a given Audience Category. When admins create Audience Categories, they will set the specific Audience Fields for that Category. 

Note: System fields (Ex. First Name, Last Name, Phone Number) and custom fields cannot be removed from Audience Fields. Admins will not need to manually select the Data Type or Script Fallback Value for these types of fields.

Audience Fields can have the following data types:

• String: Text of characters. 
  • Example: 
    • Audience field name: City
    • Value: Los Angeles
• Number: Numeric value, may contain 1 decimal and a negative (-) symbol
  •  Example: 
    • Audience field name: Team size
    • Value: 84
• Array: A list of one or multiple items, quoted and separated by comma
  • Example: 
    • Audience field name: Event Participant Role
    • "Volunteer, Captain"
• Date: A specific day on the calendar. *Various formats accepted.
  • Example: 
    • Audience field name: Event Date
    • Value: 09/25/2026
• Time: A specific time of day. *Various formats accepted.
  • Example: 
    • Audience field name: Event Time
    • Value: 8:00 AM
• Link: URL to a webpage.
  • Example: 
    • Audience field name: Donation URL
    • Value: https://walkrun/org/participant/0LaeB4rZy6HIxVF
• Boolean: True or False
  • Example: 
    • Audience field name: Is Team Captain
    • Value: True
• Dollar: An amount of money.
  • Example: 
    • Audience field name: Donation Amount
    • Value: $100

Note: Unlike custom fields, Audience Fields belong to the Audience, not the contact record. One contact can have different values in different Audiences (for example, a unique team name for each event they registered for). Importing a contact into your Portland Audience won't overwrite what you have for them in Seattle. 🙌

When creating a new Audience via CSV, admins will be able to fill in the following information:

• Hustle Field Name: Name for the field in Hustle that is mapped to the CSV Field.
• Type: Data type for the Audience Field.

• Script Fallback Value: Value used in scripts when a contact doesn't have data for that field.

• Contact Preview: preview how the Field data will show up in Hustle.

• Show to Agents: Admins can select the option for the Audience Fields they want to be visible to agents.

To add a new Audience Field, click into the Hustle Field Name and select Add New Audience Field and enter the Hustle Field Name, Type, and Script Fallback Value.

To remove an Audience Field, click the red X next to the field. 

Note: When creating an Audience Field, admins must select the data type and set a Script Fallback Value to set a default value when a contact doesn't have data for that field. Admins will not be able to click on Create Audience until these are set for all fields, or fields are removed using the red X.

When creating a new Audience via TeamRaiser import, admins can click Add Another to add additional Audience Fields and enter the following information:

• TeamRaiser Event Field: Field from TeamRaiser Event that admins can map to a corresponding field in Hustle.
• Hustle Field Name: Name for the field in Hustle that is mapped to the TeamRaiser Event Field.
• Type: Data type for the Audience Field.
• Script Fallback Value: Value used in scripts when a contact doesn't have data for that field.
• Show to Agents: Admins can select the option for the Audience Fields they want to be visible to agents

Admins can only remove Audience Fields they added by clicking the red X next to the field. 

Admins can customize and map Audience Fields when creating new Audience Categories manually or via CSV. More info at What are Audience Categories?

What are Audience Categories?

An Audience Category is a label applied to Audiences that share the same types of data  (i.e., the same set of Audience Fields). Audience Categories can also be used as a trigger for automations and in target goals (coming soon!). 

Admins can create new categories when they create a new Audience or create category templates for their teams that can easily be applied during an import. 

Here's how admins can create new Audience Categories:

Note: Once an Audience Category has been created, Audience Fields cannot be removed and field type cannot be changed.

Add Manually

1. Go to the Audience Fields and Categories tab.

2. Click Add Category and select Add Manually.

3. Fill in Category Name and Category Description.

4. Add and configure the Audience Fields:

   • Audience Field Name: Name for the Audience field in Hustle that is mapped to the CSV field or TeamRaiser event field during an import.
   • Type: Data type for the Audience Field.
   • Script Fallback Value: Value used in scripts when a contact doesn't have data for that field.

   • Show to Agents: Admins can select the option for the Audience Fields they want to be visible to agents

Admins can edit Audience Categories from the Audience Fields & Categories tab, clicking the '...' and selecting Edit. Once a category is saved, Audience fields cannot be removed or Audience field types changed. Admins can add more Audience fields at any time.

How do I set up Automations with Audiences?

Set up automations using the Add to Audience or Add to Audience Category triggers. A common example is an automation aimed at team captains, or one tied to hitting a fundraising goal.

• Add to Audience — applies only the selected Audiences

  Add to Audience Category — applies to every current or future Audience under that category (for example, everything under a Walk or Run event type)

Note: Automations using the Add to Audience and Add to Audience Category triggers can only be published to inboxes.

Add to Audience Automation

Let's start by creating an Automation using the Add to Audience trigger to automatically send a welcome message and apply a tag to Team Captains when they are added to an Audience.

You'll need to create an Audience first, skip to How do I upload contacts to Audiences? if you haven't made one.

• Navigate to Automations on the left admin panel.
• Click Add Automation.
• Fill in the name, exit criteria, view the inbox(es) the automation is published to, and the automation status. *Admins can customize these settings at any time.
• For the Initial Trigger, select Add to Audience and select the Audiences to apply the automation to. 
  • Contacts will enter the automation when they are added to the selected Audience(s). 
  • If selecting multiple Audiences, they must share the same Audience Category.

• Next, refine the Audience based on Audience Fields or Tags to target contacts based on specific data values or tags.
  • For this automation, we will target contacts who are Team Captains.
    • In the Refine Audience section, select Audience Fields.

• Select Team Captain and Is True. Click Save!

• Click Add Actions and select Send Inbox Message.
  • Customize your script 
• Click Add/Edit Actions and select Add Tag(s).
  • Select the Team Captain tag and click Save.

• Once the automation has been set up, click Continue to Publish.
  • Select the Inbox(es) you want to publish the Automation to.

Add to Audience Category Automation

Next, let's create an Automation using the Audience Category trigger to encourage event participants to continue their fundraising efforts!

• Navigate to Automations on the left admin panel.
• Click Add Automation.
• Fill in the name, exit criteria, view the inbox(es) the automation is published to, and the automation status. *Admins can customize these settings at any time.
• For the Initial Trigger, select Add to Audience Category. 
  • Contacts will enter the automation if they are added to any current or future Audience that uses the selected category. 

• Select the category that will trigger the automation.
• Click Refine Audience by and select the Audience Field Donation Goal, select Between and enter the donation range for the contacts you are targeting.
• Click Save! 

• To add an action to Send Inbox Message, click Add Actions and select Send Inbox Message.
• In the Script Editor, click Edit to customize the script. Admins can select Audience Fields for the selected category to use in scripts! 

• Once the automation has been set up, click Continue to Publish.
  • Select the Inbox(es) you want to publish the Automation to.

Date-Based Automation

Finally, let's create an Automation that sends a reminder 7 days before each participant's event!

• Navigate to Automations on the left admin panel.
• Click Add Automation.
• For the Initial Trigger, select Add to Audience Category and select the category. Click Save.

• Click Add Step and Select Time – Date.

• Select Before, enter 7, and select Days.
• Under Audience Date Field, click Use Audience Date Field and select Event Date.
• Select the time and time zone, then click Save.

• Click Add Actions and select Send Inbox Message.
  • Customize your script. Click Save. 

• Once the automation has been set up, click Continue to Publish.
  • Select the Inbox you want to publish the Automation to.

• Note: Each contact's message sends based on the Event Date in their Audience, so one automation works for every event in the category.

How do I create an Audience?

Admins can create and add contacts to Audiences by importing a CSV or importing directly from TeamRaiser.

Note: Phone numbers are the unique identifier for contacts in Hustle. A phone number field must be included in the import for Audiences. Admins cannot save the import without a phone number.

via CSV Import

Note: There is a CSV file size limit of 250MB.

During a CSV import, Hustle will automatically match the CSV Field to the corresponding field in Hustle. If a Hustle Field Name is not automatically detected, admins can add a new Audience Field for new categories.

1. Click Create Audiences and select Create from CSV.

2. Upload your CSV and select one of the following options to organize your Audience:

• Single Audience: Create one Audience from your CSV.
  • Fill in the Audience Name
  • Apply tags to your Audience. Please note that admins will need to create the tags first from the Tags menu on the admin panel. Admins can skip this step. 
  • Map fields to configure the data for your Audience
    • Use Existing Category: Select an existing Audience Category. If this category is used in an automation, contacts in the import may also enter them in the automation, if they meet the automation's criteria. More info at How do I set up Automations with Audiences?
    • Create New Category: Customize fields and create a new Audience Category. More info at What are Audience Categories?
    • During this step, admins can switch between using an existing category or a creating a new category at any point before finalizing the import.
      • Switch to new category: If an admin has already selected a Category, switching to a new category discards that selection and re-populates the CSV's fields.
      • Switch to existing category: Select a different Category to use for the Audience. 
• Multiple Audiences: Create multiple Audiences (Ex. one Audience per Event Name).
  • Select the CSV field header that will separate and name each Audience. 
    • For example, selecting the Event Name field header creates an Audience for each value in the Event Name column (i.e. Seattle Walk/Run 2026, Portland Walk/Run 2026, Los Angeles Walk/Run 2026, etc.). Field data within each Audience is unique and independent from other Audiences.
• Admins can view the Contact Preview column to see how the data will show up in Hustle and select the Show to Agents option for the Audience Fields they want to be visible to agents.

3. Once admins have finished customizing their Audience, click Create Audiences or Create Audiences & Save As New Category.

4. When the import starts, admins will be able to confirm or cancel their imports using the Current Imports tab. An email notification will also be sent and admins can download the Skipped Report to view any errors.

5. Once the import is complete, another email notification will be sent and admins can view the following data in the Past Completed Imports tab:

• Date
• Status
• Import Type
• Audience Category
• Audiences Added/Updated
• Records Added/Updated
• Records Skipped
• Created By

• See Import Details

   

via TeamRaiser Import

During a TeamRaiser import, after entering the Event ID from TeamRaiser, Hustle will automatically fill in the fields from your TeamRaiser Event. These fields will be designated as System Fields and cannot be edited or removed from Audiences.

1. Click Create Audiences and select Create from TeamRaiser.

2. Add one or multiple TeamRaiser Event IDs. An Audience will be created from each Event ID using the TeamRaiser event name.

3. During this step, admins can control the setting to Automatically sync contacts daily from TeamRaiser.

4. Apply tags to your Audience. 

• Please note that admins will need to create the tags first from the Tags menu on the admin panel. Admins can skip this step. 

5. Map fields to configure the data for your Audience.

• Use Existing Category: Select an existing Audience Category. If this category is used in an automation, contacts in the import may also enter them in the automation, if they meet the automation's criteria. More info at How do I set up Automations with Audiences?
• Create New Category: Load all TeamRaiser event participant fields to customize field mapping. More info at What are Audience Categories?
• During this step, admins can switch between using an existing category or creating a new category at any point before finalizing the import.
• Switch to create new category: Use the field headers from the TeamRaiser Event instead of a Category. If an admin has already selected a Category, switching to a new category discards that selection and re-populates the TeamRaiser Event fields.
• Switch to Category: Select a different Category to use for the Audience. 

6. Once the import starts, admins will be able to confirm or cancel their imports in the Current Imports tab. An email notification will also be sent and admins can download the Skipped Report to view any errors.

7. Once the import is complete, another email notification will be sent and admins can view the following data in the Past Completed Imports tab:

• Date
• Status
• Import Type
• Audience Category
• Audiences Added/Updated
• Records Added/Updated
• Records Skipped
• Created By
• See Import Details

Note: Keep in mind that each TeamRaiser Audience has a 50,000 contact max.

How can I view and manage contacts in my Audience?

Once you have created an Audience, you can add, remove, view, and search for contacts from the All Audiences tab and click into an Audience. 

Adding Contacts

To add contacts to your Audience, navigate to the Contacts tab and click Add Contacts. From there, admins can upload a CSV file with the new contacts. 

Removing Contacts

To remove or opt out contacts, click the '...' next to a contact and click Remove from Audience to remove the contact from the specific Audience or Opt Out to opt them out from receiving texts from the organization.

Viewing Audiences

From the Contacts tab, admins can view contacts and customize the table by clicking the hamburger icon to add/remove columns and custom fields.

Admins can also search for contacts by Standard Fields (Name, Phone Number, Tag) or custom fields.

How can I view settings for my Audience?

Once you have created an Audience, you can view and edit the Audience's settings from the All Audiences tab and click into an Audience. 

From the Settings tab, admins can view the following information:

• General

  • Audience Name: View or edit the Audience Name.
  • Category: Audience Category for this specific Audience.
  • Last Updated: The date the Audience was last updated.
  • Created At: The date the Audience was created.

• Managers

  • Invite a New Manager: Click Invite a New Manager and fill in the Manager's name and email to send an invite.
  • Grant Access to Existing Member: Search for an existing admin user and select them to add them as a manager to the Audience.
  • Manager Details: View Manager's Name, Email, Status, and Phone Number.
  • Remove a Manager: Remove Manager by clicking 'Remove'.