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

# 👥 Audience Guide

> Learn how to add and manage your audience list for AI calling campaigns - complete step-by-step instructions

<Info>
  **What you'll learn:** How to add people to your calling list (audience) so your AI agents know who to call. This guide covers both manual entry and file upload methods.
</Info>

## What Is an Audience?

Think of an **audience** as your **calling list** - the people you want your AI agents to call. Just like you need a phone book to make calls, your AI agents need an audience list to know who to contact.

## Why Do You Need an Audience?

* **Your AI agents need targets** - They can't call people if they don't know who to call
* **Organize your contacts** - Group people by different campaigns or purposes
* **Track your calling progress** - Know who has been called and who hasn't
* **Manage your calling strategy** - Focus on specific groups of people

## How to Add Your First Audience

### **Step 1: Start Adding an Audience**

1. Go to the **Audience section** in your dashboard
2. Click the **"+ Add New Audience"** button
3. You'll see a form where you can add audience details

### **Step 2: Give Your Audience a Name**

First, you need to identify your audience:

| Field             | What to Enter                 | Example                   |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------- | ------------------------- |
| **Audience Name** | A name to identify this group | "Customer Follow-up List" |

<Warning>
  **Important:** Choose a clear, descriptive name for your audience. This helps you organize different calling campaigns and find the right list later.
</Warning>

### **Step 3: Choose How to Add People**

You have **two options** for adding people to your audience:

#### **Option A: Upload a File (Recommended for Large Lists)**

If you have many people to add (like 50+ contacts):

1. **Click "Choose File"** button
2. **Select your Excel file** (.xlsx or .xls format)
3. **Upload the file** to the system
4. **Click "Save"** to create your audience

<Info>
  **File Requirements:** Only Excel files (.xlsx or .xls) are accepted. Make sure your file has columns for FirstName, LastName, and PhoneNum.

  **📋 Need help with file formatting?** Check out our [Upload Sheet Format Guide](/audience/upload-sheet) to learn the critical formatting requirements that ensure successful uploads.
</Info>

#### **Option B: Add People Manually (Good for Small Lists)**

If you have just a few people to add:

1. **Click "Create Manually"** button
2. **Fill in the person's details:**
   * **First Name** - The person's first name
   * **Last Name** - The person's last name
   * **Phone Number** - Their contact number
3. **Click "Save"** to add this person
4. **To add more people manually:**
   * Click **"+ Add"** button for each additional person
   * Fill in their details
   * Click **"Save"** when finished

## Visual Guide: Adding an Audience

Here's a simple flowchart showing the process:

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart TD
    A[Click + Add New Audience] --> B[Enter Audience Name]
    B --> C{Choose Method}
    
    C -->|Many People| D[Upload Excel File]
    C -->|Few People| E[Create Manually]
    
    D --> F[Click Choose File]
    F --> G[Select .xlsx or .xls file]
    G --> H[Upload File]
    H --> I[Click Save]
    
    E --> J[Click Create Manually]
    J --> K[Fill First Name, Last Name, Phone]
    K --> L[Click Save]
    L --> M{Add More People?}
    M -->|Yes| N[Click + Add]
    M -->|No| O[Finished!]
    N --> K
    
    I --> P[Audience Created Successfully!]
    O --> P
```

## File Upload Method (Step by Step)

### **Before You Start: Prepare Your Excel File**

<Warning>
  **Critical:** File formatting is essential for successful uploads. Even small mistakes in column headers or data format will cause your upload to fail completely.
</Warning>

Make sure your Excel file has these columns:

| Column A      | Column B     | Column C     |
| ------------- | ------------ | ------------ |
| **FirstName** | **LastName** | **PhoneNum** |
| John          | Smith        | 555-123-4567 |
| Jane          | Doe          | 555-987-6543 |
| Mike          | Johnson      | 555-456-7890 |

### **Upload Process:**

1. **Click "+ Add New Audience"**
2. **Enter your audience name** (e.g., "Customer List March 2024")
3. **Click "Choose File"**
4. **Find and select your Excel file**
5. **Click "Upload"**
6. **Click "Save"**

<Check>
  **Success!** Your audience is now created and ready to use with your AI calling campaigns.
</Check>

<Info>
  **📋 Pro Tip:** For the most reliable uploads, follow our detailed [Upload Sheet Format Guide](/audience/upload-sheet) which covers exact column header requirements, date formatting, and common mistakes to avoid.
</Info>

## Manual Entry Method (Step by Step)

### **Adding Your First Person:**

1. **Click "+ Add New Audience"**
2. **Enter your audience name** (e.g., "VIP Customers")
3. **Click "Create Manually"**
4. **Fill in the person's details:**
   * **First Name:** John
   * **Last Name:** Smith
   * **Phone Number:** 555-123-4567
5. **Click "Save"**

### **Adding More People:**

1. **Click "+ Add"** button
2. **Fill in the next person's details:**
   * **First Name:** Jane
   * **Last Name:** Doe
   * **Phone Number:** 555-987-6543
3. **Click "Save"**
4. **Repeat for each additional person**
5. **When finished, your audience is complete**

## Important Tips for Success

### **File Upload Tips:**

* **Use Excel format** - Only .xlsx and .xls files work
* **Check your columns** - Make sure First Name, Last Name, and Phone Number are in separate columns
* **Verify phone numbers** - Ensure they're in the correct format (e.g., 555-123-4567)
* **Remove empty rows** - Clean up your Excel file before uploading

<Warning>
  **🚨 Most Important Tip:** Column headers must match your custom fields exactly. Check our [Upload Sheet Format Guide](/audience/upload-sheet) for the critical formatting requirements that prevent upload failures.
</Warning>

### **Manual Entry Tips:**

* **Double-check phone numbers** - One wrong digit means the call won't go through
* **Use consistent formatting** - Keep names and phone numbers in the same format
* **Save frequently** - Don't lose your work if something goes wrong
* **Review before finishing** - Make sure all information is correct

## Common Questions About Audiences

### **How Many People Can I Add?**

* **File upload:** Up to thousands of contacts
* **Manual entry:** Best for 50 or fewer contacts
* **No limit** on total audience size

### **Can I Edit My Audience Later?**

* **Yes!** You can edit audience details anytime
* **Add new people** to existing audiences
* **Remove people** who shouldn't be called
* **Update information** if details change

### **What Happens If I Upload the Wrong File?**

* **Don't worry!** You can always delete and recreate
* **Check the preview** before saving
* **Verify your data** matches what you expect
* **Test with a small file** first if you're unsure

### **Can I Use the Same Audience for Different Campaigns?**

* **Yes!** One audience can be used multiple times
* **Track results** for each campaign separately
* **Reuse successful audiences** for similar campaigns
* **Organize by purpose** (e.g., "New Customers" vs "Follow-up")

## Best Practices for Managing Audiences

### **1. Use Clear Naming**

* **Be specific:** "Q1 Sales Prospects" instead of "List 1"
* **Include dates:** "Customer Follow-up March 2024"
* **Add purpose:** "VIP Customer Retention"

### **2. Keep Data Clean**

* **Verify phone numbers** before adding
* **Remove duplicates** from your Excel files
* **Update outdated information** regularly
* **Format consistently** across all entries

### **3. Organize by Purpose**

* **Group similar contacts** together
* **Separate different campaigns** into different audiences
* **Use tags or categories** if your system supports them
* **Archive old audiences** when no longer needed

### **4. Test Before Going Live**

* **Start with small audiences** to test your setup
* **Verify AI agent performance** with a few test calls
* **Check call quality** and adjust as needed
* **Scale up gradually** once everything works perfectly

## What Happens After You Create an Audience?

Once your audience is created:

1. **It's saved in your system** and ready to use
2. **You can assign it to AI agents** for calling campaigns
3. **Track calling progress** and results
4. **Edit or update** the audience anytime
5. **Use it for multiple campaigns** if needed

## Next Steps

Now that you understand how to create audiences:

1. **Go to the Audience section** and click "+ Add New Audience"
2. **Choose your method** (file upload or manual entry)
3. **Create your first audience** with a clear, descriptive name
4. **Add your contacts** using your preferred method
5. **Save and start using** your audience with AI calling campaigns

<Info>
  **📋 Ready to upload a file?** Before you start, make sure to review our [Upload Sheet Format Guide](/audience/upload-sheet) to avoid common formatting mistakes that cause upload failures.
</Info>

<Check>
  **Ready to build your calling list?** Follow these steps to create professional, organized audiences that will help your AI agents reach the right people at the right time.
</Check>

***

**📋 Need help with file formatting?** Check out our [Upload Sheet Format Guide](/audience/upload-sheet) to learn the critical requirements for successful audience uploads.

**Need help with AI agents?** Check out our [Agents Overview](/agents/overview) to learn how to create the AI callers that will use your audience lists.

**Want to learn about custom fields?** Visit our [Custom Fields Guide](/custom-fields/introduction) to understand how to personalize your calls with specific information about each contact.