# How to Build an Audience in GTM One

> Learn how to build an Audience from ZoomInfo data or your own connected data.

**Date:** 2026-11-02  
**Source:** https://gtm.ai/docs/gtm-one/audiences/create-an-audience

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Learn how to build an Audience from ZoomInfo data or your own connected data.

## Overview

An Audience is a list of companies, contacts, or signals that works like a spreadsheet. You build it on the Audiences page in GTM One, which you open from the left navigation panel. You choose where its records come from, then add filters, columns, and enrichments to answer business questions about the records in it.

The Create Audience dialog offers two build paths:

- **ZoomInfo data:** Start from ZoomInfo company, contact, or signal data.
- **Connect your data:** Start from your CRM, an uploaded CSV file, or a Snowflake data warehouse table.

A new Audience is private to you when you create it. Other users can see it only after you share it.

## Before you start

- **A connected CRM, for the CRM path only.** If no CRM is connected, the CRM Audience types are disabled and the dialog shows a message saying so. Only people who can manage integrations see the **Go to integrations to connect CRM** link. If you do not see it, ask someone in your organization who can manage integrations to connect a CRM.
- **A CSV file, for the upload path only.** The file must be a .csv file of up to 50MB.
- **Room for another Audience.** Your organization can create only a limited number of Audiences. If it has reached that limit, ask for Audiences to be deleted or for the limit to be raised before you build another.

## Open the Create Audience Dialog

1. In the left navigation panel, click **Audiences**.
2. Click **New Audience** in the top-right corner of the page.

The Create Audience dialog opens. If you open it from inside a folder, the dialog shows "Adding to" with the folder name, and the new Audience is saved to that folder.

To browse ready-made starting points before you open the dialog, click **View Templates** next to **New Audience**.

## Build a Company or Contact Audience from ZoomInfo Data

Use this path to start from ZoomInfo company or contact data. The steps below build a company Audience from start to finish. A contact Audience works the same way.

1. In the left navigation panel, click **Audiences**.
2. Click **New Audience** in the top-right corner of the page.
3. Under ZoomInfo data, click **Company** or **Contact**.
4. In the left pane of the builder, find the Audience context section and, under Criteria, click **Add filters**.
5. Choose your filters in the dialog that opens.
6. Click **Update**.
7. In the Audience context section, click **See all**.
8. Check the **Records** row for the number of records the Audience holds and the **Credit cost** row for the credits it used.
9. Click the heading at the top of the builder and type a name for the Audience.

The Audience is saved under the name you typed, and it appears on the Audiences page. For details on naming, see [How to Rename an Audience in GTM One](/docs/gtm-one/audiences/rename-an-audience).

## Build an Audience from Signals

Use this path to build an Audience from intent and engagement activity.

1. In the left navigation panel, click **Audiences**.
2. Click **New Audience** in the top-right corner of the page.
3. Under ZoomInfo data, click **Signals**.
4. Click the signal type you want (e.g., **Account Level Intent**, **Funding**, or **Technologies**).

Most signal types open the Audience in the builder straight away, where you add filters as you would for a company or contact Audience.

Two signal types need extra setup first. **Contact changes** and **WebSights Buyer ID** open an additional setup window, and the Audience is created only after you finish it. When you finish the window, the Audience opens in the builder.

## Build an Audience from Your CRM

Use this path to start from records in your connected CRM. To connect a CRM first, see the **Go to integrations to connect CRM** link in the dialog, described below.

1. In the left navigation panel, click **Audiences**.
2. Click **New Audience** in the top-right corner of the page.
3. Under Connect your data, click **CRM**.
4. Under Choose your Audience type, click **Accounts**, **Contacts**, **Opportunities**, **Products**, or **Users**.

**Accounts**, **Contacts**, and **Opportunities** create the Audience and open it in the builder straight away. **Products** and **Users** open the data library builder instead, do not need a connected CRM, and appear only when they are available in your data library.

If no CRM is connected, the dialog shows the message "No CRM is connected. Connect Salesforce, Dynamics, or HubSpot to build a CRM audience." If you can manage integrations, click **Go to integrations to connect CRM** to connect one. Otherwise, ask someone in your organization who can manage integrations to connect one.

Salesforce campaigns and campaign members cannot be added when you choose the Audience's records. To work with them, build the Audience first, then add campaign members using a Salesforce connector.

## Build an Audience from an Uploaded File

Use this path to import your own list of companies or contacts from a CSV file. Files must be .csv and up to 50MB.

1. In the left navigation panel, click **Audiences**.
2. Click **New Audience** in the top-right corner of the page.
3. Under Connect your data, click **Upload file**.
4. Under What type of list is this?, select **Company list** or **Contact list**.
5. Drag your CSV file onto the upload area, or click **browse for file** and select it.
6. Wait for the file card to show the number of rows, followed by "rows · ready to import".
7. Click **Continue**.

Choose the list type before or after you add the file. If you add the file first, the card reads "Select a list type to upload" and the upload starts when you choose a type. If you change the type after the upload, the file is uploaded again under the new type. **Continue** stays disabled until the file is uploaded and a list type is chosen.

If some rows in the file cannot be read, the card tells you how many will not be imported. To use another file, click **Choose a different file**.

After you click **Continue**, the builder opens at the mapping step, where you match your file's columns to ZoomInfo data.

An Audience built from an uploaded file has no query to edit, so its Criteria row reads "Not available for this source".

## Build an Audience from a Data Warehouse

Use this path to query a table from Snowflake.

1. In the left navigation panel, click **Audiences**.
2. Click **New Audience** in the top-right corner of the page.
3. Under Connect your data, click **Data warehouse**.

The Audience is created as a company Audience and the builder opens so you can set up the Snowflake import. A warehouse Audience queries the table directly, which limits the questions you can answer against it.

## Start from a Template or Dataset

You can search for an Audience type, template, or dataset instead of picking a card.

1. In the left navigation panel, click **Audiences**.
2. Click **New Audience** in the top-right corner of the page.
3. In the search field at the top of the dialog, enter a keyword (e.g., intent).
4. Click the **Audience types** tab or the **Templates** tab to narrow the results.
5. Click the Audience type, template, or dataset you want.

To browse the full data library across every entity type, follow these steps instead.

1. In the left navigation panel, click **Audiences**.
2. Click **New Audience** in the top-right corner of the page.
3. Click **See all datasets**.
4. Select a dataset.
5. Click **Next**.

## Review and Edit the Audience Query

The Audience context section in the left pane of the builder shows how the Audience was built. It lists the source, Audience type, and criteria. The full view also shows the record count, the credit cost, and the automation status.

1. Open the Audience.
2. In the left pane, click **See all** in the header of the Audience context section.

To edit the query and rerun it, follow these steps.

1. Open the Audience.
2. In the Audience context section, under Criteria, click a filter, or click **Add filters** if no criteria are applied.
3. Change the filters in the Update Audience dialog.
4. Click **Update**.

You cannot edit the filters in these cases:

- You have view-only access to the Audience. The panel reads "View-only access — can't edit filters."
- The Audience is still importing. The panel reads "Filters are locked while importing."
- The Audience is a seller's copy of a routed Audience. The panel reads "Filters come from the parent Audience and can't be edited here."

## Next Steps

After you build an Audience, you can:

- Add columns and enrichments to the Audience. See [How to add columns to an Audience and run enrichment in GTM One](/docs/gtm-one/audiences/add-columns-to-and-enrich-an-audience).
- Share the Audience with specific people or with everyone in your organization. See [How to Share an Audience in GTM One](/docs/gtm-one/audiences/share-an-audience).
- Export the Audience. See [How to Export an Audience in GTM One](/docs/gtm-one/audiences/export-an-audience).
- Refresh the Audience automatically on a schedule. See [How to Automate an Audience Refresh in GTM One](/docs/gtm-one/audiences/automate-an-audience-refresh).

You can also create an Audience directly from Advanced Search results. See [How to Create an Audience from Advanced Search Results in GTM One](/docs/gtm-one/advanced-search/create-an-audience-from-search-results).

## If you see an error

- "Could not create the audience. Please try again." The Audience was not created. Try again, and contact ZoomInfo support if the problem continues.
- "No CRM is connected. Connect Salesforce, Dynamics, or HubSpot to build a CRM audience." No CRM is connected for your organization. Ask someone who can manage integrations to connect one.
- "Please choose a .csv file." The file you chose is not a .csv file. Choose a file that ends in .csv.
- "Upload failed. Please try again." The CSV file did not upload. Click **Choose a different file** or add the file again, and contact ZoomInfo support if the problem continues.

## Resources

- [How to Rename an Audience in GTM One](/docs/gtm-one/audiences/rename-an-audience)
- [How to add columns to an Audience and run enrichment in GTM One](/docs/gtm-one/audiences/add-columns-to-and-enrich-an-audience)
- [How to Share an Audience in GTM One](/docs/gtm-one/audiences/share-an-audience)
- [How to Export an Audience in GTM One](/docs/gtm-one/audiences/export-an-audience)
- [How to Automate an Audience Refresh in GTM One](/docs/gtm-one/audiences/automate-an-audience-refresh)
- [How to Create an Audience from Advanced Search Results in GTM One](/docs/gtm-one/advanced-search/create-an-audience-from-search-results)

*How to Build an Audience in GTM One.*