This guide will walk you through creating, uploading, validating, and managing your custom audience using a simple CSV file.
What is a Contacts List Upload?
Contacts List Upload let you build custom targeting segments by uploading your own CRM contact lists directly into the platform. This is especially useful if:
You manage your own first-party data.
You want to retarget previous customers.
You want to reach specific leads or segmented profiles from your own database.
Once uploaded, your data is processed securely and becomes available in campaign targeting.
Where to Create a Contacts List
You can start a Contacts List upload from two places:
From the Audiences page (Audiences tab in the header)
From a campaign strategy: in the campaign creation experience, open the Custom Audiences module on a strategy and click Add audience.
A slideover opens with a list of options including CRM integrations. Select Contacts List.
The advertiser is pre-selected, and the new audience is immediately available in the current strategy once created.
Step-by-Step: Creating a Contacts List
1. Start From the Audiences Page
Go to the Audiences section of the platform.
Click the "Create audience" button.
A drawer will open — here you'll choose your audience source.
Select Contacts List to begin.
Choose the advertiser the audience will belong to.
2. Enter Audience Details & Upload Your Files
This is the main setup step where you'll:
Name your audience
Your audience name must be no longer than 100 characters. We recommend using a unique, descriptive name to avoid confusion, though the platform does not currently block duplicate names.Upload your CRM file
ℹ️ Note: At this step, you'll find a button to download the CSV template directly in the platform to help you format your data correctly. The template includes the following columns:email, phone, firstName, lastName, postalAddress, city, zipCode, state, device_id
These columns must be included in the file even if some rows don't populate all fields. Every row must contain at least one valid identifier - a valid email address or a valid device ID (device_id). We recommend including as much additional data as possible per row for better match rates.
Use the drag-and-drop box or click to browse for your file.
We only accept .CSV files, and you can upload one file at a time.
An audience must contain at least 20,000 valid entries and cannot exceed 800,000 valid entries.
3. Save your Audience
Once your audience name is valid and you've uploaded at least one valid file:
The Save button becomes active.
Click Save to complete the process.
File Requirements & Validation Rules
To make sure your CRM audience is uploaded successfully, your CSV file must meet the following requirements:
File type must be .CSV
We only support.csvfiles — other formats like.xlsor.txtwon't work.Required headers must be included
Your file needs to follow the expected structure. Make sure you use our CSV template to avoid formatting issues.The file must not be empty
Files with no data or only empty rows will be rejected.Every row must contain a valid identifier
Each row must include a valid email address or a valid device ID. Rows that have neither will be rejected.Every row must be valid
If any row is invalid, the entire file is rejected. A row is valid when it contains one of these two identifiers:A valid email (e.g., [email protected]) - plain-text or SHA-256 hashed, or
A valid device ID - in standard UUID format, or its 64-character SHA-256 hash
Formatting Guidelines (Per Field)
Field | Format / Rules |
| Must be a valid email (e.g., [email protected]), plain-text or SHA-256 - required on any row that has no device ID |
| A google Advertising ID (GAID) or Apple IDFA in standard UUID format (e.g., 38400000-8cf0-11bd-b23e-10b96e40000d), or a 64-character SHA-256 hash - required on any row that has no email |
| US phone in international format (e.g., +1 310-555-1234) |
| Must be a 5-digit or 9-digit (ZIP+4) US ZIP code (e.g., 90210 or 90210-1234) |
| Must be a 2-letter US state code (e.g., CA, NY) |
| Free text (no specific format required, but must be non-empty if used in matching logic) |
If your file doesn't meet one or more of these requirements, we'll show you clear error messages to help you fix the issue and try again.
Managing Your Audiences
The Audiences page lists every audience you've created. To view or edit one:
Click Manage below the audience name in the Name column. A panel opens with a summary of that audience: its source, its matched audience size, and any strategies currently using it.
In the Source tile, click the settings icon (⚙️) to open the editor.
Update the audience, then click Continue to save your changes.
In the editor you can:
Rename the audience — edit the Audience name field.
Upload a new list — drag and drop a CSV, or click Browse your file. Already-uploaded files are listed on the right with their entry count and upload date. Use Download template if you need the expected format.
To delete an audience, click Remove at the bottom of the summary panel. Removing an audience can't be undone, so check the active strategies count first — if any strategies are using it, they'll be affected.
⚠️ Audiences used in a published campaign cannot be deleted. The Delete button will be disabled in that case.
Using Audiences in Campaign Setup
During campaign setup, open the Custom audiences section of the Audience module.
If you haven't created an audience yet
The section shows an empty state and a button to Add audience which opens the New audience panel described before.
Once you have audiences
The section lists all your audiences, each labeled with its source and current size. Use the search field to find one by name, or the All sources dropdown to filter by source type.
An audience showing Counting members instead of a number is still being processed. Its size will appear once matching finishes.
Select the audiences you want to use, then add them to:
Included audiences — the people you want to reach.
Excluded audiences — the people you want to keep out of this campaign, such as existing customers.
Click Reset to clear your selections and start over.
Note: Suggestions enabled means Vibe can also suggest users from your synced lists beyond the audiences you select. Turn it off using the Show more settings option if you want to target only your explicit selections. See related article.
Where to See Performance
You can track results of your audience directly in your campaign reports.
Data appears in the Custom Audiences reporting sub-section.
You'll be able to see audience names, but you won't be able to filter by audience source.
If you need help with formatting your file or understanding an error message, reach out to our support team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What if I only have names and no email or phone?
A: Every row needs either a valid email address or a valid device ID. Names, phone numbers, and postal fields on their own aren't enough to make a row valid. If a contact has neither an email nor a device ID, that row can't be uploaded.
Q: Can I upload multiple CRM files at once?
A: No. You can only upload one file at a time per action. If you have multiple files, you'll need to upload and save them one by one
Q: Can I re-upload or replace a file after saving the audience?
A: Yes. You can remove a file and re-upload another one.
Q: Can I include both hashed and unhashed data in my file? A: Yes, we support both plain-text and pre-hashed (SHA-256) email data. If you upload plain-text data, we handle hashing and identity resolution for you via LiveRamp. We do not currently recognize MD5-hashed input files — if your file contains MD5 hashes, please upload plain-text emails instead.
Q: What if I only have partial postal address data?
A: That's okay! The minimum requirement for postal matching is:
firstNamelastNamezipCode
You can optionally improve match quality by including:postalAddresscitystate
Q: Why is my audience size showing as zero after upload?
A: If your data is still being processed, your audience status will show as Populating and may display 0 size temporarily. If processing completes but no profiles could be matched, the status will change to No data. Double-check your file for formatting issues (see File Requirements above) and try re-uploading. If the status shows Error instead, the processing itself failed — try uploading the file again.
Q: Can I track performance of CRM audiences in campaign reporting?
A: Yes. Once used in a campaign, your manual CRM audiences appear in the Custom Audiences reporting view. You'll see performance metrics like impressions, spend, conversions, etc.