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What Is Audience?
Strategy & Planning
Updated 18 September 2026
Quick Answer
An audience is the group of people actually engaging with your content or marketing right now — your current followers, subscribers, or visitors — as distinct from a target audience, which is who you're trying to reach.
Audience vs. Target Audience — What's the Difference?
| Audience | Target Audience | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it describes | People currently engaging with you | People you're trying to reach |
| Known or aspirational? | Known — you can measure it | Aspirational — a planning tool |
Why It Matters
- Your actual audience tells you who's already interested, which is valuable data for refining who your target audience should be.
- A mismatch between your audience and your target audience is a useful signal that something in your marketing isn't reaching who you intended.
How It Works
- Your audience is measured directly — social followers, email subscribers, website visitors.
- Compare who's actually there against who you intended to reach.
- Use gaps between the two to refine targeting or messaging.
Key Takeaways
- Audience is who's actually engaging with you now, not who you're aiming for.
- It's directly measurable, unlike a target audience which is a planning construct.
- A mismatch between the two is a useful diagnostic signal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between audience and target audience?
Audience is who's actually there now; target audience is who you're trying to reach — they should overlap, but often don't perfectly.
How do I find out who my current audience actually is?
Most social platforms and email tools show basic demographic breakdowns of your existing audience for free.
What if my audience doesn't match my target audience?
That's worth investigating — it may mean your content is attracting the wrong people, or that your target audience definition needs updating.