How do I use Audience segments for targeting in Composer?

Prerequisites

• Your account is licensed for Piano Composer 1x and Piano Audience.

• You have access permissions to the site group where the segments are created and where the Composer integration is configured.

Key Concepts and Requirements

Use the Correct Site Group (C1x / single_site)

Composer can only use segments created under a C1x site group (also known as single_site). These site groups are often identifiable by an "(s)" suffix in the name.

• Segments created under a legacy site group cannot be exported to Composer (they may show zero coverage or never appear as targetable segments).

• If you created segments under a legacy site group, recreate the segment (same definition/name if desired) under the Composer-enabled C1x site group.

Segments Must Belong to a Segment Group

An Audience segment must be placed into a segment group to be selectable for Composer integration.

If your segment doesn't appear in the Composer integration UI, confirm it is added to a segment group (create a new group if needed).

Only Active/Usable Segments Can Be Exported

Only active segments intended for full usage can be transferred to Composer. Ensure the segment's Usage is set to full (and that it is active).

Segment Export Limit Per Site Group

Each site group can support up to 100 total exported segments, divided as follows:

• 50 User segments

• 50 Contextual segments

If you’ve reached either the per-type limit (50) or the overall limit (100), remove unused segments from the Composer connection to free up capacity before adding new ones.

Overlapping Segments and Targeting Behavior

Be careful when targeting multiple segments that can overlap (for example, a broad "All registered users" segment and a narrower "Registered + newsletter" segment):

• If segments overlap, your Composer setup may result in only one offer/template activating for users who qualify for both, depending on your experience/priority configuration.

• For mutually exclusive targeting, build segments to avoid overlap (for example, explicitly exclude attributes from the broader segment in the narrower one), or use alternative Composer structures (such as separate containers/inline placements) when you need different experiences to run independently.

Create (or Recreate) the Segment in Audience

1. In Piano Audience, create your segment under the Composer-enabled C1x (single_site) site group.

2. Ensure the segment is:

   • Active

   • Usage = full

   • Added to a segment group

Add the Segment to the Composer Integration

You can export segments to Composer via the Audience connectivity/integration settings.

Option A: Connectivity → Composer Integration

1. Go to Connectivity.

2. Open Connections (or the equivalent integrations/connections area).

3. Select Composer integration.

4. Under User segments, click Add (or Add into connection) and select your segment(s).

5. Save changes.

Option B: Integrations Tab → Add into Connection

1. Navigate to the Integrations tab in your Piano environment.

2. Select Composer.

3. Choose Add into connection.

4. Select the segment(s) and save.

Target the Segment in a Composer Experience

1. In Composer, open the experience you want to target.

2. Go to the Segmentation configuration (User Segment / segmentation engine area).

3. Ensure the Composer 1x segmentation engine is enabled (required to access Audience/C1x segments).

4. In the segment selector, scroll to the Audience segment group area and select your segment.

5. Save and publish the experience.

Troubleshooting

Segment Does Not Appear in Composer

Check the following, in order:

1. Wrong site group

   • Confirm the segment is in the Composer-enabled C1x (single_site) site group, not a legacy site group.

   • If not, recreate the segment in the correct site group.

2. Not in a segment group

   • Add the segment to a segment group (required for export).

3. Not active / Usage not full

   • Ensure the segment is active and the Usage parameter is set to full.

4. Segment export limit reached

   • Review what's already exported for that site group and remove any segments not currently needed.

5. Permissions

   • Verify you have access to the relevant site group and integration settings.

6. Propagation delay

   • Wait a few minutes after changes and refresh Composer.

Segment Shows "Zero Coverage" or Unexpected Audience Size

• If the segment was built under a legacy site group, it may show zero coverage in Composer—recreate it under the correct C1x site group.

• If you combine Audience segments with other conditions (for example, custom variables, login status, resource access), be aware that some interfaces may not calculate or display user counts for certain criteria types. The segment rules still apply at runtime.

• Segment logic across different rules is AND: users must meet all conditions to qualify.

Can't Delete/Move Segments

If a segment is part of an active Composer connection, it may be locked from deletion/movement until it is removed from the connection.

Notes on Migrating to a New Site Group

If you must switch to a different (Composer-enabled) site group:

• Segments must be recreated in the new site group.

• Site-group-specific integrations (for example, ad platform connections) typically must be recreated for the new site group.

• Historical data does not automatically transfer.

• Persisted queries used for crawling may need to be recreated or have ownership updated.

Last updated: June 25, 2026