User Groups vs. Audiences: What's the Difference?

User Groups vs. Audiences: What's the Difference?

The simple rule: User groups control what people can do. Audiences control what people see.

Let's break down when to use each one.

User Groups: Access & Permissions

User groups are your administrative tool. They determine who can access what in your Appspace platform.

What User Groups Control

• Permissions - What actions users can perform (editing, publishing, managing)
• Roles - Administrative capabilities and responsibilities
• Licenses - Which features users can access
• Content library access - Who can view or edit specific folders

How Users Get Added

• Manually by administrators
• Automatically via SCIM (syncs with Azure AD or other identity providers)

When to Use User Groups

Use user groups when you need to:

• Grant platform access to new employees
• Control who can edit vs. view content
• Assign administrative rights
• Manage license allocation
• Set up library permissions for departments

Key point: User groups are about capabilities and access control.

Audiences: Communication Targeting

Audiences are your communications tool. They help you reach the right people with the right message.

What Audiences Are Based On

• Department or team
• Office location
• Job title or function
• Tenure or employment type
• Custom profile attributes

What Audiences Do NOT Do

• Grant access to the Admin Console
• Control what users can edit
• Assign licenses
• Provide administrative rights

When to Use Audiences

Use audiences when you need to:

• Target announcements to specific groups (e.g., "all managers")
• Show content to specific locations (e.g., "Chicago office only")
• Segment newsletter distribution
• Personalize the employee experience
• Create location-specific channels

Key point: Audiences are about content visibility and relevance.

Quick Comparison

Examples in Action

Scenario 1: New marketing team member

• Add to Marketing user group — grants access to marketing content library
• Add to Marketing audience — sees marketing-specific announcements

Scenario 2: Company-wide announcement with location targeting

• Everyone has access (user groups handle this)
• Create "Seattle office" audience — only Seattle employees see the local update

Scenario 3: Manager-only content

• Managers user group — grants permission to access management tools
• Managers audience — receives leadership communications

Bottom Line

Think of it this way:

• User groups = Who gets through the door (access)
• Audiences = Who gets the message (targeting)

Both work together to create an organized, relevant experience for your users.