Push an audience from Pathways to an email or ad platform: select the audience, choose a destination, pick a sync method, and click Confirm.
Use this article when
- You want to send a Pathways audience to an email service provider or ad platform.
- You need to update records already synced to a destination.
- You want to remove records from a destination after audience criteria change.
- You need to check whether a push completed successfully.
Applies to and prerequisites
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Feature | Pathways > Push Audiences |
| Permissions | Access to Pathways and permission to push audiences. |
| Connections | At least one subscriber connection (for example, Mailchimp, Google Ads, Meta (Facebook)). Set up connections in Settings > Connections first. |
| Audience type | Owned audiences work with the widest set of destinations. Some destinations block Modeled audiences. |
| Time | 5–10 minutes to configure. Sync duration depends on audience size. |
Steps
-
Open Pathways in the left navigation.
Click the Push Audiences tab.
-
Select the audience you want to push from the list.
The audience highlights when selected. You must choose an audience before you pick a destination.
-
In Step 2: Choose a Destination, click the integration you want (for example, Mailchimp or Google Ads).
Destinations already pushed show (Already Pushed). Modeled audiences may show You cannot push modeled audiences to this destination on unsupported integrations.
-
Click Review Pathway.
Avid validates the connection and opens the summary screen.
- On the summary screen, choose the destination object (list, audience, or account) and the Method of Sync when more than one option is available:
| Method | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Mirror | Adds, updates, and removes records to keep the destination in full sync. | Ongoing campaigns where the destination should match Avid exactly. |
| Update or Create | Updates matching records and creates new ones. | Most ongoing syncs. |
| Append | Adds new records only. Does not update or remove existing records. | First-time push when you only want to grow the list. |
| Update Only | Updates matching records. Does not add or remove records. | Refresh fields on an existing list. |
-
Review column mappings if prompted, then click Confirm.
Avid processes the push in the background. The button shows Processing while the sync runs.
-
Return to Push Audiences and check the status next to your audience.
A successful push shows synced status. Errors display a message you can use to troubleshoot.
What you will see
Your audience appears in the destination platform (email list, custom audience, or equivalent). You can target those donors in campaigns on the external platform.
Common issues
- No destinations listed — connect a Pathways-enabled integration in Settings > Connections.
- Modeled audience blocked — use an owned audience or pick a different destination. See Owned vs. modeled audiences in Avid.
- Sync error after a credential change — see Restore Pathway sync after connection changes.
When to contact LockStep Support: Include the audience name, destination platform, sync method, exact error message, and the last successful sync date.
Next steps
- Build a campaign in your email or ad platform using the synced audience.
- Create more segments in Pathways > Manage Audiences.
- See which integrations support Pathways: What integrations work with Pathways?
Notes and limits
- Sync speed depends on audience size and the destination platform's API limits.
- Some ad platforms need extra processing time after Avid sends records.
- Run the push again when audience membership changes in Avid.