Targeting Rules

Targeting rules control who sees your messages. Define conditions based on contact properties, page context, and user behavior to show the right message to the right users.

How Targeting Works

When a user visits your app, Cueflow evaluates each published message's targeting rules:

  1. Check contact properties (plan, role, signup date)

  2. Check current page (URL, path)

  3. Check event history (actions taken)

  4. If all conditions match → show the message

No rules = show to everyone.

Rule Types

Contact Rules

Target based on user attributes:

  • Plan or subscription level

  • Role (admin, member, viewer)

  • Signup date

  • Custom attributes

Page Rules

Target based on where the user is:

  • Page URL (full URL)

  • Page path (path only, no domain)

Event Rules

Target based on user behavior:

  • Has done / Has not done an action

  • Event count (frequency)

  • Event recency (when it happened)

Creating Rules

Add a Rule

  1. Open your message editor

  2. Go to the Targeting tab

  3. Click Add Rule

  4. Select rule type, field, operator, and value

Rule Components

Component
Description

Type

Contact, Page, or Event

Field

Which property to check

Operator

How to compare

Value

What to compare against

Combining Rules

AND Logic (Same Group)

Rules in the same group all must match:

Both conditions must be true.

OR Logic (Different Groups)

Rules in different groups create alternatives:

Either condition can be true.

Complex Combinations

Mix AND and OR for sophisticated targeting:

This shows the message to:

  • Free users who signed up more than 7 days ago, OR

  • Pro users who haven't used feature X

Operators Reference

Universal Operators

Operator
Description

Equals

Exact match

Not Equals

Does not match

Is Set

Has any value

Is Not Set

No value / empty

Text Operators

Operator
Description

Contains

Value appears anywhere

Not Contains

Value doesn't appear

Starts With

Value at the beginning

Ends With

Value at the end

Number Operators

Operator
Description

Greater Than

More than value

Less Than

Less than value

Between

Within a range

Date Operators

Operator
Description

Is Within

In the last X days

Is Before

More than X days ago

Event Operators

Operator
Description

Has Done

Event occurred at least once

Has Not Done

Event never occurred

Count Equals

Event occurred exactly X times

Count Greater Than

Event occurred more than X times

Count Less Than

Event occurred fewer than X times

First Done Within

First occurrence in last X days

Last Done Within

Most recent in last X days

First Done Before

First occurrence more than X days ago

Last Done Before

Most recent more than X days ago

Examples

New User Welcome

Show to users in their first day:

Upgrade Prompt

Show to engaged free users:

Feature Announcement

Show to users who haven't tried the feature:

Power User Recognition

Celebrate frequent users:

Page-Specific Banner

Show only on dashboard:

Re-engagement

Target inactive users:

Role-Based

Show admin features:

Multiple Plans

Target premium users:

Best Practices

Start Specific

  • Begin with narrow targeting

  • Expand based on results

  • Avoid showing to everyone initially

Test First

  • Target yourself to test

  • Add: Contact Property → Email → Equals → "[email protected]"

  • Remove when ready to launch

Don't Over-Target

  • Too many rules can exclude everyone

  • Check estimated audience size

  • Use OR groups for broader reach

Keep It Simple

  • Prefer fewer, clearer rules

  • Complex logic is harder to debug

  • Document your targeting strategy

Consider User Journey

  • New users need different messages than veterans

  • Match targeting to user lifecycle stage

  • Use signup date as a key dimension

Troubleshooting

Message not appearing

  1. Check message status is "Published"

  2. Verify targeting rules match your test user

  3. Check you haven't dismissed it previously

  4. Verify page targeting if used

Showing to wrong users

  1. Review rule logic (AND vs OR)

  2. Check operator selection

  3. Verify field values match exactly

  4. Test with specific user data

Too broad or narrow

  • Use "Is Set" to check if data exists

  • Combine rules strategically

  • Start narrow, then expand

Next Steps

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