audience

<purpose> Manage reusable audience segment profiles in `~/.things/heres-the-thing/audiences/`. Audience segments describe groups of people with shared characteristics, concerns, and communication preferences. These profiles are referenced by campaigns to tailor positioning strategy.

For individual people, use shared/people/ profiles instead. Audience segments describe archetypes, not individuals. </purpose>

<steps> <step id="load-config" number="1"> <description>Load Configuration</description>

<load-config>
Resolve the user's home directory (run `echo $HOME` via Bash). Use this absolute path for all file operations below -- never pass `~` to the Read tool.

1. Read `<home>/.things/config.json`
   <if condition="config-missing">Tell the user: "Run `/things:setup-things` first." Then stop.</if>

2. Check that `<home>/.things/heres-the-thing/` exists
   <if condition="htt-missing">Tell the user: "Run `/heres-the-thing:setup-htt` first." Then stop.</if>
</load-config>

</step> <step id="parse-arguments" number="2"> <description>Parse Arguments</description>

Parse `$ARGUMENTS` for subcommand and optional slug.

<if condition="no-arguments">
Use AskUserQuestion:
<options>
- Create a new audience segment
- List existing audience segments
- View an audience segment
- Edit an audience segment
- Delete an audience segment
</options>
</if>

</step> <step id="create" number="3"> <description>Create Audience Segment</description>

<if condition="subcommand-is-create">

Use AskUserQuestion to gather:

1. **Name**: What do you call this audience? (e.g., "Engineering Leadership", "Product Managers", "Budget Approvers")

2. **Description**: Brief description of who they are and what they do.

3. **Tags**: Tags for this audience segment (comma-separated)

4. **Typical concerns**: What do they typically worry about? (ask for 3-5 items)

5. **Decision criteria**: What drives their decisions? (ask for 2-4 items)

6. **Communication preferences**:
   - Format preference (e.g., "Bottom-line-up-front", "Narrative", "Data-driven")
   - Length preference (e.g., "Concise -- 1 page max", "Detailed -- full proposal OK")
   - Language preference (e.g., "Business impact over technical details", "Technical depth expected")

7. **Receptiveness baseline**: How does this audience segment typically respond to new ideas?
   <options>
   - champion -- They actively advocate for change
   - enthusiastic -- Open and supportive
   - neutral -- Will evaluate on merits
   - skeptical -- Needs strong evidence
   - hostile -- Actively resistant
   </options>

Generate a slug from the name (lowercase, hyphens, no special characters).

<output-path>`<home>/.things/heres-the-thing/audiences/<slug>.json`</output-path>

```json
{
  "id": "<slug>",
  "name": "<name>",
  "description": "<description>",
  "tags": ["<tags>"],
  "typical_concerns": ["<concerns>"],
  "decision_criteria": ["<criteria>"],
  "communication_preferences": {
    "format": "<format>",
    "length": "<length>",
    "language": "<language>"
  },
  "receptiveness_baseline": "<baseline>",
  "known_objections": [],
  "created": "<current_date>",
  "updated": "<current_date>"
}
```

</if>

</step> <step id="list" number="4"> <description>List Audience Segments</description>

<if condition="subcommand-is-list">
Scan `<home>/.things/heres-the-thing/audiences/*.json`.

For each file, read and extract: `id`, `name`, `receptiveness_baseline`, `tags`.

Present as a table:
```
Audience Segments:
  engineering-leadership    Engineering Leadership       neutral     [leadership, executive]
  individual-contributors   Individual Contributors      enthusiastic [engineering, ic]
  budget-approvers         Budget Approvers              skeptical   [finance, approval]
```
</if>

</step> <step id="view" number="5"> <description>View Audience Segment</description>

<if condition="subcommand-is-view">
<if condition="no-slug">Ask the user which segment to view (list available options via AskUserQuestion).</if>

Read `<home>/.things/heres-the-thing/audiences/<slug>.json`.

Present the full profile in a readable format:
```
Audience: Engineering Leadership
Receptiveness: neutral
Tags: leadership, executive, technical-strategy

Description: Directors and VPs of engineering, responsible for org-wide technical decisions

Typical Concerns:
- Reliability and stability
- Team productivity impact
- Maintenance burden

Decision Criteria:
- ROI with clear timeline
- Risk mitigation story
- Team consensus signals

Communication Preferences:
- Format: Bottom-line-up-front, then supporting evidence
- Length: Concise -- 1 page max for initial pitch
- Language: Business impact over technical details

Known Objections: (none yet)
```
</if>

</step> <step id="edit" number="6"> <description>Edit Audience Segment</description>

<if condition="subcommand-is-edit">
<if condition="no-slug">Ask the user which segment to edit.</if>

Read the existing segment. Show current values.

Use AskUserQuestion to ask what to change:
<options>
- Name and description
- Tags
- Typical concerns
- Decision criteria
- Communication preferences
- Receptiveness baseline
- Known objections (add or remove)
</options>

Update the specified fields. Set `updated` to current date. Write the file.
</if>

</step> <step id="delete" number="7"> <description>Delete Audience Segment</description>

<if condition="subcommand-is-delete">
<if condition="no-slug">Ask the user which segment to delete.</if>

<ask-user>
Confirm: "Delete audience segment '<name>'? This cannot be undone. Campaigns that reference this segment will keep their inline audience data."
</ask-user>

```bash
rm <home>/.things/heres-the-thing/audiences/<slug>.json
```
</if>

</step> <step id="confirm" number="8"> <description>Confirm</description>

<completion-message>
Show the action taken and current segment count.
</completion-message>

</step> </steps>