---
title: "How do I poll my own audience instead of PickFu's panel? | PickFu Help Center"
description: "Learn about how to poll your existing audience using PickFu."
---

# How it works

Own audience polls let you gather feedback from people who already know your brand — your customers, email subscribers, social media followers, or anyone you choose to invite. You create a poll, get a shareable link, and send it to your audience. It's free on all PickFu plans.

1.  When creating a poll, select **Own audience** as your audience type in the poll builder.
    
2.  Optionally, turn on any of these features:
    
    -   **Collect respondent email addresses** — respondents are asked to share their email after answering, so you can correlate responses with specific people.
        
    -   **Gather demographic data** — respondents see a short demographic survey after answering. Age and gender are included by default; you can add more demographic questions in the poll builder.
        
    
3.  Publish your poll. You'll receive a shareable link.
    
4.  Send the link to your audience however you'd like — email, social media, messaging apps, your website, etc.
    
5.  The poll stays open for **two weeks** or until you reach your plan's response limit, whichever comes first.
    

# Response limits by plan

| Plan | Max responses per own audience poll |
| --- | --- |
| Free | 50 |
| PickFu+ | 500 |

If you need more than 500 responses or want precise demographic targeting, consider using the [PickFu Panel](https://help.pickfu.com/en/articles/2011986) instead.

# When to use your own audience vs. the PickFu Panel

Both options have strengths, and many PickFu users run both for the same project.

**Use your own audience when:**

-   You want feedback from people who are already familiar with your brand or product.
    
-   You're testing something where context about your brand matters (e.g., a new feature for existing users).
    
-   You want to collect feedback for free.
    

**Use the PickFu Panel when:**

-   You want unbiased feedback from people with no prior attachment to your brand.
    
-   You need responses from specific demographics you can't reach through your own channels.
    
-   You want fast turnaround — Panel polls can complete in as little as 15 minutes, while own audience polls depend entirely on how quickly your audience clicks the link.
    
-   You need verified respondents who are screened for quality.
    

**Consider running both.** Some PickFu users poll their own audience and the PickFu Panel with the same question to compare results. This can reveal blind spots — your existing audience may have biases (positive or negative) that a fresh set of eyes wouldn't share.

# Things to keep in mind

**Respondents are self-selecting.** Unlike the PickFu Panel, where respondents are matched to your poll, own audience respondents choose to participate. This means you'll hear more from your most engaged followers and less from casual customers. Keep this bias in mind when interpreting results.

**You don't control the demographics.** With the PickFu Panel, you can target specific traits. With your own audience, whoever clicks the link responds. Adding demographic questions helps you understand who responded, but it doesn't filter who sees the poll.

**Distribution is up to you.** The quality and quantity of responses depends on how you share the link and how responsive your audience is. Plan your distribution strategy before launching.

# FAQs

## Is polling my own audience really free?

Yes. Own audience polls are free on all PickFu plans, including free accounts. You only pay if you use the PickFu Panel.

## Can I add demographic questions to an own audience poll?

Yes. Age and gender are included by default. You can add more demographic questions in the final step of the poll builder, just like you would with a Panel poll. This is a great way to learn about your audience without paying for Panel targeting.

## Can I use audience targeting with my own audience?

No. Audience targeting is only available when polling the PickFu Panel. With own audience polls, anyone who has the link can respond.

## What happens after two weeks?

The poll closes automatically after two weeks or when you reach your plan's response limit (50 for free, 500 for PickFu+). You can view your results at any time.

## Can I stop an own audience poll early?

Yes. You can stop collecting responses at any time from your poll dashboard.

* * *

Related Articles

[

Anatomy of a PickFu poll

](https://help.pickfu.com/en/articles/1984074-anatomy-of-a-pickfu-poll)[

What is PickFu?

](https://help.pickfu.com/en/articles/1984338-what-is-pickfu)[

How to choose your audience in PickFu

](https://help.pickfu.com/en/articles/2011986-how-to-choose-your-audience-in-pickfu)[

How do I create my first poll?

](https://help.pickfu.com/en/articles/2287017-how-do-i-create-my-first-poll)[

How to use daily 5-person mini-polls in PickFu+

](https://help.pickfu.com/en/articles/12759224-how-to-use-daily-5-person-mini-polls-in-pickfu)