A simulation run with no context will produce directionally useful observations. A simulation run with the right context will produce friction points, content expectations, and conversion signals specific enough to act on immediately. The difference between the two is almost entirely determined by what you upload.
of marketers say generating traffic and leads is their top challenge — most without documented audience strategy
Source: HubSpot — State of Marketing ReportThe simulation is only as specific as the context you give it. Generic inputs produce generic outputs — no matter how good the underlying model.
What adds the most value
Audience research and persona documents
Anything that describes who your audience is in their own words — interview transcripts, research summaries, customer discovery notes, existing persona documents. The simulation uses this to ground behavioral predictions in real language and real beliefs rather than category assumptions. Verbatim quotes carry more signal than summaries, because they capture how the audience frames the problem, not how your team does.
Journey maps and funnel analyses
Documents that show where your audience is coming from, what touchpoints they have already had, and what decision stage they are in. This changes the structure of the simulation — a visitor at the awareness stage needs a fundamentally different page than one who has already evaluated three competitors. Without this context, the simulation assumes an average visitor, which produces an average analysis.
Analytics exports and heatmap summaries
If you have data from a previous version of this campaign or a similar one — bounce rates by segment, scroll depth, click maps, session recordings — upload it. This is the highest-signal input available. Behavioral data from real users tells the simulation what has already failed or succeeded, producing friction analysis that is grounded in your specific audience rather than the category in general.
Competitor campaign examples
Screenshots, notes, or written descriptions of what competitors are doing. This allows the simulation to model what your audience has already been exposed to — which determines what claims they have already heard, what proof requirements your page needs to meet, and where you need to differentiate to stand out rather than blend in.
Campaign briefs
If you have a written brief for this campaign, upload it. Even a rough brief with objective, audience definition, and key messages gives the simulation a structural foundation that produces more relevant module selection and more targeted copy direction. See our guide on writing a campaign brief for a breakdown of the five elements that make a brief useful.
What to skip
Brand guidelines, pricing decks, internal pitch presentations, and legal documents add noise without adding signal. If a document does not help answer the question "who is this person and what do they need to hear right now," it is unlikely to improve simulation quality — and may dilute it.
The same applies to very long documents where the relevant information is buried. A 60-page research report is less useful than the executive summary or the section on audience attitudes. Upload the part that is relevant, not the whole file.
The signal hierarchy
When multiple documents are uploaded, inputs are weighted by specificity:
1. Explicit behavioral signals — stated beliefs, verbatim quotes, behavioral data 2. Parsed descriptions — general audience summaries, background documents 3. Campaign objective only — when no context is provided
The best setups combine a clear audience definition, one document with behavioral evidence, and a campaign brief. That combination consistently produces the most specific and immediately actionable results.
of consumers say they are frustrated when brands show content not relevant to their interests or needs
Source: Segment — State of Personalization ReportThe goal of uploading documents is not to give the simulation more to process — it is to give it the right things to process. A focused set of high-signal inputs will always outperform a large pile of loosely relevant files. For help structuring your audience definition before you upload, see our guides on writing a campaign brief and defining an audience segment.