How to use Custom or Lookalike Audiences

When you create an ad, you can choose to target it to people in any Custom Audiences or Lookalike Audiences that you've created.

You can also use exclusion targeting, which prevents a particular audience from seeing the ad. For example, you can exclude an audience of your current customers if you're running a campaign to gain new customers.

Make sure that you have the Custom or Lookalike Audience(s) that you want to use ready.

1. Create an ad set.
2. In the Audience section of ad set creation, click the Custom Audiences field.
3. Select the Custom Audiences and Lookalike Audiences that you want to use.

Note: You can combine multiple Custom Audiences and Lookalike Audiences to refine your targeting.

4. Select Exclude if you want to remove anyone.

   Note: You can include some audiences and exclude others. Just click the appropriate field and make your choices for each.

5. Finish setting up the ad set and place your order.

Check your results in ad reporting to see how your ads performed. Adjust your targeting accordingly to improve performance. Learn more about targeting strategies.

Note: You can't create new ad sets with audiences based on Facebook Pages that have been deleted, and you can't use those audiences in other campaigns. This includes engagement custom audiences, associated lookalike Audiences, special ad audiences or saved audiences that include an engagement custom audience.

Learn how to review or update expiring audiences.