I get to look at a lot of advertiser setups, and I’ve noticed a common trend. Many advertisers who use Advantage+ Audience provide lookalike audiences as audience suggestions.
This feels like a mistake.
Why is it a Mistake?
My guess is that this is out of habit. You’re approaching this like you normally would with targeting inputs. You’re telling Meta to find people similar to those who are already connected to you.
But, Advantage+ Audience is different. You’re providing an audience suggestion. Meta prioritizes your suggestion before going broader. Why would you provide a lookalike audience instead of the source audiences themselves?
Lookalike audiences often have multiple millions of people (depending on the country and percentage), and they are far from precise. While you may have good intentions, using a lookalike audience may give the algorithm a head start in the wrong direction.
Instead, provide custom audiences that reflect the exact type of person you want to reach. Be precise rather than dancing around it.
What I Do
I often use custom audiences for my customers, my most engaged email subscribers, or those who are most engaged on my website.
It could be a small audience (you may get that annoying warning), and it doesn’t really matter. After initially prioritizing it, Meta will go broader.
It’s kind of like a lookalike audience in its own way, but it includes the source as well.
What do you use for audience suggestions?
