Pick your niche and get curated interest targeting options, behavior signals, demographic guidance, lookalike seed strategy, and the one mistake that kills performance in your category.
Select your niche
Select your niche above to see curated targeting recommendations.
Should I use interest targeting or broad targeting on Meta in 2026? +
For most accounts spending under $10,000 per month, broad targeting (age and gender only) outperforms interest targeting for conversion campaigns because it gives Meta's algorithm the most room to find buyers. Interest targeting adds value when you are launching a brand-new pixel with zero purchase data, when your product is niche enough that broad targeting pulls irrelevant audiences, or when you are running awareness campaigns where reach efficiency matters. The standard recommendation in 2026: start broad for purchases, use interest clusters to build LAL seed audiences, and test interest targeting as one variable in your creative test matrix rather than treating it as a default.
How many interests should I stack in one Meta ad set? +
Stack no more than 3 to 5 related interests in a single ad set. Stacking too many interests in one ad set prevents you from knowing which interest is actually driving performance. The better approach: run separate ad sets with one interest cluster each, compare CPAs, then expand the winners. If your audience is too small with a single interest (below 1 million in the US), you can combine 2 to 3 closely related interests to hit a workable reach. Avoid mixing broad interest categories (like 'Health and wellness') with very specific ones (like a brand name competitor) in the same ad set.
What is the difference between interests and behaviors in Meta Ads? +
Interests are inferred from what users engage with on and off Facebook - pages liked, content interacted with, apps used. Behaviors are derived from actual actions: purchase history, device usage, travel patterns, and financial signals. Behaviors tend to be more predictive of purchase intent because they reflect what people do, not just what they say they like. For eCommerce campaigns, layering 'Engaged shoppers' or 'Frequent international travelers' (for travel brands) on top of interest targeting can significantly improve conversion rates. Note that Meta reduced available behavior signals after iOS 14 and continues to evolve this data - check your Ads Manager for the current available behavior options in your region.
How do I build a Meta lookalike audience that actually works? +
The seed list is everything. A 1% lookalike built from your top 200 purchasers by LTV will almost always outperform a 1% lookalike built from your full customer list or website visitors. Best seed audiences in order of effectiveness: (1) top 10% to 25% of customers by revenue, (2) repeat purchasers only, (3) email subscribers who have purchased, (4) all purchasers, (5) add-to-cart events. Use a minimum of 100 people in your seed list - Meta recommends 1,000 to 5,000 for best quality. Start with a 1% lookalike for conversions and 2% to 5% for traffic or awareness campaigns.
Why is my Meta interest audience too small? +
Common reasons a Meta interest audience comes back too small: you are using very niche or regional interests that have low adoption, you have stacked too many AND conditions (each addition narrows the audience multiplicatively), or you are targeting a small geographic area. Solutions: (1) remove demographic restrictions like age or gender narrowing and test your assumptions first, (2) expand to include related interests using OR logic, not AND, (3) try Advantage+ Audience which lets Meta expand beyond your defined audience when it finds better signals, (4) broaden your geographic targeting if you are limiting to a small metro area. If your audience estimate is below 500,000 in the US, delivery will be inconsistent and CPMs will rise.
