Interest Targeting
What is ?
Interest Targeting lets you reach people on Meta based on their interests, activities, pages they have liked, and related topics. Meta infers interests from user behavior such as content engagement, page follows, and ad interactions. Interest targeting is one of the core detailed targeting options alongside demographics and behaviors.
Example
A fitness supplement brand targets users interested in "Weightlifting," "Bodybuilding," and "Protein supplements." This reaches ~15 million people in the US. They further narrow by also requiring interest in "Online shopping" to focus on buyers, reducing the audience to ~5 million high-intent users.
Industry Benchmarks
| Platform / Segment | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Audience Size (Single Interest) | 1M – 50M | Varies by specificity |
| Layered Interests | 500K – 5M | Narrowing improves quality |
| CPA vs. Broad | 5% – 15% higher | More precise but smaller pool |
| Best For | Testing & prospecting | Finding new audience segments |
Varies by specificity
Narrowing improves quality
More precise but smaller pool
Finding new audience segments
Benchmarks are approximate averages and vary by industry, targeting, season, and geography.
Optimization Tips
- 1
Layer interests using the "Narrow Audience" feature to reach people who match multiple interests simultaneously.
- 2
Test interests in separate ad sets with ABO budgets to identify your highest-performing audience segments.
- 3
Use the Meta Audience Insights tool to discover related interests your ideal customers share.
- 4
Combine interest targeting with Lookalike exclusions to find net-new prospects who are not already in your funnel.
- 5
Refresh your interest targeting quarterly as Meta adds and removes interest categories regularly.
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