How do I target Facebook ads to email addresses?

Targeting Facebook ads to specific email addresses can be a powerful way to reach your ideal customers. However, Facebook does not allow you to directly target ads using email addresses due to privacy concerns. But there are a few workarounds that allow you to target your ads very precisely toCertain email lists.

Using Customer Audiences

The best way to target Facebook ads to email addresses is by using Facebook’s Customer Audiences feature. This allows you to upload a list of emails, phone numbers, or other customer data, and Facebook will try to match it against people’s profiles.

To create a Customer Audience:

1. Go to the Audiences section in Ads Manager
2. Click Create Audience > Customer Audience
3. Choose the type of data you want to upload – Email, Phone number, etc
4. Upload your list of emails/phone numbers as a .txt or .csv file
5. Facebook will hash the data and try to match it to profiles
6. When matching is complete, use the audience to target your ads

Some tips for using Customer Audiences effectively:

• Upload your freshest, most up-to-date contact data
• Only upload contacts that you have permission to use for advertising
• Download your list in a .txt or .csv file without column headers or metadata
• Make sure your file does not contain any duplicate contacts
• Facebook matches based on hashes, so small differences like “John Smith” vs “J Smith” will prevent a match

Customer Audiences are a powerful feature, but there are some downsides. Match rates are usually only 10-25%, so many of your contacts may not get matched to a Facebook profile. Also, there is no guarantee your matched users have the email you uploaded still associated with their accounts. But overall, Customer Audiences give you the ability to target highly relevant ads to a portion of your email list on Facebook.

Using Website Custom Audiences

If you have website visitors that you want to re-target on Facebook, Website Custom Audiences allow you to target ads to people who have provided you with their email address on your website.

To create a Website Custom Audience:

1. Add the Facebook pixel tracking code to your website
2. Enable “Apply automatic advanced matching” in your Pixel settings
3. When users provide their email address on your site, the Facebook pixel will capture it
4. Go to Audiences > Website Custom Audiences and create a new audience
5. Select “Email” as the data source and choose your parameters
6. Facebook will create an audience of website visitors who shared their email
7. Use this audience to target your ads

Pros of this method:

• Higher match rates since emails are confirmed valid
• Remarket to engaged users who provided their email on your website

Cons:

• Requires user to actively opt-in by submitting email on your website
• Smaller audience size than Customer Audiences

Overall, Website Custom Audiences are better for retargeting high-intent website visitors at scale, while Customer Audiences allow you to target a broader database of contacts.

Using Lead Ads

Lead Ads allow you to capture email and other information directly within your Facebook ad itself. To use them for targeting:

1. Create a Lead Ad that asks for email or other data
2. When users submit their information, they become Facebook leads
3. Create a Custom Audience of your Facebook leads
4. Target future ads to this retargeting audience

Pros:

• Confirmed, double opt-in emails submitted directly to Facebook
• Audience of highly engaged users who responded to your ad

Cons:

• Lead form must be compelling enough for users to submit info
• Smaller audience size than other options

Lead Ads can be very effective for retargeting once you have captured emails, though initial audience size tends to be small.

Using Lookalike Audiences

Lookalike Audiences allow you to target new customers who are demographically and behaviorally similar to a source audience. To use them for email targeting:

1. Create a high-quality source audience from your email contacts using Customer Audiences or Website Custom Audiences
2. Go to Audiences > Create Audience > Lookalike and select your source
3. Choose your desired geography and percentage
4. Facebook will create a Lookalike audience matching your parameters
5. Target your ads to the Lookalike Audience

Pros of Lookalikes:

• Reach new customers similar to your existing contacts
• Larger audience size potential

Cons:

• Match quality highly depends on source audience quality
• Less precise targeting compared to source audience

Lookalike Audiences can help you get your ads in front of new customers that resemble your email contacts. Just be sure your source is high quality.

Using Matched Audiences

Matched Audiences allow you to securely match customer data from your CRM to Facebook profiles for targeting. To use Matched Audiences for email targeting:

1. Upload hashed emails, names, and other data to Facebook
2. Facebook matches the data to profiles and creates a Matched Audience
3. Use the Matched Audience to target your ads

Pros:

• Match customer data without exposing cleartext personal information
• Combine multiple data points like name, email, phone number, etc to improve match rates

Cons:

• More complex setup and data transfer required
• Lower match rates than Website Custom Audiences

Matched Audiences provide a privacy-safe way to use CRM data for precise targeting on Facebook.

Comparing the Different Targeting Options

Method	Audience Quality	Audience Size	Targeting Precision
Customer Audiences	Good	Large	Broad
Website Custom Audiences	Excellent	Small-Medium	Narrow
Lead Ads	Excellent	Small	Very Narrow
Lookalike Audiences	Varies	Large	Broad
Matched Audiences	Good	Small-Large	Narrow

As you can see, each method has trade-offs between audience quality, size, and targeting precision. A blended approach using 2-3 methods is ideal for optimal results.

Following Facebook’s Policies

When using any of these tactics, be sure to carefully follow Facebook’s Custom Audience policies:

• Only upload and target contacts who have given you permission
• Do not upload sensitive information like health or financial data
• Delete contacts who opt-out from your lists
• Provide an opt-out mechanism in your ads
• Don’t target ads based solely on sensitive categories like race or health

Violating Facebook’s policies can lead to disabled ad accounts or legal liability. Consult Facebook’s guidelines and work with a legal expert when necessary.

Conclusion

Targeting Facebook ads to email addresses can unlock significant advertising potential. While you can’t import emails directly, Customer Audiences, Website Custom Audiences, Lead Ads, Lookalike Audiences, and Matched Audiences provide workarounds to reach these contacts or similar audiences. Each method has pros and cons, so testing different approaches is key to find what works for your business. With careful execution and tight coordination between your CRM and ad accounts, you can drive fantastic results on Facebook without compromising on privacy or compliance.