A publisher list in Facebook ads is a list of domains or web pages that an advertiser can target their ads towards on the Facebook ad platform. This allows advertisers to display their ads on specific websites and pages that are relevant to their target audience and goals.
What are publisher lists?
Publisher lists, also known as website lists or domain lists, are lists of web pages and domains that advertisers can select to target their Facebook ads. These lists allow advertisers to target ads to users when they are visiting specific sites and pages across the web and in mobile apps.
For example, an online shoe retailer could create a publisher list of fashion and footwear websites and target their ads to users when they are browsing those sites. Or a restaurant could build a list of food and dining websites/apps and show ads to users when they are visiting pages related to dining out.
Types of publisher lists
There are a few main types of publisher lists available on Facebook Ads:
- Custom publisher lists – Advertisers can manually build custom lists of domains, subdomains, or URLs they want to target. This allows full control over the specific sites being targeted.
- Facebook categorized publisher lists – Facebook offers pre-categorized lists of publishers, such as “News and Entertainment”, “Fitness and Nutrition”, or “Technology”. These lists are curated by Facebook based on content categories.
- Interest-based publisher lists – Facebook can generate publisher lists automatically based on interests being targeted in the ad campaign. For example, targeting an interest like “fitness” could generate a list of fitness websites.
How publisher lists work
Publisher lists work by showing ads to people when they are browsing the websites and domains that are on the list. There are two main ways this occurs:
- When a user is actively visiting a website on the publisher list, ads can appear directly on that site via Facebook’s Audience Network. This places ads on third party sites.
- Ads are shown to users on Facebook itself (Instagram, Messenger, etc) who have recently visited the websites on the list. This retargets users based on their browsing behavior.
In both cases, Facebook’s ad platform recognizes when a user has interacted with a site on the publisher list and can then target ads to them accordingly.
Why use publisher lists?
There are a few key reasons advertisers use publisher lists as part of their Facebook ad campaigns:
Targeting accuracy
Publisher lists allow ads to reach users in contexts that are highly relevant to the advertiser’s business. For example, a fashion brand can zero in on users when they are browsing fashion sites. This accuracy helps ensure ad relevance and reduces wasted spend.
Expanded reach
Using publisher lists exposes ads to users beyond just Facebook’s own apps. It allows ads to follow users around the web and be shown on third-party sites. This increases the number of places an ad is seen.
Insights on key publishers
The performance reporting includes metrics on each publisher on the list – impressions, clicks, conversions, etc. This provides insight on the highest value publishers to continue targeting.
Control over content
Custom publisher lists give advertisers full control to hand-pick the domains they want to appear on, and avoid any sites they consider unsuitable or irrelevant.
Best practices for publisher lists
Here are some best practices to keep in mind when using publisher lists for Facebook ads:
Choose relevant publishers
Take care to only include sites and pages that are contextually relevant to your ads and products. Don’t rely on generic lists.
Test different combinations
Try testing different combinations of publishers in lists to see what mix provides the best ROI.
Keep lists updated
Audit publisher lists periodically to remove inactive, low-quality or irrelevant domains.
Analyze publisher performance
Check the reporting to see which publishers drive the most conversions and target more similar domains.
Use interests for expansion
Supplement precise publisher lists with interest-based expansion for additional reach.
How to create a publisher list
Here is a step-by-step guide to creating a publisher list for your Facebook ads:
- In Facebook Ads Manager, go to the “Assets” tab and click “+ Create Asset”. Select “Publisher List”.
- Give the list a name that summarizes the type of sites it will contain, like “Fitness Websites”.
- Choose either “Upload sites” to add domains manually or “Select sites by category” to use Facebook’s categorized lists.
- If uploading sites manually, add each domain on a separate line. You can include subdomains by using asterisks like “*.example.com”.
- For categorization, check off any relevant Facebook publisher categories to add those sites.
- Once created, the publisher list can be added as a targeting option for any campaign or ad set.
- In the ad set targeting, find “Publisher lists” and select the list(s) to use.
- Save your campaign and the ads will now target the selected publisher websites.
Publisher list insights
Once a publisher list is added to a campaign, you can view reporting insights specific to those publishers:
- See impressions and reach for each publisher.
- View clicks and CTR for each domain.
- Analyze conversions and other actions from each site.
- Compare top performing vs. bottom performing publishers.
- Discover the breakout publishers driving the most conversions.
These insights help optimize publisher lists over time by removing low-performing sites and increasing focus on the highest value domains.
Targeting options with publisher lists
Publisher lists don’t have to be used on their own. They can be combined with other targeting approaches for greater effectiveness:
Location targeting
Geo-target ads to users in specific locations when they visit the publisher sites.
Detailed targeting
Layer on detailed targeting like interests, behaviors, connections to narrow the audience.
Facebook engagement targeting
Target users who have recently engaged with your Facebook pages or ads.
Cross-device targeting
Reach people across devices using cross-device reporting from publishers.
Exclusions
Use exclusions to remove certain users or publishers from targeting.
Lookalike Audiences
Create Lookalike Audiences based on users who convert from the publishers.
Publisher list limitations
While publisher lists provide robust targeting capabilities, there are some limits and restrictions to be aware of:
- Maximum of 200 publishers allowed per list initially.
- Lists with over 10k monthly users require additional review and approval.
- Sites with adult, illegal, or infringing content are prohibited.
- New domains can’t be targeted immediately until verified by Facebook.
- Performance data takes 7 days to start surfacing for new lists.
Frequently asked publisher list questions
Can I target global publisher lists for any location?
Yes, publisher lists can target any geography you configure the overall campaign for, regardless of where the publishers themselves are located.
Do publisher lists work for Instagram ads?
Yes, any publisher list created can also be used to target Instagram and Facebook ads.
Can I target mobile apps with publisher lists?
Currently publisher lists only include websites, not mobile apps. However Facebook’s separate Mobile App Engagement ad targeting can retarget users based on mobile apps.
Do publisher lists also show ads on those sites?
Yes, using Facebook’s Audience Network ads can appear directly on the publisher sites themselves in addition to Facebook’s platforms.
Conclusion
Publisher lists provide powerful and precise targeting to reach audiences in contextually relevant environments across the web and mobile. Creating thoughtful publisher lists tailored to your goals allows expanding your Facebook ad reach and improving performance. Analyze publisher list insights over time to optimize your lists and focus budget on the sites driving the highest value conversions.