Finding the right interests to target for Facebook ads is crucial for running effective and profitable campaigns. The interests you choose determine the audience that will see your ads, so picking ones that align with your ideal customer is key. Here are some tips on where to find interests for Facebook ads and how to select the best ones to target.
Use Facebook’s Ad Library
One of the best places to find interests is directly within Facebook’s own tools. Their Ad Library allows you to see all of the active ads running on Facebook at any given time. You can filter by location, category, and more to find ads similar to ones you may want to run.
Looking at other ads in your industry is a great way to see what types of interests are being targeted. Facebook will show you the actual interests being used in the ads if you click on them. Make note of any relevant interests you find that match your target audience.
Leverage Facebook’s Interest Suggestions
When you go to target interests for your Facebook ads, their platform will automatically suggest interests based on the page you are advertising, your existing customer lists, or other inputs. These suggestions come directly from Facebook’s own data on user interests and can be a great starting point.
Be sure to review all of the suggested interests and add any relevant ones to your ad targeting. Facebook’s algorithm aims to show you interests that align with your target audience and campaign goals.
Use Facebook’s Audience Insights Tool
Facebook Audience Insights is a free tool that provides a wealth of data on different demographic and interest groups on Facebook. It can show you audience size, top interests, page likes, and more for any given interest category or combination of categories.
You can use this tool to research different interest areas related to your business. Look at the full list of sub-interests within a broader interest and analyze the data Facebook provides on reach, behaviors, and other attributes of those audiences. This can help you narrow in on the best interests to target in your ads.
Research Your Competitors’ Facebook Ads
Researching what your competitors are targeting for their Facebook ads can provide inspiration for interests that may also be relevant for your business. Facebook makes it easy to see all the active ads from a Facebook page.
Search for your main competitors’ pages and click on the “Info and Ads” tab. Here you can browse through all their current ad creatives and click to see the interests being targeted. If any seem like a fit for your audience as well, add them to your list of interests to test.
Leverage Interests from Custom Audiences and Lookalike Audiences
If you have existing Custom Audiences built in Facebook (from your email lists, website visitors, etc.), the interests associated with those can be a goldmine for your ads. You can view the top interests connected to any Custom Audience within the Facebook Ads platform.
Similarly, if you have Lookalike Audiences modeled after your existing customers, the interests mapped to that group can provide highly relevant targets for your ads. Just go into your Lookalike Audience listing and click “Interests” to see the top ones.
Search Facebook Interest Lists
Facebook allows users to create and share Lists of interests around particular topics or themes. There is a huge repository of interest lists covering every category imaginable.
Searching related terms on Facebook can help you discover a number of lists that may be relevant to target. For example, “yoga interests list” or “travel interests list.” Browse the lists that come up and follow or save any that have audiences you want to reach.
Use Interest Research Tools
There are a number of third-party research tools available that provide expanded insights into Facebook interests and audiences. These tools can be extremely helpful for exploring and analyzing interests related to your ads.
Some recommended interest research tools include:
- Audiense – Discover and analyze audience interests
- DemandBase – See interest overlays and recommendations
- SocialProspect – Get interest suggestions and audience insights
- CaliberMind- Survey panel data on active FB users
- SEMrush – View interest keywords and related interests
Analyze Your Existing Ad Performance
Look back at your existing Facebook ad results and data to see which interests drove the most relevant audiences and best performance in the past. The interests that resulted in your highest CTRs, lowest CPAs, and most conversions are worth re-targeting.
Use Facebook’s Ads Manager or an analytics platform to dig into your historic interest data. Find what worked and double down on those winning interests in new campaigns.
Make Use of Detailed Targeting Options
Facebook offers more advanced options for targeting interests that go beyond just picking individual interests. Here are some additional tactics to consider:
- Layer interests – Target multiple interests together that map to your audience
- Narrow interests – Select sub-categories of broader interests for greater specificity
- Exclude interests – Remove unrelated interests that may dilute your target group
- Broaden interests – Widen your reach with related/complementary interests
Consider Audience Overlays
Using Facebook’s audience overlay tool provides another great way to find relevant targeting interests. This allows you to overlay your own customer data on top of Facebook’s broader interest categories.
You can see which interests have the most overlap with your existing customers. Interests where there is significant overlap may also be effective ones to target in your Facebook ads.
Take Advantage of Detailed Targeting for Businesses
Facebook provides expanded interest targeting specifically for ads focused on B2B and local businesses. Under detailed targeting you can select interests based on:
- Job titles
- Industries
- Workplaces
- Job skills
- Degrees
Leveraging these professional and employment-based interests can help you hone in on your target even more.
Focus on Interests Relevant to Your Offer
At the end of the day, the interests you target need to have clear relevance to whatever you are advertising. If your offer is yoga mats, target yoga and fitness interests. If your hotel caters to families, target parenting and family-focused interests.
Always keep your specific ad/offer in mind and pick interests that align. This ensures you are targeting people open to what you are promoting.
Test Out Multiple Interests
The best way to determine which interests will work best is to test different options. Start with a few assumptions or ideas for relevant targets, and set up A/B ad tests to see what performs best.
Measure the results in terms of CTR, CPA, conversion rates, and ROI. The interests that achieve your KPIs are the ones worth expanding and optimizing around.
Regularly Review and Refine Your Interests
Interest targeting should be an ongoing process as part of optimizing your Facebook ad performance. As you gather more data and insights into what works, continually review your interest selections and make any necessary changes.
It’s smart to re-assess your interest targeting at least once per quarter, or more frequently if needed. Look for any new or emerging interests aligning with your target audience as Facebook’s platform evolves.
Conclusion
Facebook’s detailed interest targeting options provide nearly endless possibilities to reach your ideal audiences. Follow this guide to researching and selecting the right interests for your Facebook ad campaigns. Test different interests, analyze the data, refine based on results, and you will be able to laser target your ads successfully.
| Interest Category | Potential Interests to Target |
|---|---|
| Fitness | Yoga, Running, Gym Workouts, Healthy Eating |
| Fashion | Women’s Fashion, Shoes, Handbags, Jewelry |
| Parenting | Pregnancy, Babies, Stay At Home Moms, Family Travel |
| Technology | Smartphones, Gaming, Web Development, AI |
| Education | Higher Education, Student Life, E-Learning, Online Courses |
| Home Decor | Interior Design, Home Renovation, Furniture, Gardening |
| Travel | Vacations, Beaches, Hotels, Air Travel |
| Automotive | Trucks, SUVs, Hybrid Cars, Car Reviews |
| Entertainment | Streaming TV, Movie Fans, Celebrities, Pop Music |
| Food & Dining | Wine, Cooking, Restaurants, Vegan Food |
This table shows examples of high-level interest categories and more specific sub-interests that may be relevant to target under each one.
Tips for Effective Interest Targeting
To maximize the impact of your Facebook interest targeting, keep these tips in mind:
- Use specific, granular interests whenever possible
- Layer multiple complementary interests together
- Regularly analyze performance data to refine targets
- Test both broad and narrow sets of interests
- Combine interests with other targeting factors
- Watch for trends in emerging interest areas
- Remove interests that are underperforming
- Align interests tightly with your ad creative & offer
- Take advantage of Facebook’s interest suggestion tools
- Monitor competitor ads for relevant interest ideas
Frequently Asked Questions
How many interests should I target in Facebook ads?
As a general best practice, aim to target between 3-7 interests in your Facebook ads. Targeting too few may limit your reach and potential impact. But going too broad with too many interests can dilute your targeting. Testing different interest groupings will show you the ideal number for each campaign.
Can I target interests globally in Facebook ads?
Yes, when setting up your Facebook ad targeting you have the option to target interests across a global audience or within specific countries/regions only. This allows you to tailor your interest targeting geographically if desired.
Should I target broad or narrow interests in Facebook ads?
It’s smart to test both broader and more niche interests to see what performs best for your goals and audience. But in general, more specific and tightly aligned interests tend to provide better targeting and results from Facebook ads.
How often do I need to update interests for my Facebook ads?
You should plan to revisit your Facebook ad interest targeting at least once per quarter. Updating your interests regularly allows you to take advantage of Facebook’s evolving interest data and new options that may become available.
Can I save interest targets in Facebook ads to reuse?
Yes, Facebook allows you to save any interest grouping as an “Audience” that you can easily apply across multiple ad sets and campaigns. You can store interests for quick access later.
What’s better for B2B ads – job title or interest targeting?
For B2B ads, job title targeting can provide more directly relevant audiences. But layering in complementary interests also helps engage business decision makers more effectively. Test a mix of job title and interest targeting to optimize B2B campaign results.