What is Interest Targeting?
Interest targeting reaches people based on topics they follow or engage with. It’s a discovery tool for prospecting.
Understanding interest targeting
Interests are broader and noisier than intent because they reflect topics people browse, not actions they take. Treat interest targeting as a discovery tool for prospecting. Use clear, product‑forward creative and value‑based bidding to maintain efficiency. Exclusions keep overlap with retargeting and other ad sets low. Rotate creatives frequently to prevent fatigue in smaller interest pools.
Success depends on tight alignment between interest and offer. Start with a few tightly aligned interests and expand gradually as performance holds. Use hero SKUs and review overlays to build trust and clarity. Monitor audience overlap tools to avoid competing with yourself. Keep tests structured so you can attribute wins to specific interests, not noise.
Why interest targeting matters
Interest targeting matters because it opens qualified prospecting channels beyond lookalikes and retargeting. It helps you discover which topics and affinities correlate with purchase intent before those users show strong signals. Testing interests systematically builds a map of resonant audiences and informs creative strategy.
- Scale: Find new audiences that resemble your buyers.
- Learning: Discover which topics respond to your products.
How interest targeting works
Interest targeting works by allowing platforms to infer topics from user activity and group people accordingly. You choose relevant categories, then pair with creative that explains the benefit quickly. Broader categories widen reach but add noise; narrower ones improve relevance but cap scale. Value‑based bidding steadies costs as you explore. Read outcomes by new‑customer share and product set to confirm real growth.
Key Takeaways
- Interest targeting reaches users based on their declared interests, pages they follow, or content they engage with.
- It's broader than intent targeting and works well for awareness and prospecting campaigns.
- Layer interest targeting with catalog ads to show relevant products to interested audiences.
- Test interest segments systematically and refine based on performance and audience size.
