How lookalikes work
- SourceUpload customers or pick site visitors.
- MatchMeta finds shared traits in that group.
- SizeChoose a share of a country's people.
- TargetRun ads to the new audience.
A smaller percentage matches the source more closely. A larger one reaches more people with a looser match.
Choose a strong source
- Customers who paid, not every lead
- High-value customers, if you can split them
- People who booked or bought recently
- A list large enough to show a pattern
Meta needs at least 100 people in the source. More people and better quality give it more to learn from.
Where lookalikes are limited
Meta does not allow lookalikes for housing, employment or financial products ads. Since September 2025, Meta also blocks source audiences that hint at someone's health or finances. Lookalikes have also lost ground to broad targeting, which often performs as well.
On Google
Google stopped offering similar audiences in 2023. Google now uses optimized targeting and audience expansion to find people like your converters. Your customer lists still help as signals.
Good example. A pool cleaning company builds a lookalike from 400 paying customers and tests it against broad targeting. It keeps whichever brings cheaper bookings.
Bad example. A company builds a lookalike from every Page like it ever got. The audience resembles casual fans, not buyers.
Read how paid social targeting works. Our Facebook and Instagram ads management tests audiences against each other.