When you pick a list under Show ads to in a campaign's Customer Lists section, you also choose how the campaign uses it.
The options
| Option | Who sees the ad | Networks |
|---|---|---|
| Only these people | Only matched people on your list | Google, Microsoft, Meta |
| Everyone, but bid higher for them | Everyone the campaign targets; people on your list get a higher bid | Google, Microsoft |
| Find similar people (lookalike) | New people who resemble your list | Facebook and Instagram |
Only these people (Target)
Best for account-based marketing, upselling customers and re-engaging leads. The campaign waits until the network has matched the list, then starts by itself. Reach is limited to the matched part of your list, so budgets spend slowly on small lists.
Everyone, but bid higher for them (Observe)
Best when your list is small or still matching. The campaign runs normally, and people on your list get a higher bid, so you win more often when they search or browse. On Google, the boost has no effect when an automatic bidding strategy sets the bids.
Find similar people (lookalike)
Facebook and Instagram only. Meta looks for new people similar to your list in the campaign's countries:
- Closest (1%): the most similar people. Smaller, usually better quality.
- Wider (5%): more people, less similar.
Your list needs enough matched people in the campaign's countries before Meta can build the lookalike, which usually takes a few hours. Lookalikes aren't available for Meta's special categories (credit, employment, housing), and PPCmate doesn't send those ads to Meta anyway.
See also: Customer lists: upload a list and use it on Google, Microsoft and Meta and Customer list statuses on Google, Microsoft and Meta and what to do.