In the ever-evolving world of Facebook advertising, one thing is clear — engagement still matters. But not just the surface-level kind. We’re talking about deeper interactions: people who watch your videos, click on your ads, or save your posts to come back to later.
These moments are small, but they’re powerful. And if you’re not using Facebook Engagement Custom Audiences, you could be missing your warmest, most conversion-ready leads.
Let’s explore how to find them, reach them, and turn them into paying customers.
Why Engagement-Based Targeting Is Your Hidden Advantage
Many advertisers still rely heavily on interest targeting, website traffic, or third-party data. But those strategies are less reliable now. Tracking is harder. Pixel data is incomplete. With ongoing privacy shifts and platform changes, it’s more important than ever to adapt — see what’s changing in Facebook Ads Targeting Updates for 2025.
So what about the people already paying attention?
Someone who watches 75% of your video is telling you something. Someone who saves your post or comments on your ad — they’re leaving clues. They’re curious, maybe even ready to buy. They just haven’t clicked through yet.
Engagement Custom Audiences let you target these people. These are users who have interacted with your Facebook or Instagram content in specific ways — even if they never visited your website.
That means you can retarget highly engaged users, without relying on cookies or off-platform data. And the best part? These users are already familiar with your brand. That makes them more likely to convert than someone seeing your ad for the first time.
How to Build Engagement Audiences That Actually Work
You can set up Engagement Custom Audiences directly in Meta Ads Manager. But don’t just throw something together. Be thoughtful. The more strategic your setup, the better your results.
You can create audiences based on:
-
Video Views — People who watched a certain percentage or length of your video.
-
Page Engagement — Users who liked, commented on, shared, or even messaged your Page.
-
Ad Clicks — Anyone who clicked on a Facebook or Instagram ad.
-
Lead Form Activity — People who opened a form but didn’t submit it.
-
Saved or Shared Posts — Users who saved a piece of content or shared it with someone.
A common mistake is to combine all of these into one big group. That might work for a general retargeting campaign, but it limits your ability to personalize.
Instead, try segmenting. Create smaller audiences based on different actions. For example, build one audience for people who watched 95% of your product demo, and another for those who just liked a blog teaser video. Then tailor your follow-up ads to match each group’s behavior.
Also, don’t ignore the time window. You can target people who engaged in the past:
-
7 days — Great for urgency-based offers.
-
30 days — A good balance of recency and reach.
-
90–180 days — Useful for long sales cycles or larger campaigns.
Think about how long it typically takes someone to convert after seeing your content. Match your audience window to that cycle.
To understand how Engagement Custom Audiences compare to broader strategies like Lookalikes, check out our breakdown of Custom vs Lookalike Audiences.
What Campaigns Should You Run With These Audiences?
These audiences are more flexible than many advertisers realize. Yes, they’re ideal for retargeting, but that’s just the beginning.
Here’s how you can use them:
-
Low-friction lead gen — Offer something quick and valuable, like a free guide or webinar, to video viewers or post engagers.
-
Promotions and discounts — Show time-sensitive offers to users who clicked or saved an ad but didn’t buy.
-
Re-engagement campaigns — Remind warm users about your brand with a fresh creative or a testimonial ad.
-
Polls and surveys — Get feedback from people who’ve already shown interest.
-
Lookalike seeding — Build new audiences based on people who are already interacting with your content.
Imagine this: You post a behind-the-scenes video about how your product is made. Thousands watch most of it but don’t take action. Those viewers are primed. Build an Engagement Custom Audience of 75%+ viewers and run a follow-up ad offering a limited-time discount. That second touch could be the one that gets them to convert.
You can also exclude these audiences when running cold prospecting campaigns. That way, your performance data stays clean and you avoid overlapping messaging.
Why Audience Quality Beats Size
It’s tempting to go broad and grab every user who’s interacted with your content. But when it comes to Engagement Custom Audiences, precision matters more than volume.
Ask yourself: What action did this person take, and what does it tell me about their intent?
Use that answer to guide your next step.
For example:
-
Someone who commented “I need this!” is ready for a sales-focused follow-up.
-
A user who watched 50% of a tutorial might need more education — maybe a product comparison or FAQ.
-
Someone who saved your carousel ad could be planning to revisit it. A reminder ad with a special offer could push them to act.
Also, your creative should match their journey. If they’ve already seen your explainer video, don’t show them the same thing again. Use a new angle — testimonials, benefits, or a time-limited incentive.
Treat your engagement audiences like people in a conversation, not strangers.
Want to sharpen your segmentation even more? Follow this step-by-step guide to defining a marketing audience to build better foundations.
Start Using Engagement to Work Smarter
If you’ve only been using Engagement Custom Audiences for basic retargeting, you’re barely scratching the surface.
These are not just “warm leads.” They’re indicators of attention — signs that someone sees value in what you’re doing.
So take time to:
-
Review your top-performing content.
-
Segment your engaged users by intent.
-
Test follow-ups based on their last interaction.
-
Nurture your audiences, not just pitch to them.
The result? Higher-quality leads. Better ad performance. Lower costs. And a strategy that adapts to the real behavior of your potential customers.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not about targeting everyone. It’s about focusing on the people who already care — and showing them what they need to take the next step.
