Custom Audience Goals for customer lists

Are you violating the Meta custom audience goals for your customer list?

I actually wrote about this over a decade ago, and much of it still applies today.

There are two categories of Meta’s Customer List Audience Goals that I wonder about. Let’s discuss…

1. Rights and permissions

The first may be the most obvious. But it’s one that marketers seem most motivated to break.

To explain, you represent that you have the rights, permissions, and legal basis to use the data. Is it your data? Is it shared with you? Have you grown up? Did you buy it?

3. Managing Exits

The third is a little sad. I may be misinterpreting the meaning, but there is something here to worry about. If I interpret it correctly, advertisers are certainly breaking this all the time without realizing it.

Basically, you represent that the data is not related to anyone who has opted out of using their data in this way. You need to remove them. What if someone unsubscribes from your email list? Can you identify them?

My Translation

My explanation of both is simple. To be safe, the customer list used for custom audiences needs to be your customers who have chosen to hear from you.

If you can legitimately email someone because of their subscription, you can add them to your custom audience. Everything else is a gray area, if it’s not a violation that will get your account closed.

We know for a fact that some marketers create custom audiences that stretch, if not break, the rules. Are you?