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Lookalike Audience

An audience created by finding people similar to your existing customers or leads.

Definition

A lookalike audience is a targeting option that finds people similar to your existing customers, website visitors, or email subscribers.

How It Works

  • Upload your customer list or connect data source
  • Platform analyzes characteristics
  • Finds new people with similar traits

Best Practices

  • Use high-quality source audiences (1,000+ people)
  • Start with 1% similarity, expand if needed
  • Refresh source audiences regularly

Why It Matters

Lookalike audiences find new people who resemble your best existing customers. They're one of the most powerful prospecting tools because you're targeting people statistically likely to convert based on the patterns of your actual buyers. A well-built lookalike audience can dramatically improve cold traffic performance.

Examples

  • A 1% lookalike based on your top 500 customers by lifetime value
  • A lookalike audience based on email subscribers who have purchased 3+ times
  • A video viewer lookalike targeting people similar to those who watched 95% of your ads

Common Mistakes

  • Building lookalikes from low-quality seed audiences (all website visitors) instead of best customers
  • Going too broad with lookalike percentage (5-10%) before testing tighter ones (1-2%) first
  • Not refreshing seed audiences — outdated customer data produces outdated lookalikes