Cheatsheet

 

How to use the Facebook Marketing API to reveal hidden interests

(You may download the PDF file containing the full article, via the link at the end of the article)

 

 

 

 

Like to watch video instead?

 

I’ve created a 20 minute training video that comes with this PDF

 

Cheatsheet: https://interestexplorer.io/free-training

 

 

 

Step 1: Create a Facebook App

 

Go to this​ page ​in Facebook for Developers. There you’ll click on the

 

green +Add​ a New App ​button to create a new Facebook App.

 

 

 

Give your app a Display​ Name​and add your Contact​ Email.​

 

Then click on Create​ App ID.

 

In the dashboard you can select a scenario for your Facebook App.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click Implement​ Marketing API​ and then the Confirm​​ button at the bottom, followed by Save​ Changes ​at the bottom of the next screen.

 

Your first step, creating an App, is now completed 👏

 

 

Step 2: Request an Access Token

 

 

The next step is to request an Access Token that you can use to authenticate yourself when using the Facebook Marketing API.

 

Go to this​ page ​to request your Access Token.

 

 

 

 

First select​ the App ​you created. Next, click on the User or Page dropdown and select the option App​ Token. ​Now you see the long

string of letters and numbers below. That is your Access​ Token.​

 

 

 

Step 3: Use the Facebook Marketing API

 

 

This is the Marketing API URL you can copy and edit:

 

 

https://graph.facebook.com/search?type=adinterest&q=[Golf]&limit =10000&locale=en_US&access_token=your-access-token

 

Input your keyword ​in between brackets, where I’ve put the example [Golf]. Not that the first letter should be capitalised. Finally replace the text your​-access-token ​at the end of the URL string with your Access Token.

 

 

It works best when you input broad keywords (like Golf, Fitness, Cats, Dogs, Business, Vacation, etc.) Don’t narrow down your input.

 

Then you copy the URL in your browser and hit Enter​​ 👌

 

 

Advanced interest layering

 

 

 

Disclaimer: there is not right or wrong - this is how I use interest layering to setup successful Facebook campaigns.

 

 

 

 

Find hidden interests

 

 

First use the strategy above (or InterestExplorer​)​ to find hidden interests related to your niche. Don’t look too much at the audience sizes of single interests, because only the total reach of your layered ad set matters. I usually aim for around 30 interests in total.

 

 

Randomly create layers

 

I always create 3 layers, so three sets of interests. When you have 30 interests, that means you randomly assign these interests to 3 sets of 10. Then you copy these interests into the Detailed Targeting section in Facebook Ads Manager when creating your ad set.

Paste the first 10 interests, then click on the option to narrow down and paste the second 10 interests. Repeat this step a third time.

 

The result is that people will only see your ad when they match at least 1 interest from the first layer, at least 1 interests from the second layer and at least 1 interest from the third layer.

 

This completely excludes “accidental likes”.

 

 

Check the total audience size

 

 

Specific is better. But your campaign should still get some reach of course. I usually aim for at least 50.000 people in the audience. So not per interest, but in total when the 3 layers are applied.

 

 

 

This next-level strategy makes sure that you only target people that like multiple interests from the relevant set of interests you’ve created. The result is that you’ll waste less of your budget on people that “accidentally” liked (or were assigned) just 1 broad interest.

 

So you’ll basically force Facebook to show your ad to just the people in your audience that are most likely to be interested and to convert.