Meta has announced the removal of Detailed Targeting exclusions from its advertising platform, marking a significant change in its targeting capabilities. The update aims to improve campaign performance while maintaining essential employer-based exclusion options.
Performance Impact
Meta's testing revealed substantial cost benefits from this change:
- Advertisers experienced a 22.6% lower median Cost per Conversion when operating without Detailed Targeting Exclusions
- The platform will retain employer exclusion capabilities within Audience controls at the account level
Technical Implementation Timeline
The platform has established a clear timeline for implementation:
- Start Date: January 21, 2025
- Completion Deadline: April 21, 2025
- Version: Released in V22
Changes to Custom Audiences
The update affects custom audience implementation:
- Custom audiences will be deprecated within the
exclusionsfield - Advertisers can continue using custom audience exclusions through the
excluded_custom_audiencesfield
API Endpoint Updates
The change impacts several key endpoints:
- Ad set creation and copying endpoints
- Delivery estimate endpoints
- Account controls endpoints
Key API Behaviors
Meta has outlined specific behavioral changes for these endpoints:
- Existing exclusions will be removed when ad sets are edited
- New exclusions will trigger error messages, except for account-level audience control exclusions
- Existing campaigns with exclusions will continue running until ad set updates occur
- The delivery estimate endpoints will only accept employer exclusions
The platform will maintain support for employer exclusions through account controls, with detailed targeting exclusions remaining accessible through account control settings.
