This reference was last updated 1st of April 2018.
Are you doing facebook marketing then you have come to the right place.
Facebook is one of the biggest social media platforms in the world. This makes facebook advertising a great starting point when you want to reach new customers.
When you set up your campaigns on Facebook you need to pick who to target with your ads.
Figuring out which of the many facebook ads targeting options to use can be difficult. And most times people only use a small part of the options.
This list will give you an overview of the targeting options.
Bookmark the post and use it as a reference when you make your ads and set up the ad targeting.
I also recommend you take a quick browse down the list and get some ideas.
For example you could target people based on the fact that they are "Close Friends of Men with a Birthday in 0-7 days". Then you could serve them ads of cool gift ideas for men.
Keep in mind to follow Facebook's Advertising Policies (https://www.facebook.com/policies/ads).
I made this list because I was looking for ideas on how to make more narrow audiences for my facebook ads targeting.
During my work, I had to constantly navigate the "Detailed Targeting" section of the audience settings to get inspiration.
To get a better overview of the many targeting options, I decided to make this comprehensive reference.
You can jump to relevant sections using the links in the table of content.
Demographics
Education
Education Level
| Associate degree | College grad | Doctorate degree |
| High school grad | In college | In grad school |
| In high school | Master's degree | Professional degree |
| Some college | Some grad school | Some high school |
| Unspecified | | |
Fields of Study
Here you can search the Facebook Graph.
Schools
Here you can search the Facebook Graph.
Undergrad Years
Type in your desired date range.
Generation
| Baby boomers (US) | Generation X | Millennials |
Home
Household Composition
| Family-based Households | Housemate-based Households | |
Life Events
Anniversary
| Anniversary in 31-60 Days | Anniversary within 30 Days | Away from family |
| Away from hometown | | |
Birthday
| Birthday Month | Upcoming birthday | |
Friends of
| Close Friends of Men with a Birthday in 0-7 days | Close Friends of Men with a Birthday in 7-30 days | Close Friends of People with a Birthday in 0-7 days |
| Close Friends of People with a Birthday in 7-30 days | Close Friends of Women with a Birthday in 0-7 days | Close Friends of Women with a Birthday in 7-30 days |
| Friends of Newly Engaged | Friends of Newlywed | Friends of Recently Moved |
Long distance relationship
New job
Newly engaged (1 year)
Newly engaged (3 months)
Newly engaged (6 months)
Newlywed (1 year)
Newlywed (3 months)
Newlywed (6 months)
Recently moved
Parents
All Parents
| (0-12 months) New Parents | (01-02 Years) Parents with Toddlers | (03-05 Years) Parents with Preschoolers |
| (06-08 Years) Parents with Early School Age Children | (08-12 Years) Parents with Preteens | (13-18 Years) Parents with Teenagers |
| (18-26 Years) Parents with Adult Children | Expectant parents | Parents (All) |
Politics (US)
| Likely To Engage in Politics (Conservative) | Likely To Engage in Politics (Liberal) | Likely To Engage in Politics (Moderate) |
| US Politics (Conservative) | US Politics (Liberal) | US Politics (Moderate) |
| US Politics (Very Conservative) | US Politics (Very Liberal) | |
Relationship
Interested In
| Men | Men and Women | Unspecified |
| Women | | |
Relationship Status
| Civil Union | Complicated | Divorced |
| Domestic Partnership | Engaged | In a relationship |
| Married | Open Relationship | Separated |
| Single | Unspecified | Widowed |
Work
Employers
Here you can search the Facebook Graph.
Industries
| Administrative | Architecture and Engineering | Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Media |
| Business and Financial Operations | Cleaning and Maintenance | Community and Social Services |
| Computer and Mathematics | Construction and Extraction | Education and Library |
| Farming, Fishing and Forestry | Food Preparation and Services | Government Employees |
| Healthcare and Medical | IT and Technical | Installation and Repair |
| Legal | Life, Physical, and Social Science | Management |
| Military | Nurses | Personal Care |
| Production | Protective Service | Sales |
| Transportation and Moving | Veterans (US) | |
Job Titles
Here you can search the Facebook Graph.
Interests
Business and industry
Advertising
Agriculture
Architecture
Aviation
Banking
| Investment banking | Online banking | Retail banking |
Business
Construction
Design
| Fashion design | Graphic design | Interior design |
Economics
Engineering
Entrepreneurship
Health care
Higher education
Management
Marketing
Nursing
Online
| Digital marketing | Display advertising | Email marketing |
| Online advertising | Search engine optimization | Social media |
| Social media marketing | Web design | Web development |
| Web hosting | | |
Personal finance
| Credit cards | Insurance | Investment |
| Mortgage loans | | |
Real estate
Retail
Sales
Science
Small business
Entertainment
Games
| Action games | Board games | Browser games |
| Card games | Casino games | First-person shooter games |
| Gambling | Massively multiplayer online games | Massively multiplayer online role-playing games |
| Online games | Online poker | Puzzle video games |
| Racing games | Role-playing games | Shooter games |
| Simulation games | Sports games | Strategy games |
| Video games | Word games | |
Live events
| Ballet | Bars | Concerts |
| Dancehalls | Music festivals | Nightclubs |
| Parties | Plays | Theatre |
Movies
| Action movies | Animated movies | Anime movies |
| Bollywood movies | Comedy movies | Documentary movies |
| Drama movies | Fantasy movies | Horror movies |
| Musical theatre | Science fiction movies | Thriller movies |
Music
| Blues music | Classical music | Country music |
| Dance music | Electronic music | Gospel music |
| Heavy metal music | Hip hop music | Jazz music |
| Music videos | Pop music | Rhythm and blues music |
| Rock music | Soul music | |
Reading
| Books | Comics | E-books |
| Fiction books | Literature | Magazines |
| Manga | Mystery fiction | Newspapers |
| Non-fiction books | Romance novels | |
TV
| TV comedies | TV game shows | TV reality shows |
| TV talkshows | | |
Family and relationships
| Dating | Family | Fatherhood |
| Friendship | Marriage | Motherhood |
| Parenting | Weddings | |
Fitness and wellness
| Bodybuilding | Dieting | Gyms |
| Meditation | Nutrition | Physical exercise |
| Physical fitness | Running | Weight training |
| Yoga | Zumba | |
Food and drink
Alcoholic beverages
| Beer | Distilled beverage | Wine |
Beverages
| Coffee | Energy drinks | Juice |
| Soft drinks | Tea | |
Cooking
Cuisine
| Chinese cuisine | French cuisine | German cuisine |
| Greek cuisine | Indian cuisine | Italian cuisine |
| Japanese cuisine | Korean cuisine | Latin American cuisine |
| Mexican cuisine | Middle Eastern cuisine | Spanish cuisine |
| Thai cuisine | Vietnamese cuisine | |
Food
| Barbecue | Chocolate | Desserts |
| Fast food | Organic food | Pizza |
| Seafood | Veganism | Vegetarianism |
Restaurants
| Coffeehouses | Diners | Fast casual restaurants |
| Fast food restaurants | | |
Hobbies and activities
Arts and music
| Acting | Crafts | Dance |
| Drawing | Drums | Fine art |
| Guitar | Painting | Performing arts |
| Photography | Sculpture | Singing |
| Writing | | |
Current events
Home and garden
| Do it yourself (DIY) | Furniture | Gardening |
| Home Appliances | Home improvement | |
Pets
| Birds | Cats | Dogs |
| Fish | Horses | Pet food |
| Rabbits | Reptiles | |
Politics and social issues
| Charity and causes | Community issues | Environmentalism |
| Law | Military | Politics |
| Religion | Sustainability | Veterans |
| Volunteering | | |
Travel
| Adventure travel | Air travel | Beaches |
| Car rentals | Cruises | Ecotourism |
| Hotels | Lakes | Mountains |
| Nature | Theme parks | Tourism |
| Vacations | | |
Vehicles
| Automobiles | Boats | Electric vehicle |
| Hybrids | Minivans | Motorcycles |
| RVs | SUVs | Scooters |
| Trucks | | |
Shopping and fashion
Beauty
| Beauty salons | Cosmetics | Fragrances |
| Hair products | Spas | Tattoos |
Clothing
| Children's clothing | Men's clothing | Shoes |
| Women's clothing | | |
Fashion accessories
| Dresses | Handbags | Jewelry |
| Sunglasses | | |
Shopping
| Boutiques | Coupons | Discount stores |
| Luxury goods | Online shopping | Shopping malls |
Toys
Sports and outdoors
Outdoor recreation
| Boating | Camping | Fishing |
| Hiking | Horseback riding | Hunting |
| Mountain biking | Surfing | |
Sports
| American football | Association football (Soccer) | Auto racing |
| Baseball | Basketball | College football |
| Golf | Marathons | Skiing |
| Snowboarding | Swimming | Tennis |
| Triathlons | Volleyball | |
Technology
Computers
| Computer memory | Computer monitors | Computer processors |
| Computer servers | Desktop computers | Free software |
| Hard drives | Network storage | Software |
| Tablet computers | | |
Consumer electronics
| Audio equipment | Camcorders | Cameras |
| E-book readers | GPS devices | Game consoles |
| Mobile phones | Portable media players | Projectors |
| Smartphones | Televisions | |
Behaviors
Anniversary
Anniversary in 61-90 Days
Consumer Classification
India
| Affinity for High Value Goods - India | (A+B) Affinity for Mid-High Value Goods - India | |
Digital activities
Console Gamers
Operating System Used
Canvas Gaming
Average Engagement | Plays 0 out of 7 days | | Plays 1 out of 7 days | | Plays 2 out of 7 days | | Plays 3 out of 7 days | | Plays 4 out of 7 days | | Plays 5 out of 7 days | | Played game in last 14 days | Played game in last 3 days |
| Played game in last 7 days | Played game yesterday | |
Event creators
FB Payments (All)
FB Payments (Higher than average spend)
FB Payments (Recent)
Facebook Page Admins
Internet Browser Used
| Primary Browser: Chrome | Primary Browser: Edge | Primary Browser: Firefox |
| Primary Browser: Internet Explorer | Primary Browser: Opera | Primary Browser: Safari |
Operating System Used
| Primary OS Mac OS X | Primary OS Windows 7 | Primary OS Windows 8 |
| Primary OS Windows Vista | Primary OS Windows XP | Sierra OS Mac |
Photo uploaders
Primary email domain
| AOL Email Addressees | Apple Email Addresses | Gmail Users |
| Hotmail Email Addresses | MSN.com Email Addresses | Yahoo Email Addresses |
Small business owners
Technology early adopters
Technology late adopters
Expats
| Close Friends of Expats | Expats (All) | Expats (Argentina) |
| Expats (Australia) | Expats (Austria) | Expats (Bangladesh) |
| Expats (Belgium) | Expats (Brazil) | Expats (Cameroon) |
| Expats (Canada) | Expats (Chile) | Expats (China) |
| Expats (Colombia) | Expats (Cuba) | Expats (Dominican Republic) |
| Expats (Egypt) | Expats (El Salvador) | Expats (Estonian) |
| Expats (Ethiopia) | Expats (Finland) | Expats (France) |
| Expats (Germany) | Expats (Ghana) | Expats (Greece) |
| Expats (Guatemala) | Expats (Haiti) | Expats (Honduras) |
| Expats (Hong Kong) | Expats (Hungary) | Expats (India) |
| Expats (Indonesia) | Expats (Iran) | Expats (Ireland) |
| Expats (Israel) | Expats (Italy) | Expats (Japan) |
| Expats (Kenya) | Expats (Latvia) | Expats (Malaysia) |
| Expats (Mexico) | Expats (Morocco) | Expats (Nepal) |
| Expats (Netherlands) | Expats (New Zealand) | Expats (Nigeria) |
| Expats (Pakistan) | Expats (Pakistani) | Expats (Peru) |
| Expats (Philippines) | Expats (Poland) | Expats (Portugal) |
| Expats (Puerto Rico) | Expats (Romania) | Expats (Russia) |
| Expats (Rwanda) | Expats (Saudi Arabia) | Expats (Senegal) |
| Expats (Serbia) | Expats (Singapore) | Expats (South Africa) |
| Expats (South Korea) | Expats (Spain) | Expats (Sri Lanka) |
| Expats (Switzerland) | Expats (Turkey) | Expats (UAE) |
| Expats (UK) | Expats (US) | Expats (Uganda) |
| Expats (United States) | Expats (Venezuela) | Expats (Vietnam) |
| Expats (Zimbabwe) | Family of Expats | |
Mobile Device User
All Mobile Devices by Brand
Alcatel
Amazon
Kindle Fire
Apple
| iPad 1 | iPad 2 | iPad 3 |
| iPad 4 | iPad Air | iPad Air 2 |
| iPad Mini 1 | iPad Mini 2 | iPad Mini 3 |
| iPhone 4 | iPhone 4S | iPhone 5 |
| iPhone 5C | iPhone 5S | iPhone 6 |
| iPhone 6 Plus | iPhone 6S | iPhone 6S Plus |
| iPhone 7 | iPhone 7 Plus | iPhone SE |
| iPod Touch | | |
Cherry Mobile
Google
HTC
Huawei
Karbonn
LG
Micromax
Motorola
Samsung
| Galaxy Grand | Galaxy Grand 2 | Galaxy Note 3 |
| Galaxy Note 4 | Galaxy Note 5 | Galaxy Note 7 |
| Galaxy S 4 Mini | Galaxy S III | Galaxy S III Mini |
| Galaxy S4 | Galaxy S5 | Galaxy S6 |
| Galaxy S7 | Galaxy S7 Edge | Galaxy Tab 2 |
| Galaxy Tab 3 | Galaxy Tab 4 | Galaxy Tab Pro |
| Galaxy Tab S | Galaxy Y | |
Sony
| Xperia M | Xperia Z | Xperia Z Ultra |
| Xperia Z3 | | |
Tecno
Xiaomi
ZTE
All Mobile Devices by Operating System
| All Android devices | All iOS devices | Windows Phones |
| All mobile devices | Feature phones | |
Network Connection
| 2G Connection | 3G Connection | 4G Connection |
| WiFi Connection | | |
New smartphone and tablet owners
Primary Android Device is Ineligible for 360 Media
Primary android device is eligible for 360 media
Smartphone Owners
Smartphones and tablets
Tablet Owners
Multicultural Affinity
| African American (US) | Asian American (US) | Hispanic (US - All) |
| Hispanic (US - Bilingual) | Hispanic (US - English dominant) | Hispanic (US - Spanish dominant) |
Seasonal and Events
Fall Football (US)
| Fans of 1 or more Teams | Fans of 3 or more Teams | |
Travel
| All frequent travelers | Business travelers | Commuters |
| Currently traveling | Frequent International Travelers | Returned from trip 1 week ago |
| Returned from trip 2 weeks ago | Used travel app (1 month) | Used travel app (2 weeks) |
I hope you found some inspiration in this list.
As mentioned before in this post keep in mind to follow Facebook's Advertising Policies (https://www.facebook.com/policies/ads).
For example do not target people and use those same targeting options in your ad copy.
Here is one example of prohibited content:
12. Personal Attributes
Ads must not contain content that asserts or implies personal attributes. This includes direct or indirect assertions or implications about a person’s race, ethnic origin, religion, beliefs, age, sexual orientation or practices, gender identity, disability, medical condition (including physical or mental health), financial status, membership in a trade union, criminal record, or name.
https://www.facebook.com/policies/ads
