The Meta integration syncs your Instant AI segments to your Meta account as Custom Audiences, so you can target the same shoppers in your Meta ads that you already reach through email. You connect one Meta account, choose which segments to sync, and Instant keeps those audiences refreshed every 24 hours.
Why use it
Your segments already group shoppers by behaviour, purchase history, and engagement. Syncing them to Meta lets you reuse that targeting in your ad campaigns without exporting lists or rebuilding audiences by hand. As shoppers move in and out of a segment, the matching Meta audience updates on the next sync.
Before you start
- Audiences sync by email address only.
- You can connect one Meta account at a time. To switch accounts later you’ll need to re-authenticate.
- A segment needs at least 100 contacts to sync successfully.
- You can only connect one account at a time, if you choose the wrong one you’ll need to re-authenticate to change it.
To connect your Meta account:
- Go to Settings > Integrations
- Scroll to Marketing and Ad Platforms at the bottom of the page
- On the Meta card, select Setup
- In the modal that opens, select Authenticate on Meta
- The Meta login will launch in a new screen
- Choose the Meta account you want to connect
- Select your Business portfolio
- Select Confirm (an ad account is optional at this step)
- Meta will process the connection and show a success screen
- You’ll be taken straight back to Instant AI, where it will keep loading until the connection is complete
Once you see the Connected to Meta confirmation, your account is integrated.
To sync a segment to Meta:
Once connected, you can choose which segments to sync. Each one syncs to Meta as a new Custom Audience, and you can connect any existing Instant segment.
- In the Meta modal, select Add new segment
- Choose a segment from the drop-down (only segments with over 100 contacts can be selected)
- Select Apply
- Select Save changes
You can add multiple segments the same way. If you don’t have a segment yet, you can safely close this screen, create one, then come back to Settings > Integrations and add it. You can return to this page at any time to change which segments are included.
How syncing works
- A newly added segment moves to Scheduled so it can be picked up on the next available sync.
- The first sync kicks off immediately when you add a segment. After that, expect around 24 hours between syncs.
- Instant syncs the latest contacts in each segment every 24 hours. Meta can’t guarantee exact timing, as it depends on their API and processing, but a refreshed list is made available every 24 hours.
- While a segment is syncing, its status shows In progress in Instant, and the audience shows Processing in Meta while new profiles are being populated.
- If a segment has synced before, you can keep using the previous version of the Meta audience with all available options while the new one processes.
To switch to a different Meta account:
- Open the Meta integration modal
- Select the Meta account drop-down
- Select Add account
- Authenticate the new account and repeat the connection steps above
FAQ
Why isn’t my segment syncing? A segment needs at least 100 contacts to sync. If it has fewer, it won’t appear in the Add new segment drop-down and won’t sync until it reaches the minimum.
How often do audiences update in Meta? Instant refreshes each synced segment every 24 hours. The exact time an audience updates in Meta depends on Meta’s own processing, so a new list is available every 24 hours rather than at a fixed moment.
Can I connect more than one Meta account? No. You can connect one account at a time. To switch, open the integration modal, use the Meta account drop-down, and add the new account.
What happens to my Meta audience while it’s syncing? It shows as Processing in Meta while new profiles are added. If a previous version has already synced, that version stays usable with all options until the new sync completes.
Where do I see when a segment last synced? In Meta. Instant shows the current status of each segment, and Meta holds the last sync date and sync history.