Facebook Custom Audiences lets you sync Omnisend contact segments to Facebook to run targeted ads based on purchase behavior, email engagement, or profile data. Segments sync automatically – when a contact meets your segment rules in Omnisend, they're added to your Facebook audience within 5–15 minutes.
Note: Contacts removed from your Omnisend segment are not removed from the Facebook audience. Facebook audiences only grow.
Before You Begin
This integration is available on all Omnisend plans.
Your Facebook audience size will be 5–15% of your Omnisend segment size. Facebook only includes people with Facebook accounts who use the same email and haven't opted out of behavioral advertising. This is normal and controlled by Facebook. Learn more.
You need an active Facebook account that manages at least one Facebook Page. This integration doesn't add a signup form or post to your personal Facebook profile.
Have your Facebook Ads Manager connected to Facebook Business Manager.
When you set up the integration, you must approve each of Facebook's permission requests.
Due to Facebook/Meta requirements, you can grant access to your Meta account only for 60 days. After that, you need to renew the connection. You'll see the number of days left in the Facebook Custom Audiences app in Omnisend. Renewing does not pause or affect your running Facebook campaigns – your ads continue with the same audience while Omnisend resumes syncing new contacts.
You can also connect your Facebook account to Omnisend to create Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns. The connection process is the same.
Connecting the App
Step 1. Click Apps in the page header.
Step 2. Search for the Facebook Customer Audience app → Click on Connect now.
Step 3. You'll be redirected to Facebook to confirm the account you want to connect. Click Continue as [your name].
Step 4. Make sure all options are enabled → click Done.
Once you authorize access, you'll return to Omnisend to select the account you want to use. Your Facebook Custom Audiences app will show as connected in Omnisend.
The connection is complete. You can now start syncing your segments.
Before Syncing: Create a Segment
Before you can sync contacts to Facebook, you need to create a segment in Omnisend. Omnisend doesn't have pre-built "purchaser" or "non-purchaser" segments – you build them manually.
Example segments for Facebook ads:
Non-purchasers: Contacts who have NOT placed order
Purchasers: Contacts who placed order at least 1 time
Re-engagement: Contacts who haven't opened email in the last 90 days
VIP customers: Contacts who placed order at least 5 times or total revenue is at least $500
Once your segment is ready, follow the steps below to sync it to Facebook.
Syncing Segments
Once you've connected your Omnisend and Facebook Custom Audiences accounts and created a segment, you can sync the segment to Facebook. Omnisend pushes contact data through the Facebook API, and Facebook syncs the data with your Facebook customer profiles.
Step 1. Go to Audience → Segments → Actions → Sync to Google or Facebook.
Step 2. Choose Facebook as your advertising platform → Click Continue with Facebook.
Step 3. Select which contact statuses to sync: all contacts, subscribed, non-subscribed, and/or unsubscribed. You can choose any combination.
Step 4. Select which Facebook audience to sync with, or create a new audience. For existing audiences, select from the dropdown menu.
If you create a new audience, enter an audience name → Click Create.
Step 5. Review the segment and the Facebook audience selected → Click Turn on sync.
Success! Your Omnisend segment and Facebook audiences are now syncing.
To confirm the sync is working:
Go to your segment → Actions → View sync history
Check how many contacts Omnisend sent to Facebook (should match your segment size if all contact statuses were selected)
Wait 1–24 hours for Facebook to process contacts before checking Facebook Audience Manager
Note: Facebook audience size will be smaller than your segment size. This is expected – see "Before You Begin" for why.
Important: To sync customers' profiles to Facebook, they must use the same email address in both Omnisend and Facebook. For example, if the subscriber's email in Omnisend is [email protected], their Facebook login email must also be [email protected].
Data sync from Omnisend to Facebook usually takes 5–15 minutes, but sync time depends on the number of contacts you have. Due to API limits, we push data in batches, so larger segments (25K+ contacts) may take several hours.
What Segments Can I Create?
At Omnisend, we always emphasize the importance of the multi-channel approach to your customers. The more your customers hear about your brand, the higher your chances of converting them into buyers.
In Omnisend, you may set up various Segments that could help you target your ads more precisely.
Segment contacts based on their profile data. The information collected by Omnisend may tell you more about your customers, including their addresses, birthdates, and custom information you have collected with Omnisend.
Segment contacts based on their engagement with your emails. If your customer doesn't engage with the email messages you send, it might be a perfect time to attract their attention with Facebook ads. You may target customers who were active recently or those who haven't engaged in a while. You may even check what type of messages your customers engage with.
Segment contacts based on their purchase behavior. This type of segmentation will give you the power to target your ads to your VIP clients, those who purchase frequently or those who spend a certain amount in your store.
Let's set up a segment using a combination for a re-engagement Facebook Campaign.
💬 Learn more about creating different contact segments here.
Once your segment is ready, choose Sync segment to Facebook and choose which contact statuses to sync.
The segment will be synced to your Facebook account and updated automatically. If your customer places the order, they will be removed from the inactive contacts segment.
After the Audience is synced to your Facebook Business account, you may choose your Instagram Business Profile and run your targeted ads on both Facebook and Instagram.
Create a Custom Audience on Facebook
Once you sync the Audience to Facebook, it will automatically appear in the Audiences section of your Facebook Ads Manager.
After reviewing your Audience, you can create an ad to reach your new Custom Audience or create a lookalike audience to find new people who share similar behaviors and interests with your existing customers.
FAQ
Why is my Facebook audience showing only 21 contacts when my Omnisend segment has thousands?
This is expected. Facebook only includes people who:
Have a Facebook account
Use the same email in both Omnisend and Facebook
Haven't opted out of behavioral advertising
Most audiences see a 5–15% match rate. If your segment has 1,000 contacts, expect 50–150 to appear in Facebook. To verify the sync is working, check the sync history in Omnisend (Segment → Actions → View sync history), not the Facebook Audience Manager count.
Will renewing the 60-day connection affect my running Facebook ad campaigns?
No. Renewing the connection does not pause, reset, or change your active campaigns. Your ads continue running with the same audience. Renewal simply reauthorizes Omnisend to keep syncing new contacts to your audience. If you don't renew, the audience becomes static (no new contacts added), but existing campaigns won't stop.
Can I automate the 60-day renewal?
No. Facebook/Meta requires manual reauthorization every 60 days for security reasons. You'll receive an email reminder 10 days before the connection expires. To renew, go to Apps → Facebook Custom Audiences → Renew connection and approve Facebook's permissions again. After renewal, syncing continues automatically.
How do I create a "non-purchasers" or "purchasers" segment to sync to Facebook?
Omnisend doesn't have a pre-built "non-purchasers" segment, but you can create one manually:
Go to Audience → Segments → Create segment → Create from scratch
Add filter: "Placed order" → "has NOT placed order" (for non-purchasers)
Save the segment
For purchasers, use "Placed order" → "at least 1 time." Once saved, sync the segment to Facebook via Actions → Sync to Google or Facebook. The segment updates automatically as contacts meet the criteria.
The integration is connected, but segments aren't showing up in Facebook. What should I check?
Follow these steps in order:
Check sync history in Omnisend (Segment → Actions → View sync history). If it shows 0 contacts sent, the sync didn't start. Turn sync off and on again.
Wait 1 hour. Large segments (25K+ contacts) can take several hours. Facebook may take up to 24 hours to process contacts.
Verify you selected contact statuses when setting up the sync (subscribed, unsubscribed, etc.). If none were selected, no contacts sync.
Check Facebook Audience Manager to confirm the audience exists, even if the size is smaller than expected.
If sync history shows contacts were sent but the audience still doesn't appear in Facebook after 24 hours, contact Support.
Can I sync only subscribed contacts to Facebook?
Yes. Facebook Custom Audiences can sync any status of your contact. When you click Sync segment to Facebook, a pop-up lets you choose which contact statuses to sync: subscribed, unsubscribed, non-subscribed, or any combination.
How long does it take to sync contacts to Facebook?
Data sync from Omnisend to Facebook usually takes 5–15 minutes. However, sync time depends on the number of contacts you have. Due to API limits, we push data in batches, so larger segments (25K+ contacts) may take several hours. Facebook may take up to 24 hours to process and add contacts to the audience.
Can the audience be exported so that Facebook can read it?
Before uploading the list you exported from Omnisend to Facebook, you need to change the column formatting to match the identifier type that Facebook accepts. You also need to change some of the data to ensure it has the proper format. See the detailed instructions here.
Is connecting multiple Facebook pages/accounts with one Omnisend store possible?
If you're going to connect another Facebook account, remove the integration from App Market → Connected Apps → Find the app → Remove. Then, set it up from scratch using a different Facebook account. All created syncs for the old account will be deleted.
Can my Facebook Lead Ads be connected to Omnisend?
Yes. You can use our direct integration of Facebook Lead Ads with Omnisend.
Troubleshooting
Why Isn’t My Facebook Custom Audience Showing Up?
Follow these steps to verify the sync:
Wait for sync completion – Large segments (25K+ contacts) may take several hours due to Facebook’s API limits.
Check Facebook Audience Manager – Go to Manage Audiences and confirm that your audience list has been updated.
Verify integration – In Omnisend, go to Apps → Facebook Custom Audiences and ensure the connection is active.
Turn sync off and on – If the audience is missing, disable the sync in Omnisend and set it up again.
Ensure contact data matches – Facebook matches contacts based on email or phone number, so ensure your data is correct.
If the issue persists, contact our Support Team for assistance.
Facebook Custom Audiences Sync Status Is Disabled
Check if the Facebook lists you try to sync to Omnisend segments can still be accessed. This can occur if your Facebook lists are no longer available on Facebook (i.e., deleted).
Check if the Facebook list you are trying to sync is accessible for Omnisend segment sync.
Check if user roles and permissions have not been changed. This can occur if your user can no longer access the provided list.
The Number of Contacts Synced Is Too Low
If you're seeing fewer contacts synced than expected, follow the steps below to troubleshoot the issue.
Export the segment from Omnisend, the one you're willing to sync with Facebook custom audiences.
Manually import the exported contacts to your Facebook Audiences.
Take a screenshot of how many contacts were synced.
Once you have followed these steps, reach out to our Support Team for further assistance.
Omnisend Segment Size Doesn't Match the Facebook Audience Size
The numbers in Omnisend and Facebook will not match exactly. The segment size in Omnisend includes all contacts, while the Facebook audience only includes users of Meta Technologies who have not opted out of online behavioral advertising. Additionally, it can take up to 24 hours for Meta to process and add contacts to the audience; this timeframe may vary.
Important: Omnisend can only sync contacts who have Facebook accounts. Additionally, if users have opted out of online behavioral advertising, their visits will not be counted in the Facebook audience. You can find more information here.
How can I Check If My Contacts Are Being Synced Correctly?
Follow these steps to verify the sync:
Create a new sync or update an existing one with a new Facebook audience.
Wait for some time (approximately 1 hour for large segments, shorter for smaller segments).
Check the sync history, not the Facebook audience size. The history log will show how many contacts Omnisend has sent to Facebook. This number should be similar to the audience size if all contacts were selected.
Need further assistance? Reach out to our Support Team via in-app chat or [email protected]. We're here for you 24/7.