Growing a business in 2025 demands more than great products, it requires smart, scalable marketing strategies. Whether you’re launching a startup or leading a high-growth brand, one of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to consistently grow your customer base with paid social media advertising. Should you target narrow, hyper-defined niches? Or go after a broader audience and let the platforms do the work?
Today, platforms like Facebook and TikTok offer powerful AI-driven tools that make broad audience targeting a scalable growth strategy. Instead of boxing yourself in with narrow criteria, broad targeting campaigns allow the algorithms to optimize delivery based on real-time performance data. The result? Greater reach, smarter learning, and stronger brand discovery.
Below, we break down how to effectively target a broad target audience in 2025 and why it might be your most valuable advertising move yet.
What Is Broad Targeting in Paid Media?
If you’ve asked yourself, “what is broad targeting Facebook ads?” here’s your answer: Meta (which includes Facebook and Instagram) defines broad targeting as relying on its delivery system to find the right audience based on minimal inputs like age, location, or language.
Instead of selecting specific interests or behaviors, you trust the platform’s algorithm to optimize who sees your ads. This Facebook broad targeting approach is ideal for generating performance data, uncovering high-performing segments, and scaling quickly. And the strategy isn’t exclusive to Facebook — TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and X (formerly Twitter) offer similar capabilities.
Broad vs. Narrow Targeting: Which Is Better?
Here’s how the two approaches compare:
Pros of Narrow Targeting:
- Highly defined audience segments
- Greater control over who sees your ads
- Predictable short-term conversion rates
Cons of Narrow Targeting:
- Limits reach and scale
- Often biased by outdated assumptions
- Slower learning from limited data
Pros of Broad Audience Targeting:
- Uncovers new high-value segments
- Boosts brand visibility at scale
- Enables faster learning from a wider user base
- Optimizes creative across diverse demographics
Cons of Broad Audience Targeting:
- Lower short-term conversion rates
- Relies heavily on platform algorithms
- Requires diverse, high-volume ad creative
Your choice should depend on your goals. If you’re focused on growth, discovery, or creative testing, broad targeting offers more potential benefits.
Best Channels for Broad Audience Targeting in 2025
Facebook & Instagram
Meta’s platforms remain top-tier for scale and data. In Facebook Ads Manager, avoid layering multiple targeting filters. Use broader ranges and minimal exclusions to let Meta optimize effectively. Skip interests and behaviors, opt for wide age and location ranges, and let Meta’s machine learning drive results. Consider testing Meta Advantage+ campaigns for an even more automated approach.
TikTok
TikTok’s algorithm thrives on creative and engagement signals. Use TikTok Ads Manager to select open-ended demographics and avoid niche interest clusters. This strategy is great for brands targeting Gen Z and younger Millennials.
As platforms rely more on automation and less on manual inputs, your creative plays a bigger role than ever. On TikTok and Meta especially, your creative now is your targeting. The algorithm learns who to serve your ad to based on how different audiences engage with it. Strong, varied content is what fuels performance.
YouTube, Reddit, and X
These platforms complement broader campaigns through video, search, and influencer collaborations. Use them to create omnichannel reach and test cross-platform performance.
Best Practices for Broad Targeting in Paid Media Campaigns
Track Audience-Level Performance:
Use Meta, TikTok, and third-party tools to track results by age, gender, interest, and device. These insights help refine creative and segment testing.
Prioritize Creative Volume:
Broad campaigns need creative variety to fuel algorithmic testing. Publish 10+ ads per week with different styles, messages, and CTAs. Partner with UGC creators or platforms like Brkfst to scale production.
Stay Agile:
Ad platforms and privacy laws evolve fast. Stay on top of:
- Meta and TikTok algorithm changes
- iOS updates (ATT)
- Shifting privacy regulations like CCPA and GDPR, which limit how much personal data platforms can use for targeting — making creative and algorithmic delivery more important than ever
How to Set Up Broad Targeting Ads on Facebook & TikTok
Facebook Broad Targeting Setup:
- Use wide age/location ranges
- Avoid layering interests or behaviors
- Let Meta’s algorithm handle delivery
- Explore Meta Advantage+ campaigns
TikTok Broad Targeting Setup:
- Avoid narrow interest targeting
- Keep demographic filters minimal
- Run multiple creatives per ad group
Why Broad Targeting Works in 2025
Broad targeting isn’t about surrendering control, it’s about smarter optimization. As platforms prioritize machine learning and automation, leaning into broad strategies can help brands uncover new customer segments, accelerate creative testing, and scale faster.
Want to turn creative volume into high-performing campaigns? Schedule a free demo with brkfst.io to see how we help brands reach broad audiences with performance-driven content.