Most artists think they need to find new people every time they post. They don’t. Real fan growth happens when you keep hitting the same people until they finally care. That’s what retargeting is — and if you’re not doing it, you’re basically burning money.
Retargeting is how you build an audience that actually sticks. Likes and views are cheap. Familiarity is what makes fans. Here’s how it works — and why it’s everything right now.
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Meet People Where They Are
Before we get into retargeting, let’s talk about something that comes first: meeting people where they already are.
If most of your engagement is happening on Instagram, then that’s where you should focus. Don’t overthink it. Post there, test there, build your rhythm there. Your goal is to dominate one ecosystem before spreading yourself thin across ten platforms.
For example:
- If your audience is in the U.S. and your friends and followers are mostly on Instagram — that’s your home base.
- If you’re reaching fans in emerging markets like Africa or Southeast Asia, Facebook is where your people live — not Instagram. More on this here.
- If you’re targeting listeners in markets that love long-form content, YouTube is still gold. Oh, and did I mention it’s actually the largest music streaming platform on Earth, and it’s not close? More on this here.
Whatever platform your people live on, that’s where you work. Upload full videos there. Post reels there. Build community there. Only when you’ve got a serious foothold do you start moving fans to DSPs, websites, or merch stores.
And here’s a bonus: ads that keep people on-platform are cheaper. Engagement campaigns cost less than traffic campaigns that send people off to Spotify or YouTube. So in your early days, stay native, stay visible, and stay consistent.
What Retargeting Actually Is
Retargeting means showing ads to people who’ve already interacted with you. These are the people who watched your reel, liked your post, visited your website, or followed your page — basically anyone who’s seen your name before.
Why is this powerful? Because no one becomes a fan the first time they see you. You don’t follow an artist, go to Spotify, stream their album, and buy their merch all in one scroll. That never happens. What does happen is repeated exposure. Retargeting makes that repetition automatic.
How to Create a Custom Audience on Meta
Meta (Facebook + Instagram) makes retargeting simple — if you know where to look. Here’s how to set it up:
- Go to Meta Ads Manager → Audiences.
- Click Create Audience → Custom Audience.
- Choose your source:
- Instagram account
- Facebook Page
- Website (requires Pixel installed)
- Video views
- Select “Everyone who engaged with your account in the last 365 days.” Later, narrow it to 30–90 days once your data grows.
- Save your audience and name it clearly (“IG Engagers 365”).
- Once it builds up a few thousand people, create a Lookalike Audience — Meta will find new users that behave just like your current fans.
This is the backbone of modern fan building. You’re not shouting into the void. You’re reappearing in front of people who already showed interest — the only people who are statistically likely to care.
Why Boosting Isn’t Retargeting
Boosting a post from your Instagram app is fine for quick engagement — but that’s not retargeting. When you boost, you can’t choose who sees it. You can’t tell Instagram to hit your custom audience or build a lookalike audience. You’re just letting the algorithm pick whoever it wants.
When you use Meta Ads Manager, you can specifically tell it: “Show this new video to everyone who liked, commented, or followed me in the last 60 days.” That’s retargeting — deliberate, not random.
There’s some debate that boosted posts sometimes perform better on engagement metrics because they stay native to the app. That may be true, but they can’t reach your warm audience directly. Use boosts for awareness, Ads Manager for real growth.
Retargeting Do’s and Don’ts
- ✅ Keep your data clean — if you’ve been buying engagement or using pods, start fresh.
- ✅ Update your custom audience every 30–60 days.
- ✅ Focus your budget on people who’ve already engaged with your content.
- ❌ Don’t rely on cold ads forever — they’re expensive and fleeting.
- ❌ Don’t try to market on ten platforms at once. Own one, then expand.
Meet Them First, Then Move Them
Retargeting doesn’t replace discovery — it supercharges it. First, meet people where they already are. Once you’ve built familiarity and rhythm there, then you can send them to your Spotify, YouTube, or website. That’s when off-platform ads make sense — not before.
Until then, keep hitting your warm audience with new content. Keep showing up. The goal isn’t to be seen once — it’s to be seen enough times to be remembered.
Turn Strategy into Action
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start building a real fan funnel, we’ll help you set up retargeting campaigns that actually work. Start with our Social Media Ads service, and check out these related posts:
- Engagement Pods for Musicians
- How to Find Your Real Audience
- Meta Business Setup for Artists
- Meta Tracking Pixel Setup Guide
360 Promo is a full-service music marketing, promotion, distribution and admin company. Learn more about us and what we do at 360 Promo, follow us on Instagram and contact us to tailor a plan that works for you.