Lookalike audiences are one of TikTok's most powerful targeting tools for scaling successful campaigns. By finding users who share characteristics with your existing customers, you can expand reach while maintaining quality—turning one winning audience into many.
This guide covers how lookalike audiences work, how to create them, and best practices for maximizing their effectiveness.
Lookalike audiences are groups of TikTok users who share traits and behaviors with a source audience you provide. TikTok's algorithm analyzes your seed audience—such as past purchasers or engaged users—and finds other users on the platform with similar characteristics.
| Targeting Type | Approach | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Lookalike | Find users similar to known customers | Scaling proven audiences |
| Interest-based | Target by topic interests | Cold prospecting |
| Behavioral | Target by platform actions | Intent signals |
| Custom audience | Target known users directly | Retargeting |
Lookalikes bridge the gap between precise custom audience targeting and broad interest-based prospecting.
Creating effective lookalike audiences requires quality source data and proper setup.
Customer file uploads:
Website traffic (via TikTok Pixel):
App activity:
TikTok engagement:
TikTok guidance indicates you need at least ~1,000 matched users for stable custom audience use and lookalike creation. Quality matters more than size—a clean "closed-won customers" cohort is usually better than a huge list of low-intent leads.
In TikTok Ads Manager:
Best source audiences for lookalikes:
TikTok offers three lookalike sizes, each balancing reach against precision.
Characteristics:
Best for:
Characteristics:
Best for:
Characteristics:
Best for:
Start with narrow or balanced lookalikes to validate performance before expanding to broad. Monitor cost per acquisition—if CPA increases significantly with broader audiences, the added reach isn't worth the quality tradeoff.
Maximize lookalike performance with these proven approaches.
Use your best customers:
Recency matters:
Segment strategically:
Phase 1: Source comparison Test lookalikes from different sources with the same size:
Phase 2: Size comparison Test different sizes from your best source:
Phase 3: Optimization
Always exclude existing audiences from lookalike targeting:
This prevents paying to reach people you've already converted or are targeting elsewhere.
Lookalike audiences should be updated regularly:
TikTok doesn't automatically update lookalikes when source audiences change—you must create new versions.
Systematic testing reveals optimal lookalike configuration for your business.
Create parallel campaigns or ad groups testing:
| Test Element | Variable A | Variable B |
|---|---|---|
| Size test | Narrow | Balanced |
| Source test | Purchasers | High-value purchasers |
| Recency test | 30-day purchasers | 180-day purchasers |
Run with equal budgets for 7-14 days before drawing conclusions.
Primary metrics:
Secondary metrics:
Once you identify winning lookalikes:
Horizontal scaling:
Vertical scaling:
Lookalikes work well alongside other targeting methods.
Design an audience ladder: custom audiences → lookalikes → interest/behavior → broad targeting. Move budget toward what performs, while maintaining presence across the funnel.
Lookalike + Interest: Add interest targeting to narrow lookalikes for more specific prospecting.
Lookalike + Behavioral: Layer behavioral signals (engaged with shopping content) on top of lookalikes.
Multiple lookalikes: Combine lookalikes from different sources (purchasers + high engagers) for expanded reach with maintained quality.
TikTok requires approximately 1,000 matched users minimum for stable lookalike creation. However, quality matters more than quantity—a smaller list of actual purchasers typically outperforms a larger list of low-intent website visitors. Focus on your best customers rather than maximizing size.
Narrow lookalikes have the smallest reach but highest similarity to your source audience—best for precise targeting with limited budgets. Balanced offers a middle ground suitable for most campaigns. Broad has maximum reach but lower similarity—best for awareness campaigns or aggressive scaling. Start narrow and expand based on performance.
Update source audiences monthly with new customers, and create fresh lookalikes quarterly. TikTok doesn't automatically update lookalikes when sources change. If you notice performance decline, creating a new lookalike from updated data often restores results.
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