Direct answer: If you want Special Ad Category audiences with lookalike reach, Meta does not offer it. The audience help page for these campaigns says Advantage+ lookalike is unavailable [1]. The older Special Ad Audience tool was dropped for housing ads after a 2022 Justice Department settlement [2]. Meta's current audience page does not mention Special Ad Audiences at all [1]. What remains is broad location targeting, some detailed targeting options and custom audiences, each with limits [1].
This guide covers what changed, which campaigns it affects, which audience options are left, and the misconceptions that trip advertisers up. For more on running Meta ads in regulated verticals, browse our other marketing guides.
What happened to the original lookalike tools?
Lookalike tools are off the menu for campaigns that run under a Special Ad Category. The story starts with a federal housing case.
The 2022 Justice Department settlement
The Justice Department filed a complaint and a proposed settlement with Meta on June 21, 2022, in the Southern District of New York [2]. The case dealt with housing ads [2]. Under the deal, Meta agreed to stop using its Special Ad Audience tool for housing ads [2]. The company also agreed to build a new system for delivering housing ads, called the Variance Reduction System, or VRS [2].
The settlement included a civil penalty of $115,054 [2]. The parties agreed on compliance metrics for VRS in January 2023 [2].
What Meta says about lookalikes today
That case was about housing. For credit and other financial ads, the current audience help page is the best guide. It says Advantage+ lookalike is unavailable [1]. It also lists lookalike audiences among the options that are limited or unavailable in these campaigns [1]. The same list covers age, gender, ZIP codes, exclusion targeting, saved audiences and some interests [1].
These limits apply to two groups [1]:
- Advertisers based in the US or US territories.
- Advertisers showing ads to people in the US or US territories, Canada, or certain European countries and territories.
Meta's official pages do not give a date for when Special Ad Audiences ended outside of housing.
Which categories and campaigns are covered?
Meta's Special Ad Categories include employment, housing opportunities, financial products and services, and social issues, elections or politics [3]. The first three come with limited audience tools. According to Meta, those limits help protect people from unlawful discrimination [3]. Its advertising policy also points to laws that ban discrimination in offers of housing, jobs and financial products [5].
Credit became Financial products and services
Meta replaced the old Credit category with the Financial products and services category [3][4]. Starting January 21, 2025, US-based advertisers must use it for these campaigns [3]. The same rule applies to advertisers showing these ads to people in the US [3].
Meta's examples of credit ads include [4]:
- Credit cards, including brand ads for credit cards regardless of offer.
- Auto, mortgage, personal or business loans.
- Long-term financing.
- Debt recovery.
- Debt consolidation and relief.
In the US, the category can also cover other financial products, including insurance products [4]. Home equity and appraisal services appear in Meta's examples of housing ads [4].
Self-identification is required
Meta's advertising policy says advertisers running these ads must self-identify as a Special Ad Category [5]. That covers US advertisers and anyone targeting the US, Canada or certain parts of Europe [5]. These advertisers must also use approved targeting options [5]. The Business Help Center has a separate page on how to choose a Special Ad Category [3].
Which audience and detailed targeting options remain in Facebook Ads Manager?
Here is what Meta's audience help page says for these campaigns [1].
| Setting | What Meta's help page says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Age | Generally fixed at 18 through 65+ for housing, employment and credit ads. Credit advertisers in Europe can choose a different range. | [1] |
| Gender | Must include all genders. You can't edit it. | [1] |
| Location | Country, region, state, province or city. No ZIP or postal codes. No location exclusions. | [1] |
| Radius | Specific locations get an expanded radius. It is 15 miles (25 km) in the US and Canada and 10 miles (17 km) in listed European countries. | [1] |
| Detailed targeting | Some options are unavailable. Exclusions are unavailable. | [1] |
| Lookalikes | Advantage+ lookalike is not available. | [1] |
| Saved audiences | Updated to follow the category's audience rules. | [1] |
| Custom audiences | Some options may only be available in Meta Ads Manager. | [1] |
Detailed targeting limits
Parts of detailed targeting are gone in these campaigns [1]. That includes some demographic and behavior options, plus some interests [1]. You also can't exclude any detailed targeting selections [1]. Age and gender are locked, and ZIP codes are off the table [1].
With those settings limited, these campaigns reach much broader audiences than unrestricted ones. Meta says some interests remain available [1].
The radius rule
Specific locations, such as a city or an address, get an expanded radius [1]. In Meta's example, an ad aimed at Seattle also reaches people within 15 miles of the city center [1].
So a campaign cannot be narrowed to one neighborhood or one ZIP code [1].
Where Advantage+ audience fits
The Special Ad Category help pages do not say whether Advantage+ audience works for these campaigns [1][3]. They do confirm two related points. Advantage+ lookalike is unavailable [1]. Advantage+ catalog ads face the same limits as other Special Ad Category ads [3].
Beyond those two points, Meta's documentation is silent.
Do custom audiences still work?
Yes, with limits. Some audience options, such as custom audiences, may only be available in Meta Ads Manager for these campaigns [1]. Any saved audience you reuse gets updated to follow the category's audience rules [1]. A custom audience also can't grow into a lookalike, since Advantage+ lookalike is unavailable [1].
Meta's audience help page for these campaigns does not address customer list certification [1].
Common misconceptions about these audiences
Myth: A custom audience can grow into a lookalike. Not in these campaigns. Advantage+ lookalike is unavailable [1].
Myth: Saved audiences carry over unchanged. Meta says saved audiences are updated to follow the category's audience rules [1].
Myth: The limits only matter for housing. The 2022 settlement was about housing ads [2]. Meta's audience limits also cover employment and financial products and services campaigns [1][3].
Myth: Insurance sits outside the category. In the US, Meta says the category can include insurance products [4].
Myth: A local offer can use a tight radius. Specific locations get an expanded radius of 15 miles in the US and Canada [1].
What the ad itself must follow
The Transparency Center sets rules for ads about credit and insurance. These ads must target people 18 or older [5]. They also must not directly ask for personal information or certain types of financial information [5].
Advertisers promoting financial products and services may need to verify their identity [5]. Where regulators require it, they may also need to show they are authorized [5]. Advertisers must also follow disclosure requirements set by law [5].
Stay current on policy updates
None of the Meta pages cited in this guide show a last-updated date [1][3][4][5]. A rule Meta writes itself can change with little notice.
Applying these rules to a specific offer is where experience matters. If you want to talk through yours, get in touch.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use lookalike audiences in a Special Ad Category?
No. Meta's audience help page for these campaigns says Advantage+ lookalike is unavailable [1]. You can still use custom audiences, though some options may only be available in Meta Ads Manager [1].
What replaced Special Ad Audiences?
There is no direct swap. Under its 2022 settlement with the Justice Department, Meta agreed to stop using Special Ad Audience for housing ads [2]. It also built the Variance Reduction System for housing ads [2]. The current audience page for these categories doesn't mention Special Ad Audiences at all [1].
Do custom audiences still work?
Yes, with conditions. Custom audiences may only be available in Meta Ads Manager for these campaigns [1]. You also can't turn them into lookalikes, since Advantage+ lookalike is unavailable [1].
Can I target by ZIP code or exclude locations?
No. You can target by country, region, state, province or city, but not by ZIP or postal code [1]. You also can't exclude locations [1]. Specific locations get an expanded radius, such as 15 miles in the US [1].
Is insurance part of the Financial products and services category?
In the US, yes. Meta says the category can include insurance products [4]. Ads for insurance must also target people 18 or older under Meta's advertising standards [5].
Can I change the age range?
Usually not. Age is generally fixed at 18 through 65+ for housing, employment and credit ads [1]. Credit advertisers in Europe can choose a different range to meet local requirements [1].
Related guides
Disclaimer: This guide is for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Keith Guirao is not an attorney or a financial advisor. Maven Media, LLC is not a law firm. Meta's policies change often. Check Meta's Business Help Center and Transparency Center for current rules, and consult qualified counsel about your specific offer.
Sources
- About Audiences for Housing, Employment or Financial Products and Services Campaigns, Meta Business Help Center. https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2220749868045706
- United States v. Meta Platforms, Inc., f/k/a Facebook, Inc. (S.D.N.Y.), U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. https://www.justice.gov/crt/case/united-states-v-meta-platforms-inc-fka-facebook-inc-sdny
- How to Choose a Special Ad Category, Meta Business Help Center. https://www.facebook.com/business/help/298000447747885
- About ads for housing, employment or financial products and services, Meta Business Help Center. https://www.facebook.com/business/help/399587795372584
- Introduction to the Advertising Standards, Meta Transparency Center. https://transparency.meta.com/policies/ad-standards/
Keith Guirao, Founder, Maven Media, LLC. Keith has spent 18 years in lead generation across insurance, debt relief, home equity and credit. Maven Media is a performance marketing agency focused on Meta paid social for regulated industries. He writes plain-language guides built on Meta's published policies and federal rules, so marketers can plan campaigns that stay inside them. Not an attorney or financial advisor. More about Keith Guirao