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Meta Adds Retargeting Frequency and Recency Filters to Custom Audiences

Filip Ivanković··1 min read
1 min read

What changed

Meta introduced new filters for Facebook and Instagram custom audiences allowing retargeting based on engagement frequency ("at least" x times) and time frame ("in the past" x to x days).
These filters apply across video views, page interactions and ad engagement custom audiences.
The update gives advertisers more granular control over who enters their retargeting pools.

What it means

This closes a long-standing gap in Meta's retargeting. Previously, someone who watched 3 seconds of one video sat in the same audience as someone who watched 10 videos in the last week. Now you can separate casual scrollers from genuinely engaged prospects. For Australian ecommerce and lead gen businesses, this means tighter retargeting pools with higher intent signals and lower wasted spend.

What to do

Rebuild your warmest retargeting audiences using the new frequency filter (e.g. "engaged at least 3 times in the past 14 days")
Create a tiered retargeting structure: light touch (1 engagement), warm (3+), hot (5+ in 7 days)
Test frequency-filtered audiences against your existing broad retargeting to measure CPA difference
Exclude low-frequency engagers from your bottom-funnel campaigns

Source: Swipe Insight and Meta for Business (April 2026)

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Filip Ivanković
Filip IvankovićFounder, New Rebellion

10+ years leading performance marketing across agencies and in-house teams in Australia. Writes about the gap between marketing activity and commercial outcomes, and what it takes to close it.

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