Get Started: Connect your Ad Channels - Audience Only

Connect each ad channel you want to sync audiences to. The connect steps are the same as for Demand Hub, but Audience Only accounts need fewer permissions. This page lists what you need for each channel. Each channel's guide has the full steps and fixes for common errors.

All channels connect from Settings > Integrations in Metadata. Microsoft Ads isn't available for Audience Only accounts.

What Audience Only accounts can skip

• Meta: the Pixel, the Aggregated Lead Event, Leads access and Instagram. The checklist in Metadata also mentions domain verification, but you can connect without it. Audiences sync to your Facebook ad account and can be used on Instagram from there.
• LinkedIn: the Company Page roles (Sponsored Content Poster and Lead Gen Forms Manager). You still choose a campaign group when you connect, and it must have the objective turned off.

Before you build audiences

• Connect the channel first. Audiences go to the channels that are connected when you build them. If you connect a channel later, open the audience's ⋮ menu and click Upload to that channel.
• Check the ad account. Audiences go to the ad account you chose when you connected. If you manage several ad accounts, such as an agency with clients, connect the one the audiences are for.
• Google Ads only accepts contact audiences: Salesforce Contacts and Marketing Automation Contacts, static or dynamic. Account, firmographic, technographic, intent and CSV audiences aren't sent to Google.
• Allow time for matching. LinkedIn can take up to 72 hours to match an audience. Each channel also has a minimum matched size before an audience can be used. See What is the minimum audience upload limit?

Tips for every channel

• Connect with your own work login that holds the access. Don't use a second or personal profile, an agency login or a Metadata team member's login. A private or incognito window helps if you use several.
• Sign-in opens in a pop-up. Allow pop-ups for platform.metadata.io.
• Approve every permission the channel asks for. Skipping one usually causes errors later.
• Each connection runs on the login of the person who connected it. If that person leaves, changes their password or loses access, audiences stop syncing until someone else reconnects the channel.
• To reconnect, click Settings on the channel card, then Disconnect. Connect again and choose the same ad account. On a trial account, disconnecting deletes the audiences Metadata created in that channel, so contact support first.
• Don't see a channel on the Integrations page? Ask your Metadata CSM to enable it for your account.

Troubleshooting

Audiences show Failed or stay on Updating

LinkedIn can take up to 72 hours to match a new audience, so give it time first. If it's still stuck, or the audience shows Failed, the connected login may have lost access to the ad account or the connection expired. Fix the access or reconnect the channel. Then open the audience's ⋮ menu and click Upload to that channel. Reconnecting alone doesn't resend audiences that already failed.

Audience doesn't appear in Google Ads

Check the audience type (see Before you build audiences above). If it's a Salesforce Contacts or Marketing Automation Contacts audience, make sure Google Ads is connected, then use Upload to Google Ads from the audience's ⋮ menu.

"You can only have up to 500 audiences of this type"

Meta limits how many custom audiences one ad account can hold. Delete audiences you no longer use, in Metadata or in Meta Ads Manager. Archiving an audience in Metadata doesn't remove it from Meta.

"You've reached your monthly limit of N audiences"

Your plan includes a set number of audiences per month. Archived audiences still count. On some plans, deleting an audience frees up a slot. To raise the limit, contact your CSM or support@metadata.io.

For connection errors, see the channel's guide above. Still stuck? Email support@metadata.io.