How to Create a CTWA Custom Audience in Meta Ads Manager
To run CTWA retargeting campaigns, the first step is creating a Custom Audience.
A Custom Audience allows you to show ads to people who have already interacted with your business on WhatsApp.
This guide explains how to prepare your CTWA lead list and upload it into Meta Ads Manager.
What You Need Before You Start
Before creating your Custom Audience, make sure you have:
A list of CTWA leads exported from DoubleTick
Phone numbers with country codes
Optional information such as names or email addresses
Including more data helps Meta match users more accurately.
Step 1: Prepare Your Lead List
Log in to your DoubleTick account (or wherever your CTWA leads are stored).
Export or download your lead list in a CSV format — a simple spreadsheet format that can be opened in Excel.
Ensure your phone numbers include the correct country code (for example,
+91for India).Example: Instead of
9876543210, it should appear as+919876543210.
Why it matters: Meta identifies users globally. Missing or incorrect country codes can cause matching errors later.
Step 2: Open Meta Ads Manager
Open your web browser and visit facebook.com/adsmanager.
On the left-hand side menu, hover over the navigation icons until you find “Audiences.”
Click Audiences to open the page where all your audience lists are managed.
This is where you’ll build your new group of WhatsApp leads.
Step 3: Create a Custom Audience
On the “Audiences” page, click the blue button labeled “+ Create Audience.”
From the dropdown menu, select “Custom Audience.”
This tells Meta that you’re creating a list based on your own customer data — not from page visitors or app activity.
Step 4: Choose Customer List
A new window will open showing several audience source options.
Select “Customer List.”
Click Next to continue.
You’ll be given the option to download a sample file — it’s worth reviewing this sample so you can compare your CSV structure.
Tip: You don’t need to include every field. Even just the phone number column (with country codes) works perfectly fine for retargeting.
Step 5: Upload Your CSV File
Now comes the key step — uploading and matching your data correctly.
When asked about “Customer Value,” select “No” (you can skip this for now).
Click “Next.”
Click “Upload File” and choose the CSV file you prepared in Step 1.
Once uploaded, Meta will automatically try to match your columns (for example, identifying your “Phone” column as phone numbers).
Important:
Check that your phone number column is labeled as “Phone Number.”
If you’ve included emails, make sure the column is mapped as “Email.”
If you see “Action Needed,” click on it and manually select the correct type.
Once everything looks correct, click “Upload and Create.”
Step 6: Name Your Audience
Give your new audience a clear, simple, and descriptive name — this helps you stay organized later.
Here are some good examples:
CTWA Leads - All ChatsWhatsApp Leads - Replied Last 60 DaysCTWA Audience - Interested in Product X
Use names that describe what kind of leads are inside, or when they last interacted.
Then click “Next.”
Step 7: Allow Meta to Process the Audience
Meta will now begin processing your upload. This may take a few minutes, especially if your list is large.
When it’s done, your new Custom Audience will appear in your Audiences dashboard with a green “Ready” indicator.
Note: If you see “Populating” or “Processing,” that’s normal. Meta is matching your contact data with real Facebook and Instagram users.
And that’s it — you’ve successfully created your first CTWA Custom Audience!
What Happens Next
Once your audience is ready, you can use it to:
Run CTWA Retargeting campaigns — showing ads to users who already chatted with your business.
Create Lookalike Audiences — to reach new people similar to your WhatsApp leads.
Track engagement trends — see how existing customers respond to reminder or re-engagement ads.
Pro Tip: Keep your Custom Audience updated. Every few weeks, export your latest CTWA leads from DoubleTick and upload a new CSV file. This ensures your ads always reach the freshest, most relevant users.
Real-World Example
A coaching institute exports WhatsApp leads from DoubleTick.
These leads include students who asked about course fees.
The institute uploads the list into Meta Ads Manager and creates a Custom Audience.
Later, they run ads specifically targeting these students with reminders about upcoming batches.
What You Will Learn Next
Now that your Custom Audience is ready, the next step is using that audience when creating a CTWA ad campaign.
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