Why are my ads attracting the wrong audience?

You've probably experienced one of the most common headaches in Digital Marketing: you open your ad manager, look at the stats, and feel like you've wasted money attracting the wrong people.

You may have segmented perfectly: women, 35 to 55 years old, with interests in mindfulness, yoga, and personal growth. But despite all that technical precision, your inbox or comment section is suddenly filled with messages that have nothing to do with your topic, or worse, interactions from people who are clearly not your Ideal Audience.

Recently, in one of my private sessions, a consultant brought up this exact dilemma. With palpable frustration, she showed me that despite targeting women over 35, her Facebook ads and comments were being invaded by men who showed no interest in her offer.

This is a "happy problem," in the sense that you're generating reach, but it's a real filtering problem.

The conclusion of our conversation was clear, and it's a truth I ask you to engrave in your mind: technical segmentation is not your only, nor your best, filter.

The real work of segmentation in Facebook Ads doesn't end when you click the "Save Audience" button. In fact, that's where the most subtle and powerful work begins: the work of your copywriting.

The illusion of perfect segmentation

First, let's understand why the algorithm, no matter how smart it is, sometimes gives you the wrong result.

When you ask Facebook or Instagram to show an ad to "Women aged 35 to 55 in Mexico City interested in Alternative Therapies," you're using a filter with holes. Think of your coffee filter: if you only put one layer of paper, some grounds will always get through.

Here are a few key reasons why the technical filter isn't enough:

• Ambiguous or inactive profiles: Even if a profile says "male" or "female," the platforms don't always have exact data. Additionally, a man may have interacted with his wife's landing page, or his girlfriend may have shared your ad in a mixed group, and the algorithm returns that interaction because it sees it as a possible conversion or click.
• The "share" effect: People share content with their partners, friends, or family. If a woman sees your ad about "Healing your relationship with money" and shares it with her husband because she thinks it would be good for him, your ad is now in an audience you didn't segment. The algorithm sees the share as a positive signal and continues to show the ad in mixed circles.
• Interest saturation: Millions of people in your city are interested in "meditation" or "yoga." By using such broad interests, you're asking to be shown to a massive audience. And in that crowd, there will always be noise. The lack of specificity amplifies the segmentation problem.

If you spend your energy looking for the magic combination of perfect interests, you're going to get frustrated. The solution isn't in the settings wheel, but in the first sentence people read.

The copy: your cheapest and most effective filter

This is the secret that the most successful copywriters in the service niche use: your message must be so specific that it repels the wrong audience and attracts the right audience like a magnet.

When you segment on Facebook Ads with your copy, you're asking people to self-filter. You're saying: "If you don't meet these criteria, please keep scrolling."

Think of your ad as the entrance gate to your practice.

• Technical Segmentation: Tells the platform who you want to show the ad to (the guest list).
• Copy Segmentation: Tells the person seeing it: "Are you the one I'm looking for? If not, don't come in." (The security guard at the door).

Here's how to use your message (your copywriting) to fine-tune your ideal audience and repel the noise, with practical examples.

1. The ultra-specific hook (the first sentence)

The key to a good hook is that it only makes sense to your ideal client. Don't say: "If you have anxiety, this is for you." That's too broad. Instead, say:

• Instead of: "Stop feeling stressed."
• Try: "Female career leader who has already tried every mindfulness method and still feels that guilt keeps her awake at 3 AM."

Notice the difference. The second sentence immediately eliminates students, men, or people who don't have a leadership role. Only the woman who identifies with that specific pain ("guilt keeps her awake at 3 AM") will stop to read. It's an emotional filter.

2. Language and analogy (the consultant's voice)

Your language should reflect the socioeconomic, cultural, and emotional stage of your client.

• If your client is a woman who is just starting to explore emotional healing (an entry-level client), you can use softer, more supportive language.
• If your client is a director or executive with a high level of demand (a high-value client for an advanced coaching program), the language should be more professional, focused on performance, strategy, and impact. Use phrases like: "If you already understand the theory, but don't know how to implement the change in your system..."

Authenticity sells, but specificity filters. Your tone and the metaphors you use are a cultural and economic filter that pushes away those who are not on your wavelength.

3. The visual filter: repellent creatives

Your creative (the photo or video) is a segmentation tool as powerful as the copy. If your Ideal Audience is women in their 40s looking to reconnect with their purpose, but your ad shows a 22-year-old girl doing yoga on the beach, the algorithm will go for the cheapest audience (probably younger people with less purchasing power), and you'll keep attracting the wrong people.

Take note:

• Use images that your ideal client can imagine themselves being. Is your client a busy mom? Show her in a moment of peace at home. Is your client an executive? Show them on a calm video call.
• Apply the Principle of Contrast: A/B test with very different creatives. Try a professional photo and a "homemade" photo (recorded in the car, as in the case we saw), and let your audience decide. Sometimes, authenticity acts as a natural filter, because people who only seek polished and superficial advertising will go with the "prettier" ad, leaving your real audience with the more personal message.

The great lesson of standard deviation (noise is normal)

Going back to Alba's case, who was worried about men's comments on her ads segmented for women. My answer is always the same: noise is normal; the important thing is the proportion.

In any Facebook Ads segmentation campaign, you'll have a standard deviation. That is, a small percentage of interactions (maybe 5% or 10%) will be from bots, strange profiles, or negative comments. You can't eliminate this entirely; it's the cost of being on an open social network.

What you can control is the actual output:

• If you spent $100 and got 50 quality leads (who open your emails and are interested in your offer), the three negative comments or strange interactions don't matter.
• If you spent $100 and got 2 leads and 50 spam comments, then you have a filtering problem.

Focus your energy on the metric that pays the bills: the quality of the leads or the conversion to sales. Stop obsessing over the noise that doesn't affect your profitability.

The last layer of the filter: your offer

While copy is your first filter, your offer is the last and most important one. Your offer filters by commitment and purchasing power.

• Soft Filter (Freebie): A free guide or ebook will attract a lot of people. It's a very broad segmentation.
• Medium Filter (Low-Cost Workshop): A workshop for $15 or $20 already filters for people who are willing to pay for solutions. Here you eliminate many curious people.
• High Filter (High-Priced Program): A coaching program worth thousands of dollars is the strongest filter. Here, only people who have already tried other things, who trust your value, and who are 100% committed to the transformation enter.

If you have problems with Facebook Ads segmentation, start by checking if you're using your offer as a filter. A client who pays a premium price doesn't waste time leaving negative comments or asking trivial questions; they go straight for the solution they need.

Conclusion: from configuration to conversation

The biggest mistake we make as health and wellness digital marketing professionals is thinking that Facebook's technology is magical. It's not. It's a powerful tool that needs direction.

Your power lies in your knowledge of your ideal audience.

Before you blame the algorithm, follow these three steps:

1. Define Your Single Objective: Don't ask one ad to give you leads and sales at the same time. One ad, one objective.
2. Segment with the Copy: Rewrite your first paragraphs. Be so specific about the pain or aspiration that only your ideal client wants to read the rest. Use language that repels the people you don't want.
3. Constant A/B Testing: Never assume that something works forever. Continuously launch variations of your messages and creatives. The only way to know what's happening is to test.

The success of your next Facebook Ads segmentation campaign is in the conversation you start, not the button you press. Trust your message, be specific, and let the copy do the heavy lifting of filtering for you.