How to Build a Retargeting Audience from Email Links

Your email list is full of engaged prospects, but not everyone converts on the first click. What if you could retarget people who clicked your email links with follow-up ads on Facebook, Instagram, or Google?

By adding retargeting pixels to your email links, you can build custom audiences from your most engaged subscribers and reach them across channels. Here's how to do it.

Email and paid advertising are often treated as separate channels. But your warmest audiences exist in both:

• Email subscribers have opted in and shown interest
• Engaged clickers are even more valuable: they took action

By pixeling email links, you capture these high-intent users and can follow up with ads when they don't convert from the email alone.

Example: A subscriber clicks your product link but doesn't buy. Later that week, they see a Facebook ad for the same product. The combination of touchpoints drives the conversion.

Normally, retargeting pixels need to be installed on your website. But with Linkly's retargeting feature, you can add pixels to any link:

1. 1You create a short link in Linkly with a retargeting pixel attached
2. 2You use this link in your email campaign
3. 3When someone clicks, Linkly fires the pixel before redirecting to the destination
4. 4The clicker is added to your retargeting audience in Meta, Google, etc.

This works even when the destination is a site you don't own (like Amazon affiliate links or partner pages).

You'll need a pixel from your advertising platform:

Meta (Facebook/Instagram):

• Go to Events Manager
• Find your Pixel ID (15-16 digit number)

Google Ads:

• Go to Tools & Settings → Audience Manager
• Get your Google Tag ID

TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest: Similar process in their respective ad managers.

1. 1Log into Linkly
2. 2Click Create Link
3. 3Enter the destination URL (your landing page, product page, etc.)
4. 4In the Retargeting Pixels section, add your pixel(s)
5. 5Optionally add UTM parameters for analytics
6. 6Save the link

Replace your regular links with the Linkly tracked links. Most email platforms allow custom URLs:

Instead of: https://yoursite.com/product Use: https://linkly.link/abc123 (or your custom domain)

In your ad platform, create audiences based on pixel activity:

Meta:

1. 1Go to Audiences in Ads Manager
2. 2Create Custom Audience → Website
3. 3Select your pixel and set parameters (all visitors, last 30 days, etc.)

Google:

1. 1Go to Audience Manager
2. 2Create audience from Users who visited specific pages

These audiences now include everyone who clicked your email links.

Email: "Check out our new collection" Link: Product category page with pixel Retargeting ad: "Still thinking about it? Here's 10% off"

Catch people who clicked but didn't buy with a nudge and incentive.

Create different pixel-enabled links for different topics in your newsletter:

Now you can show relevant ads based on what content subscribers engaged with.

Before a big launch, send preview content with pixeled links. Build an audience of your most engaged subscribers, then hit them with launch ads:

1. 1Week 1: Teaser email with pixeled link
2. 2Week 2: More preview content with pixeled link
3. 3Launch day: Retarget clickers with launch ads + send launch email

The combination of email plus ads to a warm audience drives strong launch results.

Send webinar registration links with pixels attached. After the event:

• Attended: Retarget with offer ads
• Registered but didn't attend: Retarget with replay access
• Clicked but didn't register: Retarget with next event invitation

When promoting products on sites you don't control (Amazon, partner sites), you can't install pixels on the destination. But with Linkly, you pixel the redirect:

1. 1Create Linkly link to Amazon product with your affiliate tag
2. 2Add Meta Pixel to the Linkly link
3. 3Share in your email
4. 4Retarget clickers with ads for related products

Links like lnk.yoursite.com/offer look more trustworthy in emails than generic short domains. Custom domains improve click-through rates and deliverability.

Don't dump all email clickers into one audience. Create separate campaigns and links for:

• Different product categories
• Different email types (newsletter vs. promotional)
• Different stages of the customer journey

• High-intent actions (product clicks): 7-14 days
• Content engagement: 30 days
• General brand awareness: 60-90 days

Shorter windows mean more relevant (and expensive) audiences. Longer windows mean larger (and cheaper) audiences.

If someone clicked an email about running shoes, show them ads about running shoes, not generic brand ads. The connection between email content and ad content is what makes this strategy work.

Track both email metrics (clicks) and ad metrics (audience size, ad performance) to understand the full impact:

Linkly metrics: Clicks, devices, geography via click tracking

Ad platform metrics: Audience size, CPM, conversions from retargeting campaigns

Ensure your email privacy policy discloses retargeting practices. Be transparent about data collection and provide opt-out mechanisms. See our guide on GDPR, CCPA, and retargeting.

Too many pixeled links: Don't pixel every single link. Focus on high-value actions that indicate purchase intent.

Generic audiences: An audience of "everyone who clicked anything" isn't useful. Segment by intent and content.

Ignoring frequency: Watch your ad frequency to avoid annoying your email subscribers with too many ads.

Forgetting exclusions: Exclude purchasers from acquisition campaigns. Don't keep showing "buy now" ads to people who already bought.

Goal: Drive sales for a new course launch

Week 1: Warm-up

• Email: Free guide related to course topic
• Link: Guide with Meta Pixel (Audience: "Guide_Downloaders")

Week 2: Education

• Email: Blog post about solving the problem the course addresses
• Link: Blog post with Meta Pixel (Audience: "Blog_Readers")

Week 3: Pre-launch

• Email: Early access announcement
• Link: Waitlist page with Meta Pixel (Audience: "Waitlist_Interest")

Launch Week:

• Email: Course is live!
• Retargeting: Ads to Guide_Downloaders, Blog_Readers, and Waitlist_Interest
• Creative: Testimonials, limited-time bonuses, urgency

The layered approach builds warm audiences before the launch, then hits them with coordinated email + ad campaigns.

Email and paid advertising work better together. By adding retargeting pixels to your email links, you capture your most engaged subscribers and can follow up across channels. This combined approach consistently outperforms either channel alone.

Ready to supercharge your email marketing? Get started with Linkly and add retargeting pixels to your email links in seconds.