Pearl Diver's intent data points to prospects actively researching solutions like yours, not just broad categories or lookalikes. This guide covers choosing intent topics, refining with filters, and activating the audience on your ad platforms.

⚡ What you can do with intent audiences

• Search a large topic library — Choose from over 42,000 consumer and business topics, from broad industries to niche interests.
• Combine intent with firmographic filters — Layer role, industry, company size, or income on top of intent signals to sharpen who qualifies.
• Work from daily-updated signals — Audiences draw on billions of behavioral data points refreshed daily, so they reflect who's actively researching right now.
• Activate directly on ad platforms — Sync an audience straight to Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, or Microsoft.

✅ Before you start

• Log in to Pearl Diver.
• Know whether you're targeting consumers (B2C) or businesses (B2B). You choose one focus per audience, not both.

Open the audience builder

1. Go to Audiences in Pearl Diver.
2. In the Create Audience panel, click Create Intent Audience.

Step 1: Find, choose your intent focus

Choose Consumer topics for a B2C audience or Business topics for B2B. This keeps your intent strategy aligned with your market.

Tip: Use the search bar to enter keywords related to your product, service, or target market, for example "apparel," "organic skincare," or "home gym."

• Type in keywords related to your product category, brand, or niche interest. You'll get a list of matching topics that reflect what people are actively engaging with online.
• Select one or more relevant topics. Adding related topics broadens the intent signals you capture.
• Review each topic's name, category, and description, and add as many as fit your target customer. Your audience size updates in the side tray as you go.

Tip: Think like your buyer. What would they be researching while they're in-market?

Step 2: Filter, refine your audience

In the Filter tab, add filters that align the audience with your ideal customer profile (ICP) or campaign focus. Combining filters with intent topics is what turns a list of intent signals into your ideal prospects who also show intent.

Step 3: Action, activate your audience

Sync the audience directly to your ad platform of choice.

Step 4: Save the audience

1. Enter an audience name.
2. Add an optional description.
3. Click Save.

FAQ

How do I know which mode to choose, Consumer or Business?
Ask whether you're selling to individual consumers (Consumer topics, B2C) or to other businesses (Business topics, B2B).

Can I combine Consumer and Business topics in one audience?
No. Keep them in separate audiences. Consumer intent is based on individual behavior and demographics, while Business intent is based on company-level signals like industry, revenue, or department. Mixing them dilutes targeting and makes it harder for ad platforms to optimize.

Why do I only see locked intent audiences after this update?
Audiences created before the Intent Audience Builder launched are locked. Contact support to update them, or create new ones.

Why is the total size of my topics different from my final audience size?
Each topic shows its own size, and the same person can appear in more than one topic. Pearl Diver removes duplicates across topics to give you the true unique audience size. That final number is the one to trust for campaigns.

Can I connect my intent audience to an ad platform?
Yes. Once built, connect it directly to platforms like Meta or Google Ads to activate your campaign.

Need Help?

Email us at [email protected] with your account details and a brief description of what you need help with, or book a support session directly with our team using the link below:

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