The Permutive Facebook Pixel integration enables you to send rich cohort information to Facebook in real-time for audience targeting. These audiences are passed to Facebook via custom pixel events and can be used to build custom audiences in Facebook Ads Manager.This integration is a Destination:
Destination: Permutive sends cohort membership data to Facebook via the Facebook pixel, enabling you to build custom audiences based on Permutive cohorts.
Use cases include:
Build custom audiences in Facebook Ads Manager based on your Permutive cohorts
Retarget users across Facebook, Instagram, and Meta Audience Network
Target users with precision using real-time cohort membership data
Create lookalike audiences based on Permutive cohorts
Facebook Pixel: You must have the Facebook pixel already installed and active on your website. Verify this by searching for _fbq in the browser console. The Permutive SDK integrates with the existing Facebook pixel implementation to send cohort membership data.
Facebook Business Manager Access: You should have access to your Facebook Business Manager account to view and manage custom audiences created from Permutive cohorts.
Facebook Account Type: Your Facebook account administrator or Facebook representative should confirm whether you have a Core Setup or Non-Core Setup account, as this determines the pixel event configuration.
Permutive SDK: The Permutive Web SDK must be deployed on your site. The Facebook integration is an add-on that works with the core Permutive SDK.
The Facebook pixel integration works by firing custom events to the Facebook
pixel SDK that is already present on your page. Permutive does not install the
Facebook pixel for you. The integration automatically works with multiple Facebook
pixels on your site.
Navigate to Settings > Integrations in the Permutive Dashboard
Click + Add Integration
Select Facebook Pixel from the list of available integrations
You will see a configuration screen where you need to select your Facebook account type
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Select Facebook Account Type
Depending on the type of Facebook account you have, select either Core Setup or Non-Core Setup. This configuration determines the type of pixel event that will be sent by the Facebook pixel.Core Setup: If you have a Core Setup Facebook account, you will see two unique pixel events collected for every cohort: PermutiveSegmentEntry_<CohortCode> and PermutiveSegmentExit_<CohortCode>. For example, if a user is segmented into Permutive cohort 123, the following pixel event will fire: PermutiveSegmentEntry_123Non-Core Setup: If you have a Non-Core Setup Facebook account, you will see two generalized pixel events for all cohorts — only one event named PermutiveSegmentEntry will represent all cohort entries and only one event named PermutiveSegmentExit will represent all cohort exits. An event property named segment_id stored within each of those generalized events will contain the Permutive cohort code.
Your account administrator or Facebook representative will be able to confirm what type of account you have.
Once you have selected your Facebook account type, click Add Integration.
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Wait for Integration to Activate
The integration will be available for use in under 20 minutes. Once activated, you can begin sending cohorts to Facebook.
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Configure Cohort Activations
For each cohort you want to activate to Facebook:
Navigate to the cohort in the Permutive dashboard
In the Activation Syncs section, toggle the Facebook Pixel activation to On
The cohort will now be sent to Facebook when users enter or exit the cohort
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Verify Setup
To verify that cohorts are being sent to Facebook:
Use the Meta Pixel Helper Chrome extension to monitor pixel events on your site
For Core Setup accounts, look for custom events named PermutiveSegmentEntry_<CohortCode> when users enter cohorts
For Non-Core Setup accounts, look for events named PermutiveSegmentEntry with a segment_id property
In Facebook Business Manager, check that custom audiences are being populated with data from the pixel events
Show Advanced: Understanding Core Setup vs Non-Core Setup
The Facebook account type you select during integration setup determines how Permutive sends cohort data to Facebook:Core Setup Accounts:
Send unique pixel events for each cohort
Event naming format: PermutiveSegmentEntry_<CohortCode> and PermutiveSegmentExit_<CohortCode>
Example: A user entering cohort 123 fires the event PermutiveSegmentEntry_123
This approach is required because Core Setup accounts do not collect custom parameters in pixel events
Non-Core Setup Accounts:
Send generalized pixel events for all cohorts
Event names: PermutiveSegmentEntry and PermutiveSegmentExit
The specific cohort code is passed as a property named segment_id within the event
This allows for more efficient event tracking across multiple cohorts
In a Meta Pixel context, “Core Setup” is a data restriction mode that Meta automatically or manually applies to a pixel when a website is identified as being in a sensitive industry (e.g., healthcare, financial services) or has violated data-sharing terms. When a pixel is in Core Setup, Meta limits the type and amount of data it collects to reduce the potential for sharing prohibited information.
This integration works seamlessly with multiple Facebook pixels on your site. Permutive will automatically detect whichever Facebook pixel is available on the page for the domain where it is running.How it works:For example, if https://www.sport.com/ has a pixel with one account ID and https://www.gamebyte.com/ has a pixel with a different account ID:
When a cohort in your project is sent to Facebook, users who entered that cohort from https://www.sport.com/ will be sent to the associated Facebook account
Users who entered the segment from https://www.gamebyte.com/ will be sent to the associated Facebook account
The integration automatically routes cohort data to the correct Facebook pixel based on the domain.Selective Pixel Firing:If you want to control which specific pixels receive Permutive cohort activations:
This feature is available on request. Contact your Customer Success Manager to
enable selective pixel firing for your workspace.
Once enabled, you can:
Configure a list of pixel IDs in your Facebook integration settings
Toggle cohort activations per pixel when creating or editing activations
Control precisely which pixels receive which cohort activations
This is useful if you deploy pixels for different purposes (e.g., agency pixels, partner pixels) and don’t want to send Permutive cohorts to all of them.
The Facebook pixel integration works automatically once enabled in the dashboard. The Permutive SDK fires custom events to the Facebook pixel when users enter or exit cohorts that are configured for Facebook activation.The integration automatically detects and works with all Facebook pixels on your site, sending cohort data to the appropriate pixel based on the domain.
The custom event name: PermutiveSegmentEntry_[COHORT_CODE] where
[COHORT_CODE] is the unique identifier for the cohort. For example:
PermutiveSegmentEntry_123
PermutiveSegmentExit_<CohortCode> (Core Setup)
For Core Setup accounts, a unique custom event is fired for each cohort when
a user exits that cohort.
The custom event name: PermutiveSegmentExit_[COHORT_CODE] where
[COHORT_CODE] is the unique identifier for the cohort. For example:
PermutiveSegmentExit_123
Custom events sent to Facebook are subject to Facebook’s data processing and
matching. Match rates depend on Facebook’s ability to match users based on
cookies and other identifiers. Third-party cookies may be blocked in some
environments, which can affect match rates.
Facebook pixel events not appearing in Meta Pixel Helper
First, verify that the Facebook pixel is properly installed on your site by checking that _fbq is defined in the browser console. If the pixel is installed but Permutive events are not appearing:
Check that the Facebook integration is enabled in the Permutive dashboard and has been active for at least 20 minutes
Verify that cohorts are configured with Facebook activation enabled
Ensure that the Permutive SDK has loaded successfully on the page
Check the browser console for any JavaScript errors that might be preventing the Permutive SDK from executing
For Non-Core Setup accounts, look for PermutiveSegmentEntry events with a segment_id property
For Core Setup accounts, look for PermutiveSegmentEntry_<CohortCode> events
Custom audiences not populating in Facebook Business Manager
Facebook custom audiences built from pixel events can take 24-48 hours to populate after pixel events start firing. If audiences are still not populating after this time:
Verify that pixel events are firing correctly using the Meta Pixel Helper
Check that the pixel ID in your pixel implementation matches the pixel ID in Facebook Business Manager
For Non-Core Setup accounts, ensure your custom audience definition in Facebook includes the PermutiveSegmentEntry custom event with the correct segment_id value
For Core Setup accounts, ensure your custom audience definition includes the specific PermutiveSegmentEntry_<CohortCode> event
Check Facebook’s Event Match Quality score, which indicates how well Facebook can match pixel data to Facebook users. Low match quality may be due to cookie blocking or other privacy restrictions.
Multiple Facebook pixels receiving Permutive data
By default, Permutive automatically detects and works with all Facebook pixels on your site. The integration will pick up whichever Facebook pixel is available on the page for the domain where it is running. This means:
Different domains with different pixel IDs will automatically send data to their respective Facebook accounts
Users who enter a cohort from one domain will be sent to that domain’s associated Facebook account
Users who enter a cohort from another domain will be sent to that domain’s associated Facebook account
If you want to control which specific pixels receive Permutive data, this requires custom configuration. Please contact your Customer Success Manager to discuss options for selective pixel activation.
Third-party cookie blocking affecting match rates
Facebook uses third-party cookies for user matching, which are increasingly blocked by browsers and privacy tools. If you’re experiencing low match rates:
Consider using Facebook’s Conversion API for server-side data transfer (contact Permutive Support for guidance)
Ensure users are logged into Facebook when visiting your site, as this improves matching
Review Facebook’s Event Match Quality metrics in Facebook Business Manager to understand matching performance
Incorrect account type selected during setup
If you selected the wrong account type (Core Setup vs Non-Core Setup) during integration setup and cohort data isn’t appearing in Facebook:
Verify your Facebook account type with your account administrator or Facebook representative
Core Setup accounts require unique events per cohort (PermutiveSegmentEntry_<CohortCode>)
Non-Core Setup accounts use generalized events with a segment_id property (PermutiveSegmentEntry)
If you selected the wrong account type, you will need to remove and re-add the Facebook integration with the correct configuration
Contact Permutive Support if you need assistance reconfiguring the integration
