How to Add a Facebook Pixel to Any Link (Step-by-Step Guide)

Want to retarget people who click your links, even when you don't control the destination website? Adding a Facebook Pixel to your links lets you build custom audiences from every click, whether you're promoting affiliate products, sharing content, or running campaigns to third-party sites.

In this guide, we'll show you exactly how to add a Facebook Pixel (now called Meta Pixel) to any link using Linkly.

Normally, you need to install tracking code on a website to use Facebook's retargeting features. But what if you're:

• Promoting affiliate products on Amazon or other marketplaces
• Sharing links to news articles or third-party content
• Running campaigns to landing pages you don't own
• Distributing links across multiple channels

By adding a pixel to your links, you can track and retarget everyone who clicks, regardless of where the link goes. This opens up powerful remarketing opportunities that would otherwise be impossible.

Before you start, make sure you have:

1. 1A Meta Business account with access to Events Manager
2. 2Your Meta Pixel ID (a 15-16 digit number)
3. 3A Linkly account (free plan works fine)

If you don't already have a pixel:

1. 1Go to Meta Events Manager
2. 2Click Connect Data Sources and select Web
3. 3Choose Meta Pixel and click Connect
4. 4Name your pixel and click Create Pixel

Your Pixel ID appears at the top of the Events Manager page. It looks something like 123456789012345.

1. 1Log into your Linkly dashboard
2. 2Click Create Link
3. 3Enter your destination URL (the page you want people to land on)
4. 4Optionally customize your vanity URL or use a custom domain

1. 1In the link editor, scroll to the Retargeting Pixels section
2. 2Click Add Pixel
3. 3Select Facebook/Meta from the dropdown
4. 4Paste your Pixel ID
5. 5Save your link

That's it. Every time someone clicks your link, Linkly fires the Meta Pixel before redirecting them to the destination. The pixel event is recorded in your Events Manager, and those users are added to your retargeting audiences.

For detailed instructions, see our retargeting pixels guide.

Now that your pixel is firing, you can build audiences:

1. 1In Events Manager, go to Audiences
2. 2Click Create Audience > Custom Audience
3. 3Select Website as the source
4. 4Choose your pixel and set the criteria (e.g., all visitors in the last 30 days)
5. 5Name your audience and click Create Audience

You can now target these users with Facebook and Instagram ads.

Linkly supports retargeting pixels from multiple platforms:

You can add multiple pixels to the same link if you're running campaigns across platforms.

Segment by campaign: Create separate links for different campaigns so you can build specific audiences. A link shared on Twitter should be different from one in your email newsletter.

Use UTM parameters: Combine pixel tracking with UTM tags to see which links drive conversions in Google Analytics.

Set appropriate lookback windows: Meta allows audience windows from 1 to 180 days. Shorter windows mean more engaged users; longer windows mean larger audiences.

Comply with privacy regulations: Make sure your privacy policy discloses retargeting. For guidance, see our article on GDPR, CCPA, and retargeting pixels.

Affiliate marketing: Retarget Amazon visitors who clicked your affiliate links but didn't purchase. Show them reminder ads to complete their purchase.

Content marketing: Share blog posts or videos with pixel-enabled links. Retarget engaged readers with offers related to the content they consumed.

Email campaigns: Add pixels to links in your newsletters. Build audiences of your most engaged subscribers for lookalike targeting.

Influencer partnerships: Give influencers tracked links so you can retarget their audience without needing access to their accounts.

Linkly provides detailed click analytics for every link:

• Total clicks and unique visitors
• Geographic location and city-level data
• Device type and browser
• Referral source
• Click timestamps

Combine this with your Meta Events Manager data to understand the full journey from click to conversion.

Adding a Facebook Pixel to your links is one of the most effective ways to build retargeting audiences without needing website access. With Linkly, the setup takes less than a minute, and you'll start capturing valuable audience data immediately.

Ready to start retargeting link clicks? Get started with Linkly today and add Meta Pixels, Google Ads tags, and more to any link you share.