## Overview

To enable Custom Targeting, you'll want to tie queries written in our [Zerkel Language](https://dev.kevel.co/v1.0/docs/zerkel-queries) to a Flight or Ad using the API or UI.

> 🚧
> 
> ### When passing queries via `CustomTargeting` field in API, make sure quotation marks are escaped so they don't break JSON. For example:
> 
> `name = "Adzerk"` would become `name = \"Adzerk\"`

## Flight Level with API

When creating flights via the [Create Flight](https://dev.kevel.co/v1.0/reference/flight#create-flight) endpoint, include the string under the `CustomTargeting` parameter. You can also update CustomTargeting with the [Update Flights](https://dev.kevel.co/v1.0/reference/flight#update-flights) endpoint.

Below is a request to create a flight targeting:

1. Age > 25
2. Gender = Male

JSON

```json
{
  "CampaignId":1234,
  "PriorityId":1325,
  "Name":"Sportsball",
  "StartDateISO":"2017-05-01T00:00:00.00.0000000",
  "GoalType": 1,
  "CustomTargeting":"(age > 25 and gender = \"male\")"
}
```

Here is a request to create a flight targeting IPs that contain the string "74.125", using Reserved Keys:

JSON

```json
{
  "CampaignId":1234,
  "PriorityId":1325,
  "Name":"Sportsball",
  "StartDateISO":"2017-05-01T00:00:00.00.0000000",
  "GoalType": 1,
  "CustomTargeting": "$ip like \"74.125.*\""
}
```

> 🚧
> 
> ### The max length of `CustomTargeting` for flights is 1000 characters.

## Ad-Level with API

When creating ads via the [Create Ads](https://dev.kevel.co/v1.0/reference/creative-flight-map#create-ads) endpoint, include the string under the `CustomTargeting` parameter.

Below is a request to create an ad targeting:

1. Age > 25
2. Gender = Male

JSON

```json
{
    "CampaignId":123,
    "Creative":{
    "Id":12345
  },
    "FlightId":1234,
    "IsActive":true,
    "CustomTargeting":"(age > 25 and gender = \"male\")"
}
```

## Setting Up with UI

- **Flight-Level** \- Go to Flight Settings, click "Custom Targeting" on the left
- **Ad-Level** \- When creating/editing a Creative, put in details under "Delivery Settings"

## Custom Targeting on Channels

You can also set custom targeting on channels to filter all ad requests to a channel by the custom targeting criteria. This is only useful if your network uses a multi-channel setup rather than a single channel like "All Sites".

For instance, your network may have three channels: "English", "Spanish", and "French". Your goal is to display ads to your users in the language set by their browser.

While you could add the custom targeting `$acceptLanguage contains "en-us"` to every flight in the "English" channel, it would simpler if you added it to the channel itself.

To do this:

1. In the UI, navigate to Inventory > Channels.
2. Click the name of the channel (or the pencil icon).
3. Insert your custom targeting in the "Custom Targeting" box.
4. Save the channel settings.