A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
- identify using a computing device of a social networking system, a plurality of seed users of the online system as high value users for sponsored content of a sponsored content provider;
- identify one or more characteristics of each of the plurality of seed users, wherein the characteristics are stored in the social networking system;
- identify additional users having a measure of similarity to the plurality of seed users that is above at least a threshold measure of similarity, the measure of similarity based at least in part on characteristics of the additional users matching the identified one or more characteristics associated with a threshold number of the plurality of seed users;
- determine a score for each of the additional users, the score for an additional user based at least in part on the measure of similarity between the additional user and the plurality of seed users;
- place the plurality of seed users in an initial tier of a tiered set of users for the sponsored content;
- place the additional users in additional tiers of the tiered set of users based upon the determined scores such that each additional tier includes those users of the additional users having a specified range of determined scores, the tiers of the tiered set of users ranked according to the determined scores of users within each tier, wherein each additional tier of the tiered set of users includes tiers which have users that have determined scores which are higher than the determined scores of the additional users in the additional tier;
- transmit a graphical user interface to a client device of the sponsored content provider, the graphical user interface providing a selection option for a number of audiences, wherein the selection of the number of audiences generates a corresponding number of user interface sliders in the graphical user interface, each user interface slider placed on a scale user interface element, the scale user interface element having indicators corresponding to each of the tiers of the tiered set of users and indicating different measures of similarity of each of the tiers to the plurality of seed users, wherein a movement of each of the user interface sliders along the scale user interface element to one or more positions causes an update of displayed information corresponding to the one or more positions;
- receive an indication from the client device of the sponsored content provider of one or more positions for each of the user interface sliders, each position indicating a corresponding range of tiers of the tiered set of users, each range of tiers corresponding to a targeted audience selected by the sponsored content provider;
- and
- transmit to the client device of the sponsored content provider updated information about users in each of the selected targeted audiences for display in the graphical user interface, the updated information indicating at least an estimated number of users in each of the selected targeted audiences.