Content item audience selection

1. A method of identifying an audience performed by one or more data processing apparatus, wherein the one or more data processing apparatus comprise one or more processors configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to distribute content to a specified number of users that are interested in a particular entity;

determining that fewer than the specified number of users have expressed an express interest in the particular entity; and

in response to determining that fewer than the specified number of users have expressed an interest in the particular entity, distributing the content to additional users, including:

identifying a directly interested user that has expressed an express interest in the particular entity though detected online activities;

identifying, by one or more data processing apparatus, a first connected user that is connected, in a social graph, to the directly interested user;

identifying a candidate entity in which the first connected user has expressed an interest through detected online activities, wherein the candidate entity differs from the particular entity;

determining that the candidate entity and the particular entity share a same relationship with a same third entity that differs from each of the particular entity and the candidate entity;

determining, by one or more data processing apparatus and in response to the determination that the candidate entity and the particular entity share the same relationship with the same third entity, that a threshold portion of connected users that are connected to either the directly interested user or another directly interested user have expressed an interest in any entity having the same relationship with the same third entity;

identifying, by one or more data processing apparatus and in response to the determination that the threshold portion of connected users have expressed an interest in any entity having a same relationship with the third entity, a set of additional users that i) have not expressed an interest in the particular entity through detected online activities and ii) are not directly connected to the directly interested user in the social graph, but have expressed an interest in a different entity having the same relationship with the third entity as the candidate entity and the particular entity; and

distributing, in response to the request to distribute the content, by the one or more data processing apparatus, and over a communications network, data that present the content at user devices of at least a portion of the set of additional users that i) have not expressed an interest in the particular entity through detected online activities and ii) are not directly connected to the directly interested user in the social graph based on the set of additional users having expressed an interest in the different entity having the same relationship with the third entity as the particular entity and the candidate entity.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

obtaining a performance measure for the same relationship based on a number of user interactions with the content that was provided to the set of additional users that have expressed an interest in entities having the same relationship; and

updating a relationship score for the same relationship based on the obtained performance measures a portion of the connected users that have expressed the interest an entity having the same relationship.

3. The method of claim 2 , comprising:

receiving bid data specifying a first value that will be paid by a content item provider for distribution of the content to users that have been deemed interested in the particular entity; and determining, based on the bid data, a second value that the content item provider will pay for distribution of the content to the set of additional users.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein determining the second value comprises determining an expansion bid for the same relationship, the expansion bid value being determined based, at least in part, on the relationship score for the same relationship, the expansion bid value being different from a bid value for distribution of the content item to the directly interested user.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein identifying a directly interested user comprises identifying a user that has interacted with a positive feedback user interface element associated with content referencing the particular entity.

6. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by one or more data processing apparatus cause the one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to distribute content to a specified number of users that are interested in a particular entity;

determining that fewer than the specified number of users have expressed an express interest in the particular entity; and

in response to determining that fewer than the specified number of users have expressed an interest in the particular entity, distributing the content to additional users, including:

identifying a directly interested user that has expressed an express interest in the particular entity though detected online activities;

identifying, by one or more data processing apparatus, a first connected user that is connected, in a social graph, to the directly interested user;

identifying a candidate entity in which the first connected user has expressed an interest through detected online activities, wherein the candidate entity differs from the particular entity;

determining that the candidate entity and the particular entity share a same relationship with a same third entity that differs from each of the particular entity and the candidate entity;

determining, in response to the determination that the candidate entity and the particular entity share the same relationship with the same third entity, that a threshold portion of connected users that are connected to either the directly interested user or another directly interested user have expressed an interest in any entity having the same relationship with the same third entity;

identifying, in response to the determination that the threshold portion of connected users have expressed an interest in any entity having a same relationship with the third entity, a set of additional users that i) have not expressed an interest in the particular entity through detected online activities and ii) are not directly connected to the directly interested user in the social graph, but have expressed an interest in a different entity having the same relationship with the third entity as the candidate entity and the particular entity; and

distributing, in response to the request to distribute the content and over a communications network, data that present the content at user devices of at least a portion of the set of additional users that i) have not expressed an interest in the particular entity through detected online activities and ii) are not directly connected to the directly interested user in the social graph based on the set of additional users having expressed an interest in the different entity having the same relationship with the third entity as the particular entity and the candidate entity.

7. The computer storage medium of claim 6 , wherein the instructions cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

obtaining a performance measure for the same relationship based on a number of user interactions with the content that was provided to the set of additional users that have expressed an interest in entities having the same relationship; and

updating a relationship score for the same relationship based on the obtained performance measures a portion of the connected users that have expressed the interest an entity having the same relationship.

8. The computer storage medium of claim 6 , wherein the instructions cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving bid data specifying a first value that will be paid by a content item provider for distribution of the content to users that have been deemed interested in the particular entity; and determining, based on the bid data, a second value that the content item provider will pay for distribution of the content to the set of additional users.

9. The computer storage medium of claim 8 , wherein determining the second value comprises determining an expansion bid for the same relationship, the expansion bid value being determined based, at least in part, on the relationship score for the same relationship, the expansion bid value being different from a bid value for distribution of the content item to the directly interested user.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 9 , wherein identifying a directly interested user comprises identifying a user that has interacted with a positive feedback user interface element associated with content referencing the particular entity.

11. The system of claim 6 , wherein the instructions cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

obtaining a performance measure for the same relationship based on a number of user interactions with the content that was provided to the set of additional users that have expressed an interest in entities having the same relationship; and

updating a relationship score for the same relationship based on the obtained performance measures a portion of the connected users that have expressed the interest an entity having the same relationship.

12. A system comprising:

one or more data stores storing data representing a social graph and data representing a knowledge graph that is different from the social graph; and

one or more data processing apparatus comprising one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors interact with the one or more data stores and execute instructions that cause the one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to distribute content to a specified number of users that are interested in a particular entity;

determining that fewer than the specified number of users have expressed an express interest in the particular entity; and

in response to determining that fewer than the specified number of users have expressed an interest in the particular entity, distributing the content to additional users, including:

identifying a directly interested user that has expressed an express interest in the particular entity though detected online activities;

identifying, by one or more data processing apparatus, a first connected user that is connected, in a social graph, to the directly interested user;

identifying a candidate entity in which the first connected user has expressed an interest through detected online activities, wherein the candidate entity differs from the particular entity;

determining that the candidate entity and the particular entity share a same relationship with a same third entity that differs from each of the particular entity and the candidate entity;

determining, in response to the determination that the candidate entity and the particular entity share the same relationship with the same third entity, that a threshold portion of connected users that are connected to either the directly interested user or another directly interested user have expressed an interest in any entity having the same relationship with the same third entity;

identifying, in response to the determination that the threshold portion of connected users have expressed an interest in any entity having a same relationship with the third entity, a set of additional users that i) have not expressed an interest in the particular entity through detected online activities and ii) are not directly connected to the directly interested user in the social graph, but have expressed an interest in a different entity having the same relationship with the third entity as the candidate entity and the particular entity; and

distributing, in response to the request to distribute the content and over a communications network, data that present the content at user devices of at least a portion of the set of additional users that i) have not expressed an interest in the particular entity through detected online activities and ii) are not directly connected to the directly interested user in the social graph based on the set of additional users having expressed an interest in the different entity having the same relationship with the third entity as the particular entity and the candidate entity.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the instructions cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving bid data specifying a first value that will be paid by a content item provider for distribution of the content to users that have been deemed interested in the particular entity; and determining, based on the bid data, a second value that the content item provider will pay for distribution of the content to the set of additional users.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein determining the second value comprises determining an expansion bid for the same relationship, the expansion bid value being determined based, at least in part, on the relationship score for the same relationship, the expansion bid value being different from a bid value for distribution of the content item to the directly interested user.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein identifying a directly interested user comprises identifying a user that has interacted with a positive feedback user interface element associated with content referencing the particular entity.