Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for placing targeted messages in communications within a software application using machine learning models. An example method generally includes retrieving, from a repository, a data set of targeted messages. For each respective targeted message in the data set of targeted messages, an effectiveness score for a party associated with the respective targeted message, a distance score between the party associated with the respective targeted message and a host party, and a match score between the party associated with the respective targeted message and the host party. Based on the effectiveness score, the distance score, and the match score for each respective targeted message in the data set of targeted messages, a message is selected to be included in one or more communications by the host party. The one or more communications including the selected message are generated and output for transmission.