Impression
Each time your content or ad is displayed on a screen — whether or not it was clicked. Different from reach: one person can generate multiple impressions.
What is an Impression?
An impression is counted every time your content or ad appears on someone's screen, regardless of whether they interacted with it. One person scrolling past your ad three times generates three impressions but only one reach.
Impressions vs Reach
- Impressions: total number of times your content was displayed (can count the same person multiple times)
- Reach: number of unique individuals who saw your content
If impressions are much higher than reach, your content is being shown multiple times to the same people — this can cause ad fatigue.
Frequency
Frequency = Impressions ÷ Reach. A frequency of 3+ means each person has seen your ad 3 or more times. Above 5–7, performance typically declines as audiences become desensitised. Refresh your creative when frequency gets high.
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