What is reach in advertising?
Reach is the number of unique people or households who see an ad at least once during a campaign. Unlike impressions, which count every showing, reach counts each person only once.
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Why reach matters
Reach shows how many different people your message touched. It's a key measure for awareness campaigns, where the goal is to get in front of as many of the right people as possible.
A campaign can generate many impressions and still reach few people if the same audience sees the ads again and again.
Reach, impressions, and frequency
Impressions divided by reach gives frequency, the average number of times each person saw the ad. Looking at all three together shows whether you're spreading your budget widely or repeating to the same people.
Limits of reach figures
Reach is an estimate on most platforms. People use several devices, and platforms can't always tell they're the same person. Compare reach figures across platforms with care, since methods differ.
Common questions
What is the difference between reach and impressions?
Reach counts unique people, and impressions count every time the ad was shown. If one person sees an ad three times, that is one reach and three impressions.
How do I increase reach?
Widen your targeting, raise your budget, or add channels. Lowering frequency with a cap also spreads impressions across more people.
Is reach the same as audience size?
No. Audience size is how many people you could target, and reach is how many of them actually saw your ad.
Is reach a good metric for performance campaigns?
It's more useful for awareness. For performance goals, focus on conversions and cost per result, and use reach to understand scale.
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