Reach And Frequency Calculator
This calculator helps you understand the efficiency and exposure of your marketing campaign by determining Reach Percentage, Unique Reach, and Average Frequency.
Enter the Total Impressions Served and the number of Unique People Reached. Optionally, provide your Target Audience Size to calculate Reach Percentage. Ensure consistent units (typically just numbers).
Enter Campaign Metrics
Understanding Reach and Frequency
What are Reach and Frequency?
Reach is the total number of unique individuals who were exposed to your advertisement or content at least once during a specific period. It's about the *breadth* of your audience.
Frequency is the average number of times a unique individual was exposed to your advertisement or content during that same period. It's about the *depth* or *intensity* of exposure among those reached.
Impressions represent the total number of times your ad was displayed, regardless of whether the same person saw it multiple times. One person seeing an ad five times counts as five impressions.
Formulas Used
- Average Frequency = Total Impressions / Unique People Reached
This formula assumes Unique People Reached > 0.
- Reach Percentage = (Unique People Reached / Target Audience Size) * 100
This requires knowing your Target Audience Size and assumes Target Audience Size > 0.
Understanding these metrics helps evaluate campaign performance. High reach means you got in front of many people. High frequency means those people saw your ad often. Often, there's a trade-off between maximizing reach and increasing frequency within a fixed budget.
Reach and Frequency Examples
Click on an example to see the calculation scenario:
Example 1: Simple Campaign
Scenario: A small local ad campaign.
Known Values: Total Impressions = 50,000, Unique People Reached = 10,000.
Calculation:
Average Frequency = 50,000 / 10,000 = 5
Result: Average Frequency = 5.
Conclusion: On average, each person reached saw the ad 5 times.
Example 2: High Reach, Low Frequency
Scenario: A branding campaign focused on awareness across a large group.
Known Values: Total Impressions = 1,000,000, Unique People Reached = 800,000, Target Audience Size = 2,000,000.
Calculation:
Average Frequency = 1,000,000 / 800,000 = 1.25
Reach Percentage = (800,000 / 2,000,000) * 100 = 40%
Result: Average Frequency = 1.25, Reach Percentage = 40%.
Conclusion: The campaign reached 40% of the target audience, with most people seeing the ad just once or twice.
Example 3: Low Reach, High Frequency
Scenario: A retargeting campaign aimed at a specific, smaller group.
Known Values: Total Impressions = 200,000, Unique People Reached = 10,000, Target Audience Size = 500,000.
Calculation:
Average Frequency = 200,000 / 10,000 = 20
Reach Percentage = (10,000 / 500,000) * 100 = 2%
Result: Average Frequency = 20, Reach Percentage = 2%.
Conclusion: While only a small portion of the overall target audience was reached, those who were reached saw the ad an average of 20 times.
Example 4: Only Frequency Calculation
Scenario: Analyzing ad delivery numbers without knowing the total market size.
Known Values: Total Impressions = 750,000, Unique People Reached = 150,000.
Calculation:
Average Frequency = 750,000 / 150,000 = 5
Result: Average Frequency = 5.
Conclusion: On average, people reached saw the ad 5 times. (Reach Percentage cannot be calculated without Target Audience Size).
Example 5: When Impressions = Reach
Scenario: A campaign where every impression was delivered to a unique person (rare in practice for large numbers).
Known Values: Total Impressions = 10,000, Unique People Reached = 10,000.
Calculation:
Average Frequency = 10,000 / 10,000 = 1
Result: Average Frequency = 1.
Conclusion: Each person reached saw the ad exactly once on average.
Example 6: Large Scale Digital Campaign
Scenario: Evaluating a national online campaign.
Known Values: Total Impressions = 50,000,000, Unique People Reached = 15,000,000, Target Audience Size = 100,000,000.
Calculation:
Average Frequency = 50,000,000 / 15,000,000 ≈ 3.33
Reach Percentage = (15,000,000 / 100,000,000) * 100 = 15%
Result: Average Frequency ≈ 3.33, Reach Percentage = 15%.
Conclusion: The campaign reached 15% of the target audience, with an average frequency of about 3.3.
Example 7: Direct Mail Campaign (Conceptual)
Scenario: Modeling a direct mail drop where each household is considered one unique reach (simplification).
Known Values: Total Impressions (pieces mailed) = 25,000, Unique People Reached (households) = 25,000, Target Audience Size (total households in area) = 50,000.
Calculation:
Average Frequency = 25,000 / 25,000 = 1
Reach Percentage = (25,000 / 50,000) * 100 = 50%
Result: Average Frequency = 1, Reach Percentage = 50%.
Conclusion: The campaign reached 50% of the target households, with each receiving one piece of mail.
Example 8: Low Unique Reach Input
Scenario: A campaign with many impressions but few unique viewers (e.g., shown repeatedly to a small list).
Known Values: Total Impressions = 1,000,000, Unique People Reached = 5,000.
Calculation:
Average Frequency = 1,000,000 / 5,000 = 200
Result: Average Frequency = 200.
Conclusion: While reach was low, those few people saw the ad an average of 200 times.
Example 9: Small Numbers
Scenario: Testing ad creative with a small group.
Known Values: Total Impressions = 500, Unique People Reached = 100, Target Audience Size = 150.
Calculation:
Average Frequency = 500 / 100 = 5
Reach Percentage = (100 / 150) * 100 ≈ 66.67%
Result: Average Frequency = 5, Reach Percentage ≈ 66.67%.
Conclusion: 66.67% of the test group was reached, with an average frequency of 5.
Example 10: Zero Unique Reach (Error Case)
Scenario: Attempting to calculate frequency when no one was reached.
Known Values: Total Impressions = 10,000, Unique People Reached = 0.
Calculation: Division by zero is undefined.
Result: The calculator will show an error.
Conclusion: Frequency cannot be calculated if Unique People Reached is zero. Reach Percentage would be 0%.
Frequently Asked Questions about Reach and Frequency
1. What is Reach in advertising?
Reach is the total number of different people or households exposed to an advertisement at least once during a specific period. It measures the size of the audience that saw your ad.
2. What is Frequency in advertising?
Frequency is the average number of times a unique individual (within the reached audience) was exposed to an advertisement during a specific period. It measures the intensity of the exposure.
3. What is the difference between Impressions and Reach?
Impressions count every time an ad is displayed (potential views, including multiple views by the same person). Reach counts the number of *unique* people who saw the ad at least once.
4. How is Average Frequency calculated?
Average Frequency is calculated by dividing the Total Impressions Served by the number of Unique People Reached (Average Frequency = Impressions / Unique Reach).
5. How is Reach Percentage calculated?
Reach Percentage is calculated by dividing the Unique People Reached by the total size of your Target Audience and multiplying by 100 (Reach Percentage = (Unique Reach / Target Audience Size) * 100).
6. What are the required inputs for this calculator?
You must enter both the Total Impressions Served and the number of Unique People Reached to calculate Average Frequency. To calculate Reach Percentage, you also need to provide the Target Audience Size.
7. What if I don't know my Target Audience Size?
You can still calculate Average Frequency using Total Impressions and Unique Reach. The calculator will simply not display the Reach Percentage.
8. Can Unique Reach be greater than Total Impressions?
No. By definition, Unique Reach counts individuals exposed at least once. Total Impressions counts total exposures. For Unique Reach to be higher than Impressions, a person would have to be counted as "reached" without receiving an impression, which is not how these metrics are defined. The tool validates this input.
9. What is a 'good' Average Frequency?
There is no single "good" frequency. It depends heavily on the campaign goals, industry, ad creative, platform, and target audience. Some campaigns aim for low frequency for broad awareness, while others target higher frequency for memorability or action.
10. What is a 'good' Reach Percentage?
Similar to frequency, a "good" reach percentage varies. It depends on the campaign's objective (e.g., niche targeting vs. mass market awareness) and the total size of the target audience. Reaching a high percentage of a very specific niche might be more valuable than reaching a low percentage of a broad market.
11. Why is it important to measure both Reach and Frequency?
Reach and Frequency provide a balanced view of campaign delivery. Reach tells you if you're casting a wide enough net, while Frequency tells you if your message is getting sufficient exposure among those caught in the net. Both are crucial for optimizing ad spend and performance.
12. How does this calculator handle zero or negative inputs?
The calculator requires non-negative inputs. It will show an error if Total Impressions or Unique Reach are negative, or if Unique Reach is zero (as frequency calculation would involve division by zero).
