What Is Reach?
Reach is the number of unique users who saw your ad at least once within a defined window. Distinct from impressions (total views including repeats), reach measures the size of the audience you actually touched.
Reach vs impressions
A 7-day campaign has 150,000 impressions and 30,000 reach — meaning 30,000 unique people, average frequency of 5. If reach is 30,000 in a market with 500,000 potential buyers, you've only touched 6% of TAM — plenty of headroom.
Benchmarks
- Cold prospecting: aim to cover 25–60% of addressable audience per month.
- Retargeting: reach should stay close to warm-audience size (5,000–100,000).
- Brand awareness: reach % of target market is the KPI, not CPA.
Why it matters
Reach is the growth ceiling. When reach plateaus, frequency climbs, fatigue sets in, and CPMs rise. Growth means expanding reach — new audiences, new geographies, new creative angles.
Common mistakes
- 1.Ignoring reach when 'CPA is fine.' You're saturating; the problem is coming.
- 2.Reach for reach's sake. Reaching the wrong people costs money without effect.
Put Reach to work
Related services
FAQs about Reach
Reach vs impressions?
Reach = unique people. Impressions = total views. Impressions ÷ Reach = Frequency.
How do I grow reach?
Broader targeting, more geographies, more creative variety, higher budgets. Fatigued audiences aren't reach problems — they're creative problems.