Impressions vs. Reach

Definition

Impressions = total times seen (if same person sees ad 5 times, that's 5 impressions); Reach = unique people (that same person counts as 1).

Example Usage

Our campaign had 10 million impressions but only 2 million reach, meaning we were traumatizing a small group repeatedly.

Origin

Media and advertising measurement terminology

Fun Fact

High impressions with low reach means you're showing the same people your ad repeatedly, which is either brilliant targeting or depressing failure depending on your perspective.

Source: Media Measurement Standards (MRC)

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