Reach and frequency in plain words
- Reach: each person is counted once, however many times they see the ad. It can be a number of people or a share of your target audience.
- Frequency: the total number of times the ad was shown, divided by the number of people reached.
- Impressions: every single time the ad is shown. One person can add many impressions.
So impressions = reach × frequency. If 50,000 people see an ad and each sees it 4 times on average, the ad has 2,00,000 impressions.
A made-up example in rupees
Say a sweet shop chain in Jaipur runs an online video ad for a festival week. This is a made-up example with made-up numbers.
- Spend: ₹40,000.
- Impressions: 2,00,000.
- People reached: 50,000.
- Frequency: 2,00,000 ÷ 50,000 = 4 times each.
There are 200 thousands of impressions in 2,00,000, so the cost for every 1,000 is ₹40,000 ÷ 200 = ₹200. That figure is the CPM (cost per thousand views). There are 50 thousands of people in 50,000, so the cost to reach 1,000 different people is ₹40,000 ÷ 50 = ₹800. The second number is higher because the same people were shown the ad more than once.
How it works for an Indian business
A new brand usually needs reach first, because most people have never heard of it. A brand with a short sale window may want higher frequency, so the message sticks before the offer ends. A local shop may care more about reach inside one area than about a big national number.
Each platform and each medium counts reach in its own way. Television, outdoor boards, newspapers and online ads all use different methods. Read how the source defines reach before you compare two plans.
From reach and frequency to GRP
In television and outdoor planning, reach (as a percentage of the audience) is multiplied by frequency to give GRP (gross rating point). A plan that reaches 40% of the audience 3 times on average has 40 × 3 = 120 GRP. Use GRP to compare the size of two plans on the same audience.
Common mistakes
- Chasing reach alone, so many people see the ad once and forget it.
- Pushing frequency too high. People get tired of an ad, and money is wasted on the same viewers.
- Mixing up reach with impressions.
- Comparing reach from two platforms as if they counted people in the same way.
- Looking at reach and frequency but not at enquiries or sales.
There is no single right frequency for every brand. Test it, then check what it brings. To plan the spread across channels, read about media planning.
Related terms
- GRP (gross rating point): reach × frequency, a score for the size of an ad plan.
- CPM (cost per thousand views): what you pay for every 1,000 impressions.
- Share of voice: your share of all the advertising in your category.
- Media buying: booking the ad space or time that the plan calls for.
To turn a plan into booked space, see our media buying work.
