Impressions vs. Reach (Across Platforms)
Impressions count every time something was shown; reach counts how many different people saw it.
What it means
Impressions are a raw count of how many times a post, ad, or page showed up — the same person seeing it five times counts as five impressions. Reach is the number of unique people who saw it at least once. Divide impressions by reach and you get frequency: roughly how many times the average person saw it.
Why it matters
A big impressions number can hide a small audience seeing the same thing over and over, which feels different from actually growing who you're in front of. Watching reach alongside impressions tells you whether you're reaching more people or just showing the same people more.
ask datanephew
Am I actually reaching new people, or just showing the same people more?
Ask datanephew to compare impressions and reach for a post, ad, or campaign on any connected platform — a rising gap between the two usually means frequency is climbing while your actual audience isn't.
Is my ad frequency getting too high?
Datanephew can pull impressions and reach together and work out the frequency for you, then flag if it's climbing toward a level where people typically start tuning an ad out.