Frequency: the number, and what it hides
The average number of times each person saw your ad in a given window.
Why frequency matters
It is the clearest early warning of fatigue. Rising frequency against a fixed audience means the same people are being shown the same thing, and results follow it down.
What this looks like with real numbers
Frequency of 3.0 across 100,000 people sounds harmless. But if 20,000 of them saw the ad nine times and the rest saw it once, the heavy segment is being burned and the average will never tell you. Look at the distribution, not the mean.
What it does not tell you
An average hides the distribution. A frequency of 3 can mean everyone saw it three times, or most saw it once and a small group saw it twelve times. The second is far more damaging and looks the same in the report.
The mistake people actually make
Reading frequency at campaign level. Fatigue happens at ad-and-audience level, and the campaign average hides it until it is expensive.
Questions, answered.
How do you calculate frequency?
Impressions ÷ reach. The average number of times each person saw your ad in a given window.
What goes wrong with frequency?
Reading frequency at campaign level. Fatigue happens at ad-and-audience level, and the campaign average hides it until it is expensive.
What does frequency not tell me?
An average hides the distribution. A frequency of 3 can mean everyone saw it three times, or most saw it once and a small group saw it twelve times. The second is far more damaging and looks the same in the report.
Change the creative, not the dashboard
The average number of times each person saw your ad in a given window.