In plain English
Reach counts people; impressions count displays. One person seeing a post four times is a reach of one and four impressions.
It tells you about distribution and nothing about effect. Reach without engagement usually means the content was shown and scrolled past.
What to know
Unique people
Each person counted once.
Distinct from impressions
Which count every display.
Says nothing about attention
Shown is not seen.
Useful as a denominator
Engagement rate is calculated against it.
Why it matters
Reach is worth tracking as context for engagement, not as a result. A post with modest reach and high engagement usually did more for the business than the reverse.
Common mistakes
×Reporting reach as a business outcome.
×Comparing reach across platforms that define it differently.
×Chasing reach with content that says nothing.
×Ignoring engagement rate, which reach exists to contextualise.
FAQs
Reach or impressions?
Reach for audience size, impressions for frequency. Both are delivery metrics.
Is high reach good?
Only if something followed from it.
WRITTEN BY TARIQ SALLAM
Marketing Consultant. Entrepreneur. Content Creator.
I'm a marketing consultant, entrepreneur and content creator. I help businesses grow through practical marketing, websites, SEO, content and AI.
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