Frequency
The average number of times each person reached has seen your ad. Simple to calculate, easy to misread: the window you pick and the spread behind the average change what it tells you.
Both numbers must cover the exact same date range. Reach is deduplicated, so you can't build a weekly figure from daily ones.
What is Frequency?
Impressions tell you how many times an ad was shown. Reach tells you how many different people saw it. Frequency joins the two: on average, how many times did each of those people see it?
A little repetition helps people remember you. Too much and they start scrolling past, or worse, get annoyed. Frequency is the first place that shows up, but only if you read it over the right window and remember it's an average.
How it's calculated
Meta reports frequency directly, but it's always tied to the date range you asked for. The same ad has a different frequency for today, for the last 7 days and for its whole life. Each answers a different question.
| Meta metric | Date range requested | What it gives us |
|---|---|---|
| impressions | The period you care about | Total views in that period |
| reach | The same period, queried as one range | Unique people in that period |
| frequency | Any range | Meta's own impressions ÷ reach for that range, a useful cross-check |
Tracking it over time
Because reach is deduplicated, frequency for a week is not the average of seven daily frequencies. Someone who saw the ad once a day for a week counts as frequency 1 every day, but 7 for the week.
- 1Pull one range at a timeAsk Meta for reach and impressions over the whole window as a single query.
- 2Snapshot lifetime dailyStore lifetime reach and impressions each day, the same snapshot New Reach uses.
- 3Plot both linesLifetime and 7-day frequency side by side. The gap between them is the story.
Worked examples
Example 1: 7-day vs lifetime over four weeks
An illustrative prospecting ad, checked at the end of each week.
| Checkpoint | Lifetime impressions | Lifetime reach | Lifetime frequency | Last 7 days impressions | Last 7 days reach | 7-day frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 7 | 9,45,000 | 4,16,000 | 2.27 | 9,45,000 | 4,16,000 | 2.27 |
| Day 14 | 18,00,000 | 5,00,000 | 3.60 | 8,55,000 | 2,90,000 | 2.95 |
| Day 21 | 25,50,000 | 5,40,000 | 4.72 | 7,50,000 | 2,40,000 | 3.13 |
| Day 28 | 31,50,000 | 5,60,000 | 5.63 | 6,00,000 | 2,00,000 | 3.00 |
- 7-daySits around 3 for three weeks running. Nothing looks wrong.
- LifetimeClimbs to 5.63. The average person reached has now seen this ad more than five times, and lifetime reach grew by only 20,000 people in the last week.
Example 2: Same average, very different spread
Two illustrative ads both show a frequency of about 2.1. Here's how many times each person actually saw them.
Where Meta offers a frequency distribution breakdown for your account, use it. Where it doesn't, a rising lifetime frequency with flat New Reach is the best proxy for a growing long tail.
Using Frequency to decide
Read frequency with New Reach and CTR, never alone. The ranges below are starting points for prospecting ads; tune them to your category and creative length.
Common mistakes
- Averaging daily frequencyIt undercounts repeat viewers. Query the whole range in one go.
- Only watching a 7-day windowThe window forgets last month's viewers. Lifetime shows real wear.
- Trusting the averageA frequency of 2 can include people who've seen the ad 10 times.
- One cap for every adRetargeting, prospecting and long videos tolerate very different levels.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good frequency for Meta ads?
There's no single number. For prospecting, a lifetime frequency under about 2.5 with healthy New Reach is a sensible starting point. Retargeting can run much higher. Let CTR and CPA tell you when it's too much.
Why does Meta show a different frequency for each date range?
Because reach is counted once per person per range. A longer range has more repeat views per person, so frequency is higher.
Is high frequency always bad?
No. Considered purchases often need several exposures. It becomes a problem when extra views stop moving CTR, hook rate or conversions.
Related metrics
Lifetime frequency for every ad, not just this week's
BooleanMaths snapshots lifetime reach and impressions daily, so frequency and New Reach sit side by side for every Meta ad.
Frequency
The average number of times each person reached has seen your ad. Simple to calculate, easy to misread: the window you pick and the spread behind the average change what it tells you.
Both numbers must cover the exact same date range. Reach is deduplicated, so you can't build a weekly figure from daily ones.
What is Frequency?
Impressions tell you how many times an ad was shown. Reach tells you how many different people saw it. Frequency joins the two: on average, how many times did each of those people see it?
A little repetition helps people remember you. Too much and they start scrolling past, or worse, get annoyed. Frequency is the first place that shows up, but only if you read it over the right window and remember it's an average.
How it's calculated
Meta reports frequency directly, but it's always tied to the date range you asked for. The same ad has a different frequency for today, for the last 7 days and for its whole life. Each answers a different question.
| Meta metric | Date range requested | What it gives us |
|---|---|---|
| impressions | The period you care about | Total views in that period |
| reach | The same period, queried as one range | Unique people in that period |
| frequency | Any range | Meta's own impressions ÷ reach for that range, a useful cross-check |
Tracking it over time
Because reach is deduplicated, frequency for a week is not the average of seven daily frequencies. Someone who saw the ad once a day for a week counts as frequency 1 every day, but 7 for the week.
- 1Pull one range at a timeAsk Meta for reach and impressions over the whole window as a single query.
- 2Snapshot lifetime dailyStore lifetime reach and impressions each day, the same snapshot New Reach uses.
- 3Plot both linesLifetime and 7-day frequency side by side. The gap between them is the story.
Worked examples
Example 1: 7-day vs lifetime over four weeks
An illustrative prospecting ad, checked at the end of each week.
| Checkpoint | Lifetime impressions | Lifetime reach | Lifetime frequency | Last 7 days impressions | Last 7 days reach | 7-day frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 7 | 9,45,000 | 4,16,000 | 2.27 | 9,45,000 | 4,16,000 | 2.27 |
| Day 14 | 18,00,000 | 5,00,000 | 3.60 | 8,55,000 | 2,90,000 | 2.95 |
| Day 21 | 25,50,000 | 5,40,000 | 4.72 | 7,50,000 | 2,40,000 | 3.13 |
| Day 28 | 31,50,000 | 5,60,000 | 5.63 | 6,00,000 | 2,00,000 | 3.00 |
- 7-daySits around 3 for three weeks running. Nothing looks wrong.
- LifetimeClimbs to 5.63. The average person reached has now seen this ad more than five times, and lifetime reach grew by only 20,000 people in the last week.
Example 2: Same average, very different spread
Two illustrative ads both show a frequency of about 2.1. Here's how many times each person actually saw them.
Where Meta offers a frequency distribution breakdown for your account, use it. Where it doesn't, a rising lifetime frequency with flat New Reach is the best proxy for a growing long tail.
Using Frequency to decide
Read frequency with New Reach and CTR, never alone. The ranges below are starting points for prospecting ads; tune them to your category and creative length.
Common mistakes
- Averaging daily frequencyIt undercounts repeat viewers. Query the whole range in one go.
- Only watching a 7-day windowThe window forgets last month's viewers. Lifetime shows real wear.
- Trusting the averageA frequency of 2 can include people who've seen the ad 10 times.
- One cap for every adRetargeting, prospecting and long videos tolerate very different levels.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good frequency for Meta ads?
There's no single number. For prospecting, a lifetime frequency under about 2.5 with healthy New Reach is a sensible starting point. Retargeting can run much higher. Let CTR and CPA tell you when it's too much.
Why does Meta show a different frequency for each date range?
Because reach is counted once per person per range. A longer range has more repeat views per person, so frequency is higher.
Is high frequency always bad?
No. Considered purchases often need several exposures. It becomes a problem when extra views stop moving CTR, hook rate or conversions.
Related metrics
Lifetime frequency for every ad, not just this week's
BooleanMaths snapshots lifetime reach and impressions daily, so frequency and New Reach sit side by side for every Meta ad.