Understanding reach and frequency metrics

Note

Reach and frequency metrics are only available for native ads. Reach and Frequency metrics for display ads, online Video ads, and Premium Streaming campaigns are coming soon.

To maximize the effectiveness of your ad campaign, you should monitor both the unique reach (how many people view your ads) and the average impression frequency per user (how often they view them). You can use these metrics to more accurately measure your campaign exposure. For instance, a low unique reach suggests a need to expand your audience, while a high average impression frequency per user may indicate that your ads are being viewed often by the same people.

Note

When monitoring your campaign, remember that there is a three-day delay for reach and frequency reporting data.

• Unique reach

  People commonly transition between devices, networks, and ad formats throughout the day. Microsoft Advertising uses models based on shared signals and aggregated behavior data to calculate unique reach, ensuring viewers aren’t counted multiple times across devices and formats. This can be useful when measuring the size of your audience or when comparing the effectiveness of your campaigns. Unique reach measures the total number of distinct people who have viewed your ad. It accounts for multiple views by the same person across different devices, networks, and ad formats.

• Average impression frequency per user

  This metric indicates how often your ads are viewed by measuring the number of times an individual viewed your ad within a given period. This is calculated by dividing the number of impressions by the number of unique users reached for a given period. For instance, if you start a new ad campaign and after a week you see that the average number of times each user has seen your ad is five, it means your ad has been seen by each person about five times.

  • Add the unique reach and average impression frequency per user metrics to your report

    1. From the navigation menu on the left, select Reporting > Home.
    2. Select the report you want to run from one of these sections: Campaign, Ad Group, or Ad performance reports.
    3. Select Columns > Modify columns.
    4. In the Available columns panel, below Performance statistics, select Unique reach or Average impression frequency per user.
    5. Ensure that all the columns you want to view are Added.
    6. Select Apply.