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Reach vs impressions

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Reach is the number of unique accounts that saw the content. Impressions is the number of times it was displayed, counting the same person twice if they watched twice — on TikTok the metric is labelled "total video views". One person who rewatches a video five times is one reach and five impressions, which is why the ratio between the two says more than either number alone.

Reach

  • Unique accounts exposed to the content.
  • Answers "how many different people".
  • Cannot exceed the number of accounts that exist.
  • The number to use when you care about audience size.

Impressions

  • Every display, including repeats from the same account.
  • Answers "how many times was this shown".
  • On TikTok, reported as total video views.
  • The number to use when you care about exposure volume.

Why the ratio matters more than either figure

Impressions divided by reach tells you how often the average viewer came back. A ratio near 1 means almost nobody rewatched. A high ratio on a short video usually means the loop is doing the work — people watched it twice without deciding to.

That is why a short video can post an enormous impression count against a modest reach, and why comparing the impressions of a 7-second video with those of a 60-second one is comparing two different things.

Which one should an engagement rate be divided by?

Both are used, and they answer different questions. Engagement over followers measures loyalty and is what sponsorship rates are usually negotiated on. Engagement over views measures how the specific video landed with the people the algorithm showed it to.

On a For You driven platform, most of those people do not follow you — so engagement over views is the figure that predicts distribution, and engagement over followers is the figure that prices a deal.

Frequently asked

What is the difference between reach and impressions?
Reach counts unique accounts that saw the content. Impressions counts every time it was displayed, including repeat views from the same account.
Can impressions be lower than reach?
No. Every account reached generates at least one impression, so impressions are always equal to or greater than reach.
Does TikTok show reach and impressions separately?
TikTok reports reach as unique accounts and labels impressions as total video views. In ad reporting the two are separated explicitly.
Which one should I optimise for?
Reach if you want new people, impressions if you want frequency against the same people. For an ad that usually means watching reach while capping frequency, because impressions without new reach is the same audience seeing it again.

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