Reach Calculator

Work out unique reach from impressions and average frequency, and the share of the target it covers.

About Reach Calculator

Reach is impressions divided by frequency, but it cannot exceed the audience that exists — so beyond saturation, additional impressions only raise frequency. The cost of incremental reach rises steeply as coverage approaches the population. Campaigns that keep buying after saturation pay repeatedly to reach the same people, which is the most common source of wasted media budget.

Formula

Reach

Reach = impressions ÷ frequency, capped at the size of the target audience

frequency: Average exposures per person
target population: Total addressable audience

Worked example

With the default values below, Reach Calculator returns Unique People Reached of 250,000. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Total impressions deliveredminimum 0: 1,000,000
Average frequencyminimum 0.1 x: 4 x
Size of the target audienceminimum 1: 800,000

Results

Unique People Reached: 250,000
Share of Target Audience Reached: 31.25%
Target Audience Not Reached: 550,000
Extra Impressions to Reach Half the Remainder: 1,100,000
Verdict: Low coverage — most of the target has not seen the campaign

Step by step

1Values used
2Reach
3Unique People Reached= 250,000
4Share of Target Audience Reached= 31.25
5Target Audience Not Reached= 550,000
6Extra Impressions to Reach Half the Remainder= 1,100,000
7Verdict= Low coverage — most of the target has not seen the campaign

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or fees or charges into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
This is an estimate for general information and not professional financial, tax or legal advice. See the full disclaimer for the limits that apply to this kind of calculator.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Reach calculated?

Reach = impressions ÷ frequency, capped at the size of the target audience Reach is impressions divided by frequency, but it cannot exceed the audience that exists — so beyond saturation, additional impressions only raise frequency. The cost of incremental reach rises steeply as coverage approaches the population.

Why does Reach matter?

Campaigns that keep buying after saturation pay repeatedly to reach the same people, which is the most common source of wasted media budget.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 3 inputs: Total impressions delivered, Average frequency, Size of the target audience. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.