Calculating your average frequency is straightforward once you know the Ad Frequency formula and what each input means. This guide explains the method in plain language, walks through a manual calculation, and gives worked examples you can follow — then you can do it instantly with the Ad Frequency Calculator.
What is Ad Frequency?
The Ad Frequency calculation tells you your average frequency from a few simple inputs. The figure you are solving for here is the average frequency.
The Ad Frequency formula
The core formula is:
Average frequency = Impressions ÷ Reach (unique people)Here is what each input means:
- Impressions — a number. Example: 100,000.
- Reach (unique people) — a number. Example: 25,000.
How to calculate it step by step
- Write down the impressions (for example, 100,000).
- Write down the reach (unique people) (for example, 25,000).
- Apply the formula above to get your average frequency.
- Double-check the result with the Ad Frequency Calculator.
Worked examples
Example 1
| Input / Output | Value |
|---|---|
| Impressions | 100,000 |
| Reach (unique people) | 25,000 |
| Average frequency | 4.00 |
With impressions of 100,000 and reach (unique people) of 25,000, the average frequency works out to 4.00.
Example 2
With impressions of 200,000 and reach (unique people) of 25,000, the average frequency works out to 8.00.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Average frequency | 8.00 |
Example 3
With impressions of 50,000 and reach (unique people) of 25,000, the average frequency works out to 2.00.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Average frequency | 2.00 |
Tips for an accurate result
- Keep your units consistent — mixing, say, months with years or grams with kilograms is the most common source of error.
- Round only at the very end. Rounding inputs early can shift the final answer noticeably.
- Re-run the numbers whenever an input changes, rather than estimating from an old result.
Prefer not to do the maths by hand? — the Ad Frequency Calculator does it instantly, for free, with the formula and a worked example built in.
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