Frequency
Frequency is the average number of times a single user has been exposed to your ad over a given window.
Frequency = Impressions / Unique ReachWhat does Frequency actually mean?
Frequency measures how many times the average user in your reached audience has seen your ad. It's reported alongside reach (unique users) by every major platform.
Frequency is a leading indicator of creative fatigue. Performance campaigns typically aim for 1.5-3 per week; brand-awareness campaigns tolerate 5-10. When frequency rises above target without conversions rising proportionally, the audience is being repeatedly exposed without responding, and fatigue is setting in.
Meta's Advantage+ surfaces don't expose direct frequency caps anymore (the platform manages it automatically), but you can still see frequency in reporting and use it as a diagnostic.
Example
An ad reached 50,000 unique users and served 175,000 impressions. Frequency = 175,000 / 50,000 = 3.5 (each user saw the ad 3.5 times on average).
When it matters
Rising frequency without rising conversions is the classic creative-fatigue signal. Refresh creative when weekly frequency exceeds 3-4 without hitting CPA targets.
Related terms
Frequency cap
A frequency cap limits how often a single user sees your ad over a time window, preventing audience burnout and creative fatigue.
Creative fatigue
Creative fatigue is performance decay caused by users seeing the same ad too many times, measured by rising CPM and frequency.
CPM
CPM is the cost to serve 1,000 impressions of your ad. It signals audience competitiveness and seasonal demand.
Reach
Reach is the number of unique users who saw your ad at least once during the campaign window.
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