Impressions
Definition
Impressions measure the total number of times your content is displayed on screen, regardless of whether the same person sees it multiple times. If one person scrolls past your post three times, that counts as three impressions but only one reach. Impressions tell you how often your content is being served by the platform.
Why It Matters
Impressions give you a sense of how much visibility your content is getting, but they should not be confused with meaningful engagement. A post with 10,000 impressions and zero clicks is not delivering value. Impressions are most useful when tracked alongside engagement rate and reach to build a complete picture of how your content is performing.
Example
A Facebook ad for a restaurant's new menu generates 25,000 impressions over a week. That means the ad appeared on screens 25,000 times, but only 4,000 unique people saw it (reach), meaning the average person saw the ad about six times.
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