Impressions

Impressions count how many times a post was shown. Unlike reach, the same person seeing it three times counts three times.

What it is useful for

Frequency. Impressions divided by reach tells you roughly how many times the average viewer saw the post, which matters for anything that needs repetition to land — a launch, a recurring format, a message you are trying to make stick.

What it is not useful for

Comparing yourself to someone else, or comparing across platforms. Impressions are one of the least standardised numbers in social media, and a large impression count with a small reach can mean a small audience saw something many times, which is not usually what a brand is buying.

In a brand conversation

If a brand asks for impressions, give them impressions, and say what the reach was too. Volunteering both is quick, costs nothing, and makes the number credible in a way one figure on its own never is.