What is ad frequency?

How does Meta define frequency?

Meta describes frequency as the average number of times each person saw your ad. It is an estimated metric, because reach is estimated.

Frequency = impressions ÷ reach

Worked example

The impressions figure is the same one the CPM calculator example uses; the reach figure is an example for this entry.

Frequency = 200,000 ÷ 80,000 = 2.5. On average each person saw the ad two and a half times over the date range.

Frequency depends on the date range and the level you read it at. The same ad can show 1.8 for one week and 4.0 for the month, and an ad set's frequency can differ from that of the ads inside it.

What frequency is too high?

Meta does not publish a cut-off. Its help page says frequency may average 1 to 2 per ad set, or much higher depending on budget, audience size and schedule, and advises watching it alongside results: if performance drops as frequency rises, the audience may be experiencing ad fatigue.

For campaigns bought through Reach and Frequency, Meta's default frequency cap is 2 impressions every 7 days.

How does frequency relate to creative fatigue?

Rising frequency is the condition; falling results are the sign. When the same people see the same creative again and again, CTR tends to fall and CPM and CPA tend to rise. That pattern is creative fatigue.

TikTok's creative best practices give a performance-based trigger instead of a number: refresh an ad group's creatives when delivery shows a steady decline, and add the new creatives to the existing ad group.

How do AI ad makers use frequency?

Frequency tells you when a winning ad needs new versions. The script and angle may still work; the audience has simply seen this cut too many times.

• Make new versions of the same angle in other formats: a UGC cut, a podcast clip, a drama scene, an animation.
• Change the first seconds first. A new hook on a proven body is the cheapest refresh.
• Watch frequency by ad, not only by campaign, so you know which creative is wearing out.

The creative fatigue post covers how to spot and plan refreshes in detail.