Reach (social media)

Additions, clarifications, extended definition

Reach is based on the unique users of an account/platform. It is always modelled by the platform in question. We also distinguish between organic and paid reach (whether the content was distributed naturally or boosted with advertising).

Interpretation

It shows how many people the content actually got to, not how many times it was displayed. The higher the reach, the wider the audience reached.

Watch out: limits and risks of distortion

• Reach must never be added up. Never add up reach for content on a single platform – two posts reaching 50,000 and 70,000 users do not mean a total of 120,000 unique people were reached (part of the audience overlaps). Never add it up across platforms either – you cannot simply add Instagram and TikTok reach together, because some users are active on both. If a "total reach" figure is needed, it must always be a modelled estimate with acknowledged limitations.
• Each platform measures differently – the methodologies are not directly comparable. For example, Meta counts reach based on user IDs, while TikTok reports reach as "unique viewers".
• Reach ≠ engagement – a high number does not mean success if the audience pays no attention to the content and the message.

Where and how to measure

• The native analytics tools of each network (Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube etc.) – most often called "insights" or ads managers.
• You can also measure the data via third-party tools (e.g. Brandwatch, Emplifi, Hootsuite etc.).