What is impressions?

Impressions are the total number of times your content was shown on someone's screen, counting repeat views by the same person.

Impressions show how often your content is being displayed. A high number means your posts are appearing in feeds, Stories or search results often. Comparing impressions with engagement helps you see whether people who see your posts are interested enough to act.

Impressions differ from reach. Reach counts unique people, while impressions count every time a post appears, so one person seeing a post three times adds three impressions but one to reach. Networks define and count impressions slightly differently, and some have started using "views" instead, so be careful when comparing networks.

Do not judge success by impressions alone, since being seen is only the first step. Look at impressions alongside engagement, clicks and conversions. If impressions are high but engagement is low, try stronger visuals, hooks or calls to action.

Example

A craft brewery sees a jump in impressions after a festival post, then checks engagement to confirm people actually stopped to look.