“Ad reach” is an estimate of the number of people within a location target, based on signed-in users.
“Reach Planner” is a Google Ads tool designed to help advertisers plan their reach-based video campaigns across YouTube and video partners sites and apps.
Reach Planner’s data is based on Google’s Unique Reach methodology, validated with third parties and consistent with actual reach and bids reported.
To calculate “unique reach,” Google Ads uses statistical models that account for user behavior across many browsers and devices. These models are created by observing anonymous user behavior across Google products to determine cross-device usage patterns.
Reach Planner is updated weekly to use the most up-to-date data available.
Note: Reach Planner shows reach and frequency “estimates,” but doesn’t guarantee performance. Actual campaign performance depends on other factors (such as ad quality, ad relevance, and campaign settings).
In brief, the tool is quite helpful for planning YouTube campaigns when researching relative market sizes or comparing different demographics, but don’t put too much importance on the specific numbers themselves.
Avid hiker, bicyclist, motorcyclist and long-time advertising pro. Founder of Skyworks Marketing, Nonprofit Fire and Our Ventura TV (cable TV). One career highlight was working on a small team that built a business from nothing to over $100 Million in 3 years. Skyworks Marketing provides lead generation and video advertising services. We create custom marketing funnels that provide the highest-quality leads and sales.