About Reach & Frequency

Last updated: May 2024

Before getting started: Reach & Frequency is currently only available to qualified customers. Please contact your sales representative for more information.


Reach & Frequency (R&F) is a campaign buying type on TikTok Ads Manager that lets you control the audiences you reach and the number of times they are exposed to your ad messaging before delivery. Compared to Auction ads where ad delivery is determined by factors such as bid or bid strategy, with R&F you'll schedule campaigns with predictable reach and controlled frequency at a set cost.



How Reach & Frequency works

When you create a Reach & Frequency campaign, it'll utilize three main components at the Ad Group level:

  • ​Targeting: The audience size that you may reach.

  • ​Schedule: When your ads will be delivered.

  • ​Reservation and purchase method: Unique to R&F. Controls your budget, impressions, reach, and percentage of the audience reached.


Your chosen settings for each are then used to predict the outcome and total cost of your campaign.


With Reach & Frequency, you'll see how your choices impact the following in real-time:

  • ​Reach

  • ​Impressions

  • ​Cost per Mille/Thousand Impressions (CPM)

  • ​Frequency

  • ​Budget



Why choose Reach & Frequency

Reach & Frequency is an ideal choice for those who want to pre-book their campaign in advance and estimate their results beforehand. You can take advantage of the following benefits that R&F brings, including:

  • ​More control: Transparent media planning and frequency control

  • Unique R&F features: Leverage features such as interactive added-on and multi-creative delivery strategies, to convey your brand message in TikTok style

  • ​Direct users: Use R&F to bundle with and drive traffic to Branded Hashtag Challenge, Brand Effect campaign, TikTok Profile page, and TikTok Shop Product Detail Page

  • ​Build smarter campaigns: Generate audience group from R&F and apply to lower funnel campaign


When to use Reach & Frequency

Reach & Frequency focuses on scale, and is a great way to drive branding and awareness. Unlike Auction ads that focus on purchase/conversion events and have the potential to limit reach based on budget, R&F will maximize your budget to get the most amount of people to engage with your content.


We recommend using R&F when you seek:

  • ​Large awareness generation purposes, such as product launches, brand events, etc.

  • ​A fixed amount of the marketing budget to reach TikTok users.

  • ​To conduct a campaign with minor monitoring and adjustments during mid-flight.

  • ​Campaigns with storytelling narratives that require a more relevant, native format



Key industries that benefit from Reach & Frequency

Reach & Frequency can benefit certain industries that value engagement on a wide scale. Consider how the following industries use R&F:

  • Entertainment: Leverage Ad Scheduling for trailers in R&F campaigns. Engage your target audience by genre in a story-like manner.

  • Gaming: Build mass exposure with the TikTok audience in new product launch campaigns, big updates, and IP crossovers.

  • Fast-moving consumer goods: ​Build mass exposure and a custom audience to re-engage users in Brand Auction with a product offer message.

  • Retail & E-Commerce: Leverage Campaign Forecaster to evaluate budget, reach, and frequency. Secure inventory for prime moments during gifting season.

  • Food & Beverage: Leverage creator content and R&F buying to attain predicted branding results.



Reach & Frequency setup guide summary

To set up a Reach & Frequency campaign, you'll need to make a series of selections at the Campaign, Ad Group, and Ad level.

At the Campaign level

  • ​Create a campaign in TikTok for Business Ads Manager, select Reach & Frequency as the Buying Type. The Advertising Objective will be Reach.

At the Ad Group level

  • ​Define who, when, and how you want your target audience to see your ads with diversified targeting and delivery options.

At the Ad level

  • ​Add the videos, TikTok Posts, and even interactive add-ons you want to show to your audience and the destinations you want to direct your audience to

Create a custom audience

  • ​Create a custom audience from the R&F campaign and re-engage them in Auction campaigns.



How to optimize your Reach & Frequency campaign

Consider the following best practices to ensure success for your R&F campaigns:

  • ​Leverage TikTok Ads Manager's Campaign Forecaster tool to strategically plan for your R&F campaigns. Quickly create different versions, compare metrics, and more.

  • ​Reserve R&F inventory as early as possible to ensure a lower CPM price, and maximize campaign reach using the same budget.

  • ​Run a 3+ week R&F campaign and engage with TikTok users 3 times a week.

  • ​Direct R&F targeted users to TikTok Pages for a seamless, paid-organic user experience within TikTok.