The reach planner in Google Ads is an awesome campaign planning tool designed to accurately plan for reach-based video campaigns.

In this article, Reach Planner In Google Ads, I’ll show you how it works and answer 6 of the most frequently asked questions about the tool.

 

Watch the video version of this article below:

What is Google Ads reach planner tool?

The reach planner in Google Ads is a tool designed to plan ‘reach-based campaigns’ based on video campaigns from YouTube and other video partners and apps. 

The data you find in the reach planner is based on Google’s unique reach methodology and is validated by third parties. This tool offers consistent actual reach and bids reports. 

I like to think of this tool as a lab, where you can experiment with different mixtures to get the projected outcomes that you want in your media campaigns.

You can build your forecast by changing audience types based on demographics, geography, ad format, and overall budget to target your specific goals and plan for the most efficient reach. 

The reach planner in Google Ads also provides recommendations on the best ads types to match your goals. You can even measure your forecast against reach and frequency using industry-standard metrics like gross rating points and costs per point.

Let us discuss further the FAQs about the reach planner tool.

 

Google Ads reach planner: top 6 frequently asked questions 

1. What is the reach curve?

 

The reach curve is an ad analysis showing the number of content impressions to the number of people who have seen it. 

Each point on the curve will show you what budget you will need for your goals or vice versa. You will see what reach is for a given budget.

When planning your campaign in Google Ads, you hover the curve to get different scenarios for your reach and budget ratios. 

You can even change the Y-axis in the Google Ads reach planner to show on-target reach absolute totals or on-target reach percentages.

 

2. What’s the maximum reach point?

 

This is the highest point on the curve, where the dotted lines show the maximum reach point. It shows the max number of people that the system can forecast. This is not the maximum reach of a YouTube audience.

If your budget is beyond this reach, you’ll get more frequency than you will get incremental reach. Too much frequency can cause ad fatigue so watch these numbers.

 

3. What’s the effective frequency?

 

This is the number you choose from “1+” to “10+” that signifies how many times you want your target audience to be exposed to your ad.

The on-target reach” drop-down menu indicates the number of people who have seen the ad that several times. 

For the most efficient reach, set this to 1+, unless you want to make sure your viewers get to see the video more times.

 

4. What’s the difference between +1 on target reach vs average frequency?

 

Changing the “1+ on-target reach” will impact your media plan reach numbers, but the ‘average frequency’ in your media plan will remain unchanged since it’s always showing you the average frequency for a 1+ on-target reach (“minimum effective frequency”). Remember that none of these metrics will impact your campaign setting, so set your frequency cap in your campaign.

 

5. Why can’t I see the reach percentage or total population of the plan?

 

In the reach planner in Google Ads, the total population and reach percentage (Reach%) are removed if non-demographic targeting layers are included like parental status, affinities, or in-market.

For example, the number of people “in-market for appliances” constantly changes, Google Ads highlights your absolute reach instead of your reach percentage of that population.

 

6. What’s the difference between on target cost per thousand impression (CPM) and total CPM?

 

The on-target CPM shows you the CPM for the demographics and Google audience you chose.

On the other hand, the total CPM will show you the CPM per your plan’s total reach and not just within your target demographics. 

For example, if you target some people outside your chosen demographics, the models are not 100% precise due to cases like users that are sharing devices, co-viewing, or even incorrect user declared.

 

Conclusion

Now that is a wrap on the google ads reach guide. This is a great tool to utilize it to fit the needs of your goals vs your budget.