Contents
- The metric counts the distinct companies where at least one member saw the ad.
- In complex sales, it counts more than individual reach: the decision is made by several people.
- Set against the target-account list, it gives the campaign's real penetration rate.
Definition
Companies reached measures the number of distinct organizations where at least one member was exposed to the ad.
Formula
Penetration rate = companies reached divided by target-account list size.
Worked example
An ABM campaign targets a list of 208 accounts and reaches 96 companies over the quarter, so 46% penetration. The 12,000 members reached are therefore concentrated on fewer than half the targeted accounts: the targeting leaves half the list aside, which no individual-reach metric would have revealed.
Orders of magnitude
On a structured ABM campaign, penetration below 50% of the target list usually points to a targeting problem or a too-diluted budget.
The most common mistakes
- Settling for individual reach. Reaching 12,000 people in 40 companies isn't the same as 12,000 people in 200 companies.
- Ignoring the number of people reached per account. In complex sales, reaching a single person on a buying committee isn't enough.
- Reading the metric outside a list logic. Without defined target accounts, it has no point of comparison.
Where to find the metric
In LinkedIn Ads, the Companies reached column, available on campaigns using account-list targeting. The revenue attribution report completes the reading when the CRM is synced.
Frequently asked questions
The Adwise team connects Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, GA4 and Search Console so agencies and freelancers can run their campaigns from a single place.
