Impressions and engagement rate measure different steps in how people respond to your content. A short story from field work helps show why both matter.
Impressions
An impression is one loaded view of your post or ad. It shows how many times your content appeared on screens. It does not confirm interest. It only shows reach.
Engagement rate
Engagement rate measures what people did after they saw the post. It tracks actions like shares, comments, clicks, saves, or full video views. It shows if the content created interest or urgency.
Why NGOs and NPOs should care
• Impressions tell you if you reached a useful number of people. If impressions are low, your target group did not see the message.
• Engagement rate shows if the message meant something to the people who saw it. You need actions, not passive views.
• Volunteers and donors respond to material that feels relevant. High engagement often signals that your message fits a local need.
• Strong engagement raises organic reach. Community pages share posts that feel urgent. That increases impressions without extra cost.
Anecdotal reference from field work
A small youth centre in Utrecht once boosted a thirty second clip for about 40 euros. The clip showed teens repainting a vandalised wall. Staff cared about impressions because they needed local parents and councillors to see that the centre was active. The boost reached about 6,000 people, which covered the parents and the neighbourhood groups they wanted.
The surprise came later. The engagement rate jumped after one local teacher shared the clip in her class group. Students tagged friends. Parents added comments about similar issues near their homes. That activity pushed the clip far beyond the paid reach. The centre ended the week with more paint volunteers than they could schedule.
The staff later said the impressions got the clip into the right hands. The engagement showed them the message had value. The combination helped them reach more people than the paid spend could ever buy.
Impressions open the door and usually impresses funders. Engagement shows if you have a message worth spreading.
