A frequency cap is a configured ceiling on how many times an individual user sees the same ad — or any ad in a campaign — over a given window. Above that ceiling, the platform stops serving them. Setting a sensible cap is one of the cheapest ways to extend the life of a winning creative.
How to set one
Most platforms expose frequency caps at the ad-set or campaign level. The right ceiling depends on your context — cold prospecting wants lower frequency (3-4 per week) so users see fresh creative more often; retargeting wants tighter caps (2-3 per week) because the audience is small and easy to over-serve.
Common settings
- Cold prospecting: 3-4 impressions per user per 7 days
- Retargeting: 2-3 impressions per user per 7 days
- Brand-awareness reach campaigns: as high as 8-10 per week
- Always set against frequency over time, not lifetime — fatigue is a recency effect
When not to cap
If your audience is enormous (broad targeting on a national market) and your creative library is rich (10+ variants rotating), the algorithm's natural delivery already spreads frequency. Tight caps in that scenario can hurt more than help — they prevent the platform from serving the right user the right ad at the right moment.