Understanding Media Planning Metrics
A simple guide to the metrics used in radio advertising media plans. Whether you're an agency professional or a business owner placing your first radio ad, this glossary will help you understand what the numbers mean.
GRP — Gross Rating Points
GRPs measure the total weight of your advertising campaign. Think of it as a score that tells you how much exposure your ad gets.
How it's calculated:
GRP = Reach (%) × Frequency
Example: If your ad reaches 30% of the target population and each person hears it 4 times, that's 120 GRPs.
Higher GRPs mean more total exposure. A campaign with 300 GRPs has more weight than one with 100 GRPs — but GRPs alone don't tell you how many different people heard your ad (that's Reach).
TARP — Target Audience Rating Points
TARPs are like GRPs, but focused specifically on your target audience rather than the total population. If your target is women aged 25–34, TARPs measure how much exposure your ads get with that specific group.
TARPs are always equal to or less than GRPs because they only count the people you actually want to reach.
Reach
Reach tells you what percentage of your target audience heard your ad at least once during the campaign. It measures breadth — how many different people your message touched.
Example:
A Reach of 65% means 65 out of every 100 people in your target audience heard your ad at least once.
Reach has diminishing returns — the first few ads reach lots of new people, but each additional ad reaches fewer new listeners. It's nearly impossible to reach 100% of an audience.
Frequency
Frequency is the average number of times a person in your reached audience heard your ad. It measures depth — how often your message was repeated to each listener.
How it's calculated:
Frequency = GRPs ÷ Reach %
Example: 300 GRPs with 60% Reach = Frequency of 5x (each listener heard the ad 5 times on average).
Research suggests most people need to hear an ad 3–5 times before it sticks. A frequency below 3 may not be enough for brand awareness. Above 10 may mean wasted budget on over-exposure.
CPM — Cost Per Mille (Cost Per Thousand)
CPM tells you how much it costs to reach 1,000 listeners. It's the universal cost-efficiency metric used across all advertising media — TV, radio, digital, print, and outdoor.
How it's calculated:
CPM = (Cost of ad placement ÷ Number of listeners reached) × 1,000
Example: If a 30-second spot costs ₦50,000 and reaches 200,000 listeners, the CPM is ₦250. A cheaper spot at ₦30,000 reaching only 80,000 listeners has a CPM of ₦375 — so the first station is actually better value.
Lower CPM means you're reaching more people per naira spent. AdRunna calculates CPM per station per daypart belt so you can compare cost efficiency across stations and time slots.
CPP — Cost Per Point
CPP tells you how much it costs to buy one GRP — one percentage point of audience exposure. It's the key efficiency metric for comparing stations and markets.
How it's calculated:
CPP = Total Cost ÷ Total GRPs
Example: If a station costs ₦500,000 and delivers 100 GRPs, the CPP is ₦5,000.
Lower CPP means better value for money. Compare CPP across stations to find the most cost-efficient options for your campaign.
AdRunna Score
The AdRunna Score is our proprietary rating for Nigerian radio stations, scored on a transparent 100-point scale using 8 verifiable metrics. Each metric is a recognised industry standard — you can see exactly how every station is scored.
Score components (100 points total):
- Weekly Reach — Estimated unique weekly listeners25 pts
- Market Share — Station's share of listeners in its primary market20 pts
- GRP Performance — Average GRP index across peak daypart belts15 pts
- Programming Diversity — Breadth of programme formats and content12 pts
- Advertiser Value — Cost efficiency (lower CPM = higher score)12 pts
- Coverage Breadth — Number of states in coverage area8 pts
- Operating Hours — Hours of daily programming4 pts
- Digital Presence — Website, social media engagement (scored from actual follower counts and engagement rates across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), and AdRunna verification status4 pts
Click any station in Rankings to see its complete score breakdown.
How to Claim Your Station
If you manage or work at a radio station listed on AdRunna, you can claim your station's profile to:
- ✓Verify your station data and earn the “Verified Station” badge
- ✓Update your rate cards, coverage area, and operating hours
- ✓Upload your programme schedule
- ✓Improve your ranking accuracy with verified data
To claim your station, visit your station's profile page and click “Claim This Station”. You'll need to upload a supporting document (such as a staff ID, appointment letter, or NBC licence) and our team will review your claim within 48 hours.
Sources & Standards
All media planning metrics used by AdRunna are internationally recognised industry standards defined by organisations including Nielsen Media Research, the American Marketing Association (AMA), the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), and the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF).
The AdRunna Score is our proprietary composite metric built from these industry standards, with full methodology transparency — click any station in Rankings to see its complete score breakdown.