Estimated Action Rate
What is EAR?
Estimated Action Rate (EAR) is Meta's prediction of how likely a specific user is to take your desired action (click, purchase, lead, install) after seeing your ad. It is one of the three components of Meta's ad auction formula: Total Value = Bid x Estimated Action Rate + Ad Quality. Meta calculates EAR using machine learning models trained on the user's past behavior, your ad's historical performance, and contextual signals. A higher EAR means Meta believes your ad is relevant to the user, which can help you win auctions at a lower cost.
Formula
Total Value = Bid x Estimated Action Rate + Ad QualityExample
Two advertisers target the same user. Advertiser A bids $10 with an EAR of 2% and average quality: Total Value = $10 x 0.02 + 0.5 = 0.70. Advertiser B bids $8 with an EAR of 5% and good quality: Total Value = $8 x 0.05 + 0.8 = 1.20. Advertiser B wins the auction despite a lower bid because Meta predicts their ad is more relevant.
Industry Benchmarks
| Platform / Segment | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase EAR | 0.5% – 3% | Higher for warm audiences |
| Lead EAR | 1% – 8% | Varies by form length and offer |
| Click EAR | 1% – 5% | Feed placement average |
| App Install EAR | 0.5% – 4% | Depends on app category |
Higher for warm audiences
Varies by form length and offer
Feed placement average
Depends on app category
Benchmarks are approximate averages and vary by industry, targeting, season, and geography.
Optimization Tips
- 1
You cannot see your exact EAR, but Ad Relevance Diagnostics (Quality, Engagement, Conversion ranking) are proxies for it.
- 2
Improve EAR by targeting audiences more likely to convert, use Lookalikes, retargeting, and interest stacking.
- 3
Higher-quality landing pages with fast load times and clear CTAs improve post-click conversion rates, which feeds back into EAR.
- 4
Consistent creative-to-landing-page messaging improves conversion rates and signals to Meta that your ad delivers on its promise.
Frequently Asked Questions About EAR
Track Your EAR in Real Time
Adship gives you a unified dashboard to monitor EAR, optimize campaigns, and improve performance across Meta and TikTok.