CPA (Cost Per Action)
CPA, or cost per action (also cost per acquisition), is a pricing model where the advertiser pays only when a specific action — a sale, signup, or lead — is completed, aligning cost directly with results.
CPA is the backbone of affiliate marketing: a merchant pays affiliates a set amount or percentage per qualifying action rather than per click or impression, so spend maps cleanly to outcomes.
Because the advertiser only pays for results, CPA carries less risk than CPM or CPC, which is why performance and affiliate channels favour it. The specific action — purchase, trial, subscription, or lead — is defined by the program as its conversion.
See also
- CPL (Cost Per Lead)
CPL, or cost per lead, is a pricing model where the advertiser pays a fixed amount for each qualified lead — such as a form submission, quote request, or signup — generated, common in lead-generation affiliate programs.
- CPC (Cost Per Click)
CPC, or cost per click, is the amount an advertiser pays each time someone clicks their ad or link, a common pricing model in paid search and display and a key metric for PPC affiliates.
- CPM (Cost Per Mille)
CPM, or cost per mille, is the price an advertiser pays per one thousand impressions of an ad or sponsored content, a standard way to price awareness-focused campaigns and influencer posts.
- Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing model in which a business pays external partners a commission for each customer or sale they refer.
- Conversion
A conversion is the qualifying action — such as a sale, signup, lead, or subscription — that triggers an affiliate commission.
- Performance Marketing
Performance marketing is an umbrella term for digital marketing where advertisers pay based on measurable results — clicks, leads, or sales — rather than upfront for exposure, with affiliate marketing as a core channel.
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