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.
CPM = (cost ÷ impressions) × 1,000. If a campaign costs $500 and delivers 250,000 impressions, the CPM is $2. It is the default currency of awareness advertising, where the goal is exposure rather than an immediate action.
In influencer marketing, brands sometimes benchmark a creator's flat fee against an implied CPM to judge whether the price is reasonable for the reach delivered. CPM contrasts with performance models like CPC and CPA that pay for actions rather than views.
See also
- Reach vs Impressions
Reach is the number of unique people who saw a piece of content, while impressions count the total times it was displayed including repeat views — so impressions are always equal to or greater than reach.
- 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.
- 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.
- Sponsored Post
A sponsored post is social or blog content a creator is paid to publish promoting a brand, which must be clearly disclosed as an ad under FTC and comparable rules.
- Rate Card
A rate card is a creator's published pricing sheet listing what they charge for each type of deliverable — an Instagram Reel, a YouTube integration, a story, or a bundle — used as a starting point for brand-deal negotiations.
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