Universal · Buy-Side calculator
CPM (Cost per Mille)
CPM is what you pay for every thousand ad impressions.
Formula
CPM = (Spend ÷ Impressions) × 1000
Fill in any 2 fields. The one you edited longest ago is solved for you.
Waiting for 2 values to solve CPM.
What is CPM?
CPM is what you pay for every thousand ad impressions. It is the common currency of awareness buying, letting you compare the price of reach across channels, formats and sellers regardless of clicks or outcomes.
Worked example
If spend is $5,000 and impressions is 1,200,000, then CPM = $4.17.
CPM = (Spend ÷ Impressions) × 1000
Formula variable breakdown
- spendSpend
- Enter spend directly, or leave it blank and let the solver calculate it from the other 2 fields.
- impressionsImpressions
- Enter impressions directly, or leave it blank and let the solver calculate it from the other 2 fields.
- cpmCPM(output)
- Enter CPM directly, or leave it blank and let the solver calculate it from the other 2 fields.
Tactical application guide
CPM links spend and impressions in a fixed ratio, so any two pin down the third. Planning backwards is where it earns its keep: enter the spend you have and the CPM you are targeting, and the solver tells you the impressions you must secure. Or lock impressions and CPM from a benchmark to see the spend that plan implies before you commit.
More in Universal
All Universal calculators →- CPC (Cost per Click)CPC is the average price you pay each time someone clicks your ad.
- CTR (Click-Through Rate)CTR is the share of impressions that turned into a click.
- CPA (Cost per Acquisition)CPA is what you pay, on average, for each conversion you define as the goal.
- ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)ROAS is the revenue generated for every dollar of advertising.
- ROI (Return on Investment)ROI is the profit or loss on an investment, expressed as a percentage of what it cost.
- Conversion RateConversion rate is the share of clicks that went on to complete your goal action.
- LTV (Customer Lifetime Value)LTV is the total revenue you can expect from a customer over the whole relationship.
- Break-Even ROASBreak-even ROAS is the return on ad spend at which a campaign exactly covers its product costs.