Influencer Marketing
CPM (Cost Per Mille)
The cost a brand pays per 1,000 views or impressions on sponsored content. Used to compare pricing across creators and platforms on a level basis.
What it means
CPM (mille is Latin for thousand) normalizes influencer pricing so brands compare wildly different creators on the same basis, regardless of follower count. If a creator charges $2,000 for a video that gets 200,000 views, that's a $10 CPM. Typical influencer CPMs range from $10 to $50 depending on platform, niche, and production quality. YouTube long-form generally commands a higher CPM than short-form Reels or TikToks.
Examples
- •A brand compares two creators charging different flat fees by converting both to CPM based on expected views.
- •A campaign report shows a $25 CPM: the brand paid $25 for every 1,000 views the content received.
- •A niche finance channel commands a higher CPM than a general entertainment channel because its audience is worth more to advertisers.
Use cases
- •Comparing creator pricing on the same terms across a shortlist.
- •Checking whether a quoted rate is fair for the expected reach.
- •Reporting campaign efficiency to stakeholders in a familiar ad-buying metric.
Why it matters
CPM measures awareness, not sales. A low CPM means efficient reach but says nothing about whether that reach converted to revenue. Pair it with CPA or ROI when a campaign's goal is sales instead of visibility.