What is CPM (Cost per Mille)?
The cost to reach 1,000 people with your ad.
Definition
CPM (cost per mille/thousand) is what you pay for every 1,000 impressions of your ad. It's a measure of how expensive it is to reach your target audience on a given platform. CPMs vary by platform, audience, time of year, and competition. Meta CPMs typically range from $5-$15, but spike during Q4 (holiday shopping) and can reach $25+. Lower CPMs mean cheaper reach, but CPM alone doesn't indicate campaign effectiveness — a $5 CPM with 0% conversions is worse than a $15 CPM with strong ROAS.
Example
A brand notices their CPM jumped from $8 to $18 in November due to holiday competition. They shift budget to less competitive audiences and test new creative to maintain ROAS despite higher costs.
Related Terms
Put this into practice
Access thousands of ready-to-use ad templates that implement cpm (cost per mille) best practices. Customize any template in seconds.
Start Your Free Trial