--- title: "What is Cost Per Mille (CPM)? — Social Media Glossary | Postpone" canonical_url: "https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/cost-per-mille" last_updated: "2026-10-08T07:18:40.621Z" meta: description: "Cost per mille, or CPM, is the price you pay for every 1,000 times your ad is displayed, regardless of clicks or engagement." "og:description": "Cost per mille, or CPM, is the price you pay for every 1,000 times your ad is displayed, regardless of clicks or engagement." "og:title": "What is Cost Per Mille (CPM)? — Social Media Glossary" "twitter:description": "Cost per mille, or CPM, is the price you pay for every 1,000 times your ad is displayed, regardless of clicks or engagement." "twitter:title": "What is Cost Per Mille (CPM)? — Social Media Glossary" --- **Analytics & Metrics** # Cost Per Mille (CPM) Cost per mille, or CPM, is the price you pay for every 1,000 times your ad is displayed, regardless of clicks or engagement. [**X **post scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/twitter-post-scheduler) [** Instagram **scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/instagram-post-scheduler) [** Facebook **scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/facebook-post-scheduler) [** LinkedIn **scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/linkedin-scheduler) [** TikTok **post scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/tiktok-post-scheduler) [** Pinterest **scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/pinterest-scheduler) [** YouTube **Shorts scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/youtube-shorts-scheduler) CPM stands for "cost per mille" — mille being Latin for thousand. It's the price you pay for every 1,000 ad impressions. Unlike CPC where you pay for action, CPM charges you for exposure whether anyone engages or not. ## The Formula **CPM = (Total Ad Spend / Total Impressions) x 1,000** If you spend $300 and your ad gets shown 75,000 times, your CPM is $4.00. ## When to Use CPM vs. CPC CPM makes sense when your goal is awareness — you want maximum eyeballs on your brand, product, or message. Brand launches, event promotions, and top-of-funnel campaigns are natural fits for CPM bidding. CPC makes more sense when you need action. If you're driving traffic to a landing page or promoting a limited-time offer, you want to pay for clicks, not just views. Most platforms let you choose your bidding strategy. Facebook and Instagram default to optimizing for your campaign objective — if you pick "brand awareness," they'll optimize for impressions at the best CPM. If you pick "traffic," they'll optimize for clicks. ## Average CPM by Platform - **Facebook**: $5-$15 average, varies heavily by audience and placement - **Instagram**: $6-$18, with Stories and Reels typically cheaper than feed ads - **TikTok**: $3-$10, still cheaper than most platforms for awareness - **LinkedIn**: $25-$45, the most expensive major platform for CPM - **Twitter/X**: $5-$10 average - **Pinterest**: $3-$8, competitive for visual and shopping-related content - **YouTube**: $5-$20 for pre-roll and in-stream ads These ranges are approximate and shift over time. LinkedIn's high CPM reflects its professional audience — advertisers pay a premium to reach decision-makers. TikTok's lower CPM makes it attractive for brands wanting broad awareness at scale. ## Why CPM Fluctuates **Audience targeting.** Broad audiences have lower CPMs. Narrow, high-value audiences cost more because multiple advertisers compete for the same people. **Ad placement.** Instagram feed ads cost more than Stories. Facebook news feed costs more than right column. Premium placements command premium CPMs. **Seasonality.** CPMs spike in Q4 when advertisers flood platforms with holiday campaigns. January typically has some of the lowest CPMs of the year. **Ad quality.** Platforms reward engaging ads with lower costs. If your ad gets strong engagement, the platform charges you less per thousand impressions because showing your ad improves user experience. ## The CPM Trap Low CPM feels efficient, but impressions alone don't build a business. A $2.00 CPM means nothing if nobody remembers seeing your ad. Always pair CPM with brand lift studies, frequency data, or downstream metrics like search volume and direct traffic to verify that your impressions are actually registering with people. **Example** Your Instagram Stories ad campaign has a $6.00 CPM. For a $600 budget, your ad gets shown 100,000 times. Whether people tap through or ignore it, you're paying for the eyeballs. ## **Why It Matters** CPM determines the efficiency of your awareness campaigns. When your goal is getting in front of as many people as possible rather than driving clicks, CPM is the metric that tells you whether you're overpaying for visibility. ## **Related Terms** [Boosted Post](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/boosted-post) [Cost Per Click (CPC)](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/cost-per-click) [Impressions](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/impressions) [Reach](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/reach) [Social Media Ad Spend](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/social-media-ad-spend) [**← Back to Social Media Glossary **](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary)