Glossary / Metrics
Metrics

CPM (cost per mille)

The cost of one thousand ad impressions — the standard way paid social pricing is quoted.

CPM stands for cost per mille — the price of one thousand impressions. It's the benchmark unit for buying paid reach: a $10 CPM means you pay $10 every thousand times your ad is shown.

CPM is useful for comparing the relative cost of attention across platforms and audiences, but it says nothing about quality — a cheap CPM that reaches the wrong people is worse than an expensive one that reaches buyers.

See also
ImpressionsPaid reachConversion rateClick-through rate (CTR)

Stop doing it by hand.

NeverForgetSocial researches, writes, threads, schedules, and posts to every brand you run — across X, Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, Facebook, and Google Business — automatically, every week.

Start free →