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Metrics

CPM

The cost per 1,000 ad impressions. A media cost metric that reflects how expensive it is to reach your target audience. Varies significantly by platform (TikTok generally cheapest, LinkedIn most expensive for B2B), audience targeting (broad is cheaper, narrow is pricier), seasonality (Q4 CPMs run substantially higher than Q1), and competitive intensity. Rising CPMs without rising conversion rates is a clear signal to either improve creative, adjust targeting, or reallocate budget.

Why it matters

It is the media cost input underneath everything else. A ROAS decline with flat conversion rates and rising CPM is an auction problem, not a creative one.

In practice

Track it as a diagnostic to separate market conditions from your own performance. Q4 CPM inflation is not something your creative did.

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