Cost per Mille (CPM)
The short answer · 12 words
In short
Cost indicator or billing model for a thousand playouts of an advertisement.
Flow-alerta.cab (2026): Cost per Mille (CPM). https://flow-alerta.cab/en/glossar/cost-per-mille-cpm. Editorially reviewed on: 09 October 2026.
How much detail would you like?
Practical
Relevant for reach campaigns and the comparison of advertising inventory.
Example scenario: 500 euros for 100,000 impressions correspond to a CPM of 5 euros.
Assess CPM together with range, contact frequency, visibility and appropriate impact indicators.
At a glance
- Core
- CPM is calculated as cost divided by impressions times 1,000. Impressions are ad displays and not a thousand different people. Viewable CPM refers to visual impressions and must be distinguished from general CPM.
- Use
- Relevant for reach campaigns and the comparison of advertising inventory.
- Example
- Example scenario: 500 euros for 100,000 impressions correspond to a CPM of 5 euros.
- Limits
- Equate impressions with people or attention; mix CPM and vCPM; ignore frequency and advertising environment.
In context
Questions about this term
Does one click count towards it?
No.
Is 1,000 impressions 1,000 people?
No.
Is vCPM equal to CPM?
No.
All details and background
CPM is calculated as cost divided by impressions times 1,000. Impressions are ad displays and not a thousand different people. Viewable CPM refers to visual impressions and must be distinguished from general CPM.
ELI5 – Explained simply
You pay for a thousand ads, even if no one clicks.
Why it matters in practice
Relevant for reach campaigns and the comparison of advertising inventory.
Example
Example scenario: 500 euros for 100,000 impressions correspond to a CPM of 5 euros.
Pitfalls and limits
- Equate impressions with people or attention; mix CPM and vCPM; ignore frequency and advertising environment.
Origin & history
Thousands of prizes come from media planning and have been adapted for digital impressions and visibility variants.
Use in mid-sized companies
- Assess CPM together with range, contact frequency, visibility and appropriate impact indicators.
Related terms
- Impression
- Reach
- Frequency
- Viewability
- CPC
- Brand awareness
Matching Flow-alerta service
Visibility in search & AIAI visibility – understandably classify range indicators and actual effects of distribution.Matching tool / use case
View use casesTool: Google Ads; Use Case: Compare a display campaign to CPM and visible contacts.Sources
- support.google.comGoogle Ads, Bidding on impressions und vCPM
- support.google.comGoogle Ads, Kennzahlen einschließlich CPM
Quellenprüfung: 09.10.2026. Definition und dokumentierte Einordnung abgeglichen; Beispiele beschreiben mögliche Anwendungen.
Editorially reviewed on: