CPM means “cost per thousand impressions.” CPM expresses cost for one thousand impressions. State whether the platform is using ordinary impressions, viewable impressions, or another defined impression standard.
ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionWriting & Style
Quick answer
CPM means “cost per thousand impressions.”
Key details
Core IssueCPM means “cost per thousand impressions.” CPM expresses cost for one thousand impressions. State whether the platform is using ordinary impressions, viewable impressions, or another defined impression standard.
Phrase Rolebusiness-or-marketing-shorthand
Registerbusiness, sales, marketing, analytics, planning, reporting, and professional writing
Important caveats
Usage Boundary
CPM expresses cost for one thousand impressions. State whether the platform is using ordinary impressions, viewable impressions, or another defined impression standard.
Further guidance
Meaning
CPM means “cost per thousand impressions.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
In advertising and performance marketing, CPA commonly means cost per action: marketing cost divided by the number of defined actions or conversions. Define the action or conversion being counted. A purchase, signup, registration, or another goal can serve as the action, so CPA values are comparable only when the underlying action and period are clear.
CPC means “cost per click.” CPC is a paid-media cost metric. Average CPC is total click cost divided by the number of clicks; specify campaign, currency, platform, and time period when reporting it.
CPE means cost per engagement: spend divided by the engagement event defined for the campaign. State what qualifies as an engagement—such as a click, share, comment, or other platform-defined action—because the denominator can vary.
CPL means cost per lead: the marketing cost allocated to acquiring a lead. Define what counts as a lead and which costs are included before comparing CPL across channels or periods.
CPV means cost per view in video advertising contexts, with the billable view defined by the advertising platform. Do not compare CPV values without checking how the platform defines a billable view or interaction and what inventory/campaign type is included.
CTR means click-through rate: the share of impressions that produce clicks, calculated as clicks divided by impressions. State what produced the impressions and clicks, plus the period or placement being measured. CTR is clicks divided by impressions, but useful benchmarks vary by channel, ad format, audience, and context.
CVR means “conversion rate.” CVR is the percentage of a defined audience or traffic base that completes a defined conversion. Name both the conversion event and denominator because platforms and reports may use sessions, users, leads, clicks, or another base.
In advertising performance reporting, eCPC can mean effective cost per click: the average cost associated with a click over the selected reporting period. Spell the term out on first use and define the reporting period and numerator because ECPC/eCPC can be ambiguous across advertising products and documentation.
