Meta CPM: Cost Per Thousand Impressions

Meta CPM measures how much you pay for every 1,000 times your ad is shown on Meta platforms.

Formula

Meta CPM = ( Meta Spend ÷ Meta Impressions ) × 1,000

Formula Components

Metric	Definition
Meta Spend	Total amount spent on Meta ads
Meta Impressions	Total times ads were shown

Metadata
Type	Currency
Data Source	Meta Ads
Aggregation	Ratio

Example

Your Meta campaigns delivered 500,000 impressions last week with a total spend of $3,500.

Metric	Value	Calculation
Meta Spend	$3,500	Total ad spend
Meta Impressions	500,000	Total impressions delivered
Meta CPM	$7.00	($3,500 ÷ 500,000) × 1,000

How It Works

CPM calculates the cost efficiency of reaching your audience at scale. The formula divides your total ad spend by the number of impressions, then multiplies by 1,000 to express the cost per thousand views. Lower CPM means you’re reaching more people for less money.

When to Use

Scenario	Action
Comparing audience costs	Use CPM to identify which audiences are cheapest to reach
Planning awareness campaigns	Estimate budget needed to reach a target number of impressions
Seasonal cost monitoring	Track CPM spikes during competitive periods like Q4
Creative testing	Compare CPM across ad creatives to find efficient combinations

Metric	Relationship
Meta Spend	Numerator in CPM calculation
Meta Impressions	Denominator in CPM calculation
Meta CTR	Engagement rate from those impressions

See all Meta Audience metrics →

Meta Frequency Meta Clicks

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​Formula

​Formula Components

​Example

​How It Works

​When to Use

​Related Metrics

Formula

Formula Components

Example

How It Works

When to Use

Related Metrics