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Influencer marketing CPM is an important metric used to measure the cost-effectiveness of your influencer campaigns. If you're wondering how to get the most value out of your influencer collaborations, understanding CPM benchmarks is the first step.
Published 2025-05-13
Evaluate your influencer ROI with CPM and make smarter decisions
CPM: Cost per thousand impressions in influencer marketing
Cost per thousand impressions (CPM) gives marketers a clear view of how much they pay for every 1,000 impressions generated by influencers. It's an essential performance indicator that helps you evaluate influencer ROI and make smarter investment decisions. However, it is always important to keep your campaign objectives and strategy in mind in order to ensure that you are actually looking at the relevant KPIs. If you are working with creators for content generation only for instance, measuring influencer marketing CPM might not be as relevant.
UNderstanding benchmark CPM and how it varies across social media platforms
Influencer CPM benchmarks by platform and influencer type
What’s a good CPM for influencer marketing? As always, it depends. Influencer CPM benchmarks can vary widely depending on the platform (e.g., Instagram, TikTok, YouTube), the influencer size (nano to mega), influencer niche, and target audience.
Here are some general influencer CPM benchmarks:
Instagram: €5–15 per 1,000 impressions
TikTok: €10–25 per 1,000 impressions
YouTube: €20–50 per 1,000 impressions
These benchmarks help marketers compare influencer pricing and assess their value before actually committing to a budget.
How to calculate influencer CPM
The formula for calculating influencer CPM is simple:
CPM = (Total budget / Impressions) x 1,000
Let’s say you pay €1,000 for a campaign that results in 200,000 impressions:
CPM = (1000 / 200,000) x 1000 = €5
Use this metric to compare influencers and easily forecast your campaign efficiency.
Influencer CPM vs. other influencer pricing models
In addition to CPM, influencers may base the pricing of their content on:
Flat fees
Cost per engagement (CPE)
Cost per acquisition (CPA)
Each model has its pros and cons, but CPM is one of the most transparent in terms of measuring reach and how cost-effective it is.
Factors that influence the influencer marketing CPM
As mentioned, there are several elements that affect influencer CPM, including:
Follower quality and engagement rate
Content quality and production value
Niche saturation and demand
Geographic targeting
Always compare the influencer CPM together with these qualitative factors to ensure you’re making a well-rounded decision.
Keep track of your influencer cpm and be all set for success
Track and optimize your influencer CPM with CIMS
Understanding and calculating influencer CPM is just the beginning. What truly drives results is being able to track it across every campaign, platform and creator. With CIMS, you can monitor CPM in real time, compare performance across social media channels, and make smarter, data-driven decisions for your influencer strategy.
