CPM

How the metrics, campaign structure, and creative pipeline change at each stage of scaling a DTC brand from $10k to $1M/mo in paid media.

The amount you pay each time someone clicks your ad.

The number of unique people who saw your ad at least once during a campaign.

The total number of times your ad was displayed, counting every repeat view.

Estimated ad spend by competitors, inferred from placements, impressions, and third-party trackers.

The average number of times a user sees an ad or campaign.

The industry-average performance number used to compare against your own.

The cost per 1,000 ad impressions.

Average times each unique user is exposed to your ads in a period.

When an ad's performance drops because the audience has seen it too many times.

B2B-focused advertising on LinkedIn — sponsored content, InMail, and lead gen forms.

The peak ecommerce promotional period spanning late November.

Platform-managed delivery across many placements with automatic asset selection.

Average cost per 1,000 impressions on Facebook and Instagram by industry — 2026 ranges with seasonality notes.

TikTok Ads CTR, CPM, CPC and conversion-rate benchmarks by industry — 2026 ranges for ecommerce advertisers.

Pinterest Ads CTR, CPM, CPC and conversion benchmarks by industry — 2026 ranges for ecommerce brands.

Average click-through rates for Facebook & Instagram ads by industry vertical — 2026 ranges with methodology.

Instagram Explore ad size: 1080x1080px, 1:1, JPG, PNG, MP4, MOV. Reaching new audiences via the Explore surface.

YouTube Shorts ad size: 1080x1920px, 9:16, MP4, MOV. Vertical short-form on YouTube's fastest-growing surface.

LinkedIn Single Image Ad ad size: 1200x627px, 1.91:1, JPG, PNG, GIF. B2B awareness and lead generation.

YouTube Bumper ad size: 1920x1080px, 16:9, MP4, MOV. Reach and brand recall — non-skippable 6-second messaging.

Facebook Story ad size: 1080x1920px, 9:16, JPG, PNG, MP4, MOV. Full-screen brand story reach.

Facebook Marketplace ad size: 1080x1080px, 1:1, JPG, PNG. Retail and used-goods discovery.

Facebook In-Stream Video ad size: 1280x720px, 16:9, MP4, MOV. Mid-roll placement inside partner video content.

Snapchat Snap Ad ad size: 1080x1920px, 9:16, MP4, MOV, JPG, PNG. Gen-Z reach — full-screen sound-on video.

YouTube Masthead ad size: 1920x1080px, 16:9, MP4, MOV. Homepage takeover — reservation-only.

Compute CPM, CPC, CTR, impressions, clicks and spend — the four numbers every media buyer needs, in one place.

Agencies bring judgement, craft and accountability. Software brings volume, consistency and speed. A practical read on which to buy, and when to buy both.