CPM (cost per thousand impressions)
What it costs for an ad or a post to be shown 1,000 times.
Also called: cost per mille, cost per thousand
Formula
CPM = cost ÷ impressions × 1,000
CPM is the unit paid media is bought and compared in. Spend AED 5,000 for 250,000 impressions and the CPM is AED 20. The "M" is the Roman numeral for a thousand.
Working out the CPM of an influencer post lets you ask a useful question: is this creator cheaper or dearer than just running ads to the same people? A creator charging AED 4,000 for a reel that reaches 80,000 people is costing AED 50 per thousand, which may or may not beat paid social in that market.
CPMs move a lot by platform, audience, season and country. Ramadan and the run-up to year-end are usually more expensive. A CPM from last quarter is a starting point, not a fact.