Monetization

What is eCPM for Mobile Ads?

You’ve probably heard of CPM, but what is eCPM and why does it matter?

CPM vs eCPM

CPM, or cost per mille, is a metric to measure the cost of your ad campaign and is calculated per 1,000 impressions. “Mille” means thousand in Latin. eCPM, which stands for effective cost per mille, is how much ad revenue a publisher earns per 1,000 impressions served and is an important KPI in digital advertising because it shows the profitability of ad inventory.

For publishers:

Essentially, eCPM allows you to identify whether the ads served within your app are effective. A high eCPM means the ads served are driving conversions. By knowing fully how eCPMs are performing, you can optimize your monetization strategy and maximize budgets effectively.

For advertisers:

When it comes to advertisers and UA, eCPM is useful to analyze the ad revenue generated by a particular campaign. Networks prioritize eCPMs with the highest revenue, which may result in a campaign to gain a bigger number of impressions faster. This measurement is used by advertisers, as it represents the value of an impression.

Why is eCPM important?

Since eCPMs are tied to revenue (typically, the higher the eCPM, the more profits you earn), it can be utilized in a few different ways. Setting a specific goal can motivate publishers to set up tests to find the best-performing ads. eCPMs can also help predict what future earnings may look like.

How to calculate eCPM

The calculation for eCPM is made by taking the total ad revenue and dividing it by the total ad impressions and multiplying that by 1,000.

Total ad revenue / total ad impressions *1,000

Many ad platforms calculate eCPMs automatically for publishers but it’s good to know how to calculate this number, especially if you use multiple ad platforms.

How to increase eCPM

You can improve your eCPM by optimizing your monetization strategy or by other means, such as:

Implement smarter software: For example, an in-app bidding solution like MAX helps increase competition for your inventory.

Testing different types of ads: Have you tried video vs. banner ads?

Increase fill rates by setting up different ad networks: This may help generate more demand and create more competition for your inventory. Look for ad networks that may offer better deals, based on specific geographic locations.

Find out which ad format users are most engaged with: Optimize future placements to accommodate these formats.

Improve monthly traffic: This is tied closely to earnings.

Improve your viewability score: This is how visible ads are on an app. Advertisers may target ads and sites with high visibility and may pay more to win these impressions.

Improve your eCPM and monetization strategy

Increasing eCPMs can make a significant impact when you’re scaling your apps, so it’s worth figuring out how to maximize your monetization efforts.

The best software solution can help you achieve successful expansion in UA, in-app bidding, and reaching new audiences globally—AppLovin’s Growth Suite does all of this and more. Developers say they love working with AppLovin because our software helps them grow their business quickly and efficiently.

Learn how we’ve helped businesses like yours scale and meet their goals: