What RPM means
RPM stands for revenue per mille: the money you earn for every 1,000 views or pageviews. It is the standard way creators and publishers compare earnings across videos, pages and months, because it removes the effect of traffic size.
- On YouTube, RPM is your revenue per 1,000 views after YouTube's share, and includes ads, memberships, Super Chat and YouTube Premium.
- On websites, page RPM is ad earnings per 1,000 pageviews.
RPM formulas
| To find | Formula |
|---|---|
| RPM | (revenue ÷ views) × 1,000 |
| Revenue | RPM × views ÷ 1,000 |
| Views needed | (revenue goal ÷ RPM) × 1,000 |
A channel that earned $250 from 80,000 views has an RPM of ($250 ÷ 80,000) × 1,000 = $3.13. To earn $1,000 a month at a $3.50 RPM it needs (1,000 ÷ 3.50) × 1,000 = about 285,700 views.
RPM vs CPM
CPM is the price advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions. RPM is what you keep per 1,000 views. RPM is lower because:
- the platform or ad network keeps a share of the ad revenue;
- not every view or pageview shows an ad;
- some viewers use ad blockers.
That is why a YouTube video can have a $10 CPM but a $4 RPM.
How to use RPM to plan income
RPM turns a traffic goal into an income goal. Track it monthly, because it moves with the season and your mix of content. A few patterns hold for most creators and publishers:
- Content that attracts buyers, such as reviews, software comparisons and finance, tends to have a higher RPM than entertainment content.
- Traffic from high-income countries earns more per view.
- More ad slots raise RPM only up to the point where visitors leave faster.
Ways to raise your RPM
- Write or film for buyer intent. "Best X for Y" and "X vs Y" topics attract higher-paying ads and affiliate clicks.
- Add affiliate links and your own products. They raise total revenue per 1,000 views without more ads.
- Improve watch time or time on page. More ad opportunities per visit lift RPM.
- Check ad placements on mobile, where most traffic comes from.