You’ve probably heard of CPM - Cost Per Mille, or the cost per thousand impressions. But on LinkedIn, this metric isn’t always as simple as it sounds. Let’s break it down clearly and bust some myths.

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1. What CPM Truly Means

CPM literally means "Cost Per 1,000 impressions", that is, how much you pay for every thousand views of an influencer’s post.

The basic formula is:

CPM = (Total Cost ÷ Total Impressions) × 1,000

Example: If you pay ₹80,000 for a post that gets 40,000 views, then:

• CPM = (80,000 ÷ 40,000) × 1,000 = ₹2,000 per 1,000 impressions.

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1. Why CPM Can Be Misleading on LinkedIn

Hidden Additional Costs

The total cost often includes not just the influencer’s fee, but also production, briefing, edit rounds, and agency charges. These add up and raise the real CPM.

Quality of Impressions Varies

Not every view is equally valuable. On LinkedIn, senior decision-makers or active professionals matter more than raw numbers. A lower CPM with poor engagement may still be worse than a slightly higher CPM with high-quality views.

Benchmarks Don’t Always Apply

Typical influencer CPM across platforms, recently averages around $4.63 (₹380) as per multiple reports, significantly cheaper than traditional ads, yet CPM varies based on niche, content complexity, and goals.

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1. Busting Common CPM Myths

Myth	Reality
Lower CPM = better deal	If the quality of reach is low, cheaper CPM can mean poor outcomes.
All views count the same	Engagement, timing, and audience relevance matter more than sheer impressions and this data is readily available to brands running campaign on anchors.
Benchmark CPMs tell the whole story	Benchmarks (e.g., $5–$20 for awareness, $20–$50+ for niche campaigns) are starting points (as per multiple sources).

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1. How to Measure the Real CPM Effectively

   1. Calculate Full Cost: Include influencer fees, production costs, and any agency or platform fees.

   2. Gather Accurate Impressions: Use data from LinkedIn analytics, not screenshots or estimated reach.

   3. Compute CPM: Use the formula, Total Cost ÷ Total Impressions × 1,000.

   4. Adjust for Value: Weigh CPM against engagement, audience relevance, and campaign goals.

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1. How anchors Helps You Get Real CPM Insights

Tracking CPM for LinkedIn campaigns becomes clearer with verified data, no guesswork. Platforms like anchors pull performance metrics straight from LinkedIn, so you can:

• Know exact impressions

• Calculate accurate CPMs

• Compare creator performance fairly

• Know who is actually viewing your posts to compare against benchmarks CPMs

• Make smart budget decisions, faster

anchors brings transparency and lets you measure what truly matters in campaign ROI.

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Final Thoughts

CPM isn’t just math, it’s context. To understand the real cost of your campaign, you need full cost data, real impressions, and insight into the value of those impressions.

When in doubt, verified data (like what anchors provides) helps you know the real CPM, so you can focus on genuine reach, engagement, and ROI.