Benchmarks
Average CPM rates, July 2026
By Oliver Wakefield-Smith · updated July 2026
Benchmarks reviewed July 2026 · next review October 2026
The short answer
Four channels have citable published benchmarks right now: Meta ($13.48 global, ~$23 US), Instagram ($8.96), LinkedIn ($33.80) and podcast host-reads ($18 to $25). Everything else is quote-only, and this table says so instead of guessing. Every cell carries its source and retrieval date.
Rules of the table: a number appears only with a named source and date. Where a platform publishes no rate and no third party we consider citable tracks one, the cell reads no published rate. That is a finding, not a gap: 13 of 19 rows are quote-only, which is the honest state of ad pricing in 2026.
| Channel | Benchmark | Source | Retrieved | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta (Facebook), global | $13.48 | Gupta Media Facebook ads cost tracker | July 2026 | page |
| Meta (Facebook), US | ~$23 | Gupta Media Facebook ads cost tracker | July 2026 | page |
| Instagram, global | $8.96 | Gupta Media Instagram ads cost tracker | July 2026 | page |
| $33.80 | TheB2BHouse LinkedIn ad cost aggregation | July 2026 | page | |
| Podcast, 30s host-read | $18 | AdvertiseCast podcast advertising rates | July 2026 | page |
| Podcast, 60s host-read | $25 | AdvertiseCast podcast advertising rates | July 2026 | page |
| Google Display | no published rate | Google Ads bidding page | July 2026 | page |
| YouTube (buy side) | no published rate | YouTube Advertising | July 2026 | page |
| TikTok | no published rate | TikTok Ads Manager help center | July 2026 | page |
| Snapchat | no published rate | Snapchat for Business advertising | July 2026 | page |
| no published rate | Pinterest Business advertising | July 2026 | page | |
| no published rate | Reddit for Business | July 2026 | page | |
| X (Twitter) | no published rate | X Ads | July 2026 | page |
| Amazon Ads | no published rate | Amazon Ads Sponsored Display | July 2026 | page |
| Spotify | no published rate | Spotify Advertising | July 2026 | page |
| CTV / OTT | no published rate | Hulu Ad Manager | July 2026 | page |
| DOOH | no published rate | OAAA industry resources | July 2026 | page |
| Email newsletters | listed per newsletter | Paved sponsorship marketplace | July 2026 | page |
| Open-exchange programmatic | no single rate | UK CMA digital advertising market study | July 2026 | page |
Creator-side rates (what the seller of the impression receives) are a different number on the same event; those live in the /earn lane and the conversion math is at CPM vs RPM.
How to read a benchmark without hurting yourself
- Averages hide distributions. Your CPM legitimately sits anywhere around the median depending on audience, objective and season; the diagnostic page covers the spread.
- Region moves the number more than most levers: the same Meta campaign averages $13.48 globally and about $23 with US targeting, per the same tracker on the same day.
- Verdict logic: measure yourself against the median, then decide whether above-median is a problem at what is a good CPM.
Every figure's full provenance, review cadence and next-review date: the source ledger. Year-over-year movement: CPM trends 2026.