Trust lane
The rate ledger
By Oliver Wakefield-Smith · updated October 2026
Benchmarks reviewed October 2026 · next review January 2027
The short answer
This is not a methodology essay; it is the receipts drawer. Every number, definition and no-published-rate finding used anywhere on this site is listed below with its source, retrieval date and next scheduled review. Site-wide rule: a figure that cannot appear in this ledger cannot appear on a page.
Selection rules when sources conflict
- A platform's own published number beats any third party for facts about the platform (revenue shares, billing rules, minimums).
- For market averages platforms refuse to publish, we cite dated third-party trackers and marketplaces with a stated data basis (Gupta Media's public tracker table, Libsyn Ads' published podcast rates) and name them in the same breath as the figure.
- Where neither exists, the channel is recorded as no-published-rate. We do not average blog folklore into a fake benchmark.
| Figure | What it is | Source | Retrieved | Next review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark figures | ||||
| $10.02 | Meta (Facebook and Instagram combined) average CPM, December 2025, the latest month in the public table | Gupta Media Social CPM Tracker, public monthly table | October 2026 | January 2027 |
| $8.06 | Meta (Facebook and Instagram combined) average CPM, June 2025, same table | Gupta Media Social CPM Tracker, public monthly table | October 2026 | January 2027 |
| $2.84 | TikTok average CPM, December 2025, the latest month in the public table | Gupta Media Social CPM Tracker, public monthly table | October 2026 | January 2027 |
| $18-22 | Podcast 30-second baked-in host-read ad, overall average CPM range per 1,000 downloads (tools use the $18 low end) | Libsyn Ads (formerly AdvertiseCast) podcast advertising rates | October 2026 | January 2027 |
| $24-26 | Podcast 60-second baked-in host-read ad, overall average CPM range per 1,000 downloads (tools use the $24 low end) | Libsyn Ads (formerly AdvertiseCast) podcast advertising rates | October 2026 | January 2027 |
| $12-15 | Podcast programmatic pre-produced ad, CPM range per 1,000 downloads (tools use the $12 low end) | Libsyn Ads (formerly AdvertiseCast) podcast advertising rates | October 2026 | January 2027 |
| Documented facts and definitions | ||||
| auction | Google's ad auction prices ads by bid, quality and expected impact, not a rate card | About the Google Ads auction | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| 68% | Publisher share of AdSense for content revenue when Google Ads is the buyer (about 68%; 80% after the advertiser platform fee) | AdSense revenue share, Google Help | October 2026 | January 2027 |
| def. | AdSense page RPM definition: (estimated earnings / page views) x 1000 | AdSense RPM definition, Google Help | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| growth | Retail media is among the fastest-growing ad spend categories in dentsu's global forecast | dentsu global ad spend forecast | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| modeled | DOOH impressions are modeled audience estimates, not served-ad counts (Geopath methodology) | Geopath OOH audience measurement | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| def. | CPC definition: you pay per click, not per impression | Google Ads CPC definition | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| cap | Frequency capping limits how many times one person sees your display or video ad | Google Ads frequency capping | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| def. | CPM definition: cost per thousand impressions (mille is Latin for thousand) | Google Ads Help, CPM definition | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| tCPA | Target CPA bidding: Google sets auction bids to average your cost per acquisition target | Google Ads target CPA | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| 30s | YouTube CPV charge rule: you pay when someone watches 30 seconds (or the full ad if shorter) or interacts | Google Ads video campaign bidding | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| vCPM | Google Ads viewable CPM bidding: you pay only for impressions measured viewable | Google Ads viewable CPM bidding | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| report | IAB/PwC internet advertising revenue report (macro spend context) | IAB internet advertising revenue report | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| IAB v2 | Podcast impressions are filtered downloads under the IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines | IAB Tech Lab podcast measurement guidelines | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| report | IAB US podcast advertising revenue report (market size and growth context) | IAB US podcast advertising revenue study (2023 revenue, 2024-2026 projections) | November 2026 | February 2027 |
| CPM cert. | Certified Property Manager: a real-estate management credential issued by IREM | IREM certifications | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| 50% / 1s | MRC viewable impression standard: 50% of pixels in view for 1 continuous second (display) or 2 seconds (video) | Media Rating Council viewability standards | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| $5,000 | Mediavine entry requirement: $5,000 in annual ad revenue (its Journey on-ramp asks for 1,000 tier-1 sessions in 30 days) | Mediavine requirements | October 2026 | January 2027 |
| mille | Mille: Latin for thousand | Merriam-Webster, mille | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| auction | Meta's ad auction ranks bid x estimated action rate x ad quality; price is an output, not a menu | Meta ad auction mechanics, Meta Business Help | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| 75% | Meta may exceed your daily budget by up to 75% on a given day, averaged over 7 days | Meta ads pricing page | October 2026 | January 2027 |
| $5 | Meta's recommended starting budget: at least $5 over 6+ days (a recommendation, not a rate) | Meta ads pricing page | October 2026 | January 2027 |
| ~50 | Optimization events Meta says an ad set typically needs to exit the learning phase | Meta learning phase, Meta Business Help | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| R&F | Meta reach and frequency buying: fixed CPM quoted upfront with frequency controls | Meta Reservation buying (formerly reach and frequency), Meta Marketing API docs | November 2026 | February 2027 |
| 25,000 | Raptive entry requirement: 25,000 monthly pageviews (25,000-99,999 needs 50% of traffic from the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand or Australia) | Raptive FAQs | October 2026 | January 2027 |
| 100k+ | TikTok Pulse: TikTok's first ad revenue share program with creators, public figures and media publishers, open to accounts with at least 100,000 followers. The announcement states no share percentage. | TikTok Pulse announcement, TikTok Newsroom (2 May 2022) | October 2026 | January 2027 |
| AIP | Twitch Ads Incentive Program: fixed monthly payouts offered in-dashboard for ad commitments; amounts are not published publicly | Twitch Ads Incentive Program, Twitch Help | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| overview | Twitch monetization overview: ads, subs, Bits; no published per-1,000 ad rate | Twitch Affiliate Program FAQ, Twitch Help | November 2026 | February 2027 |
| ~35% | Share of open-display advertiser spend captured by adtech intermediaries | UK CMA online platforms and digital advertising market study (2020) | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| US v. Google | US DOJ suit over monopolization of digital advertising technologies (the adtech fee chain) | US Department of Justice press release | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| 55% | Creator share of YouTube watch-page ad revenue (YouTube keeps 45%) | YouTube Partner Program revenue share, Google Help | October 2026 | January 2027 |
| def. | YouTube RPM definition: total revenue per 1,000 total views, after YouTube's share | YouTube Studio RPM vs CPM, Google Help | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| No-published-rate findings | ||||
| no published rate | Amazon Ads publishes pricing models (auction, managed minimums for DSP), not CPM rates | Amazon Ads Sponsored Display | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| no published rate | Google publishes no rates, minimums or CPM figures; bidding amounts are up to you | Google Ads bidding page | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| no published rate | Hulu's ad manager describes self-serve buying; current minimums surface in the buying flow, not a public rate card | Hulu Ad Manager | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| no published rate | LinkedIn describes auction pricing and budget controls; it publishes no average CPM | LinkedIn ads pricing page | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| no published rate | Meta publishes no rate card; prices are set in a real-time auction | Meta ads pricing page | October 2026 | January 2027 |
| no published rate | DOOH rates are quoted per screen network; no industry-wide published CPM exists | OAAA industry resources | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| listed per newsletter | Newsletter sponsorship rates are listed per publication on marketplaces like Paved; there is no single published average | Paved sponsorship marketplace | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| no published rate | Pinterest describes campaign objectives and auction buying; it publishes no average CPM | Pinterest Business advertising | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| no published rate | Reddit describes its self-serve auction and buying model; it publishes no average CPM | Reddit for Business | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| no published rate | Roku Ads Manager describes self-serve CTV buying; no public average CPM | Roku Ads Manager | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| no published rate | Snapchat describes goal-based bidding in a self-serve auction; it publishes no average CPM | Snapchat for Business advertising | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| no published rate | Spotify publishes Ads Manager entry points and formats, not average CPMs | Spotify Advertising | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| no published rate | TikTok publishes billing mechanics and minimum budgets in its help center, not average CPMs | TikTok Ads Manager help center | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| no published rate | TikTok Creator Rewards: rewards are calculated dynamically from view country, view count, engagement and view authenticity; TikTok publishes no per-1,000 rate | TikTok Creator Rewards Program Terms | October 2026 | January 2027 |
| no published rate | Twitch publishes no per-1,000 ad rate; Ads Incentive Program offers appear in-dashboard only | Twitch Ads Incentive Program, Twitch Help | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| no single rate | Open-exchange CPMs clear per-impression in real-time auctions; no authority publishes one current average | UK CMA digital advertising market study | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| no published rate | X (Twitter) describes objective-based auction buying; it publishes no average CPM, and most circulating figures predate 2023 | X Ads | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| no published rate | YouTube publishes no CPM or CPV rates; buying runs through the Google Ads auction | YouTube Advertising | July 2026 | October 2026 |
Review cadence: quarterly, last pass October 2026. Figures failing re-verification get dropped or downgraded to no-published-rate rather than left to rot. Spot something stale first? Tell us. The benchmarks in table form: /rates; the verdict logic they feed: what is a good CPM.