I have a confession: I didn’t really get CPM until embarrassingly recently.

It always felt like one of those overly performance-y metrics the paid ad team cared about. I don’t come from that world. My brain is more “how does this feel” than “how much did this cost to reach 1,000 people.”

But you know what I do get? Cost per wear.

When I shop, I do the math in my head: How often will I actually wear this? Is it worth the price? Will I still love it in six months?

CPM is pretty much that but for views. 

It helps you:

• Spot overpriced creators
  

• Compare deliverables across platforms
  

• Decide who to hire and how much to pay them
  

• Understand whether a campaign was efficient —not just effective

If you’ve ever stared at a rate and thought:  is this normal? is this fair? CPM is your shortcut to a smarter answer.

For the uninitiated, CPM stands for cost per thousand impressions. You calculate it like so CPM = (Total cost ÷ Views) x 1000

It won’t tell you whether people clicked, converted, or cared. But it will tell you whether you’re paying $5 or $50 to get in front of 1000 people. Knowing this can change how you evaluate both performance and pricing.

So, in this issue, I’m sharing 3 ways to improve your influencer marketing CPM.

Way 1: Cross-post content to get more views for the same spend

One of the easiest ways to improve your CPM is by getting more views without increasing what you paid. The simplest way? Ask creators to share the content in more places.

A TikTok that also gets uploaded as a Reel and a YouTube Short doesn’t just “live longer” —it adds thousands of extra impressions without costing you anything more. That alone can dramatically lower your CPM.

Here’s a quick example:

Let’s say you pay a creator $1,000 for a TikTok video that gets 50,000 views.
That’s a $20 CPM.

If they also upload the same video to Reels and Shorts, and it pulls in another 70,000 views combined, you’re now at 120,000 total views.

Your new CPM? $8.33. 

Not too shabby. Same content. Same budget. Just more reach.

A few easy ways to do that:

• Repurpose vertical video across TikTok, Reels, and Shorts

• Ask creators to save Stories to Highlights

• Repost carousels or educational content to LinkedIn, Threads, or X

Most creators already do this. You just have to make it part of the agreement.

So yes, cross-posting can improve your CPM. But the real win is when you extend content that’s already meaningful. We’re not just shooting for views for views’ sake.

Make sure that your brand is clearly integrated, the audience actually aligns with your product, and the content has staying power beyond the first 24 hours.

Way 2: Choose formats that naturally deliver more reach

If your CPM feels high, one of the first things to look at is the content format itself.

Some deliverables just don’t travel as far as others. If your goal is visibility, and you want to lower your CPM, it’s worth leaning into formats that naturally drive more impressions for the same spend.

For example:

• Instagram Reels tend to outperform Stories in raw reach

• TikTok is often the lowest-CPM platform right now

• YouTube integrations (vs. dedicated videos) can offer more value per view, since they’re faster to produce and easier to repeat

These formats work with the algorithm. They’re designed to be discoverable and shared beyond the creator’s core audience, which makes them ideal when CPM is part of your success criteria.

That said, not everything should be about reach. If you're looking to drive sales or engagement with loyal fans, Stories or niche posts might perform better. Even at a higher CPM.

Think of the format as a dial. If you want more impressions per dollar, turn it toward the content types that get pushed out. If you're optimizing for something else (conversions, feedback, creator POV), don't be afraid to go narrow.

Way 3: Whitelist and boost influencer content via paid ads

If a campaign underperforms organically, that doesn’t necessarily mean the content isn’t valuable. Sometimes, it just needs a little help getting in front of the right people.

With Spark Ads (TikTok) or whitelisting (Meta), you can put paid spend behind creator content to extend its reach and improve your blended CPM.

Here’s how this works in practice:

• You pay $1,000 for a video that gets 15,000 organic views = $66 CPM
  

• You boost it with $500 in paid spend and get another 100,000 views at a $5 CPM
  

• Now your total spend is $1,500 for 115,000 views for a final blended CPM of $13

Aside from improving efficiency, you get a few extra wins:

• Audience targeting, so you reach exactly the people who matter
  

• Control over the ad setup, including copy and calls-to-action
  

• Longer shelf life for content that might otherwise fade after a day or two

To make this work, negotiate usage rights and ad permissions early.

Boosting content won’t save a campaign with weak creative. But when the content is good, this is one of the best ways to scale what works and bring down your CPM without creating anything new.

Bonus: CPM benchmarks (and why they’re higher than ads)

Here are the typical CPM ranges we’ve seen for influencer content, based on experience and conversations across mostly US/UK markets:

Now, these numbers aren’t exact. They’ll vary based on:

• Audience size

• Region

• Brand awareness

• Content format and creative effort

The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that these are high CPMs. Influencer CPMs will almost always look higher than paid ads. That’s not a red flag.

Think about it. With paid ads, you’re only paying for distribution. The cost of production —creative, editing, talent— is separate.

With influencers, it’s all baked in. You’re paying for planning, creation, distribution, and the trust they’ve built with their audience.

A $5 ad CPM might reach the same number of people, but it won’t hit the same way as a product recommendation from someone your audience already follows and believes.

Handpicked job openings

• Tarte is looking for an Influencer Marketing Manager in New York, USA.

• Solmar is looking for an Influencer Manager in the USA.  The role is remote.

• Dr. Squatch is looking for a Senior Partnerships & Influencer Manager

  in Marina Del Rey, California, USA . 

• Free People is looking for an Associate Influencer Manager in London, England.

• Frasers Group is looking for an Influencer & Community Executive in London, England.  

See you in the next issue!
Eleni Zoe xx
Marketing @ Modash. Say hi on LinkedIn or visit Modash.

📌A NOTE ABOUT WHAT YOU JUST READ

The tips in this newsletter might not be right for your specific case. Use good judgment when deciding whether to take advice from the internet—even mine. My team and I survey & interview influencer marketers whose advice and observations come from their direct experience. ROI is meant for you to connect the dots and be inspired or challenged to think about your influencer marketing in a way you haven’t before.