Nearly 80% of marketers claim YouTube offers the best platform for video marketing. This claim is supported by the large number of marketers who run ads on the platform. Knowing how to improve your YouTube CPM could be crucial in this up and coming months!
With planned expansion for ad spending on the platform, you need to invest in YouTube CPM (cost per impressions). To make the most of your money per view, you need to understand the ins and outs of CPM.
Read this comprehensive guide to learn everything you should know about CPM for YouTube.
What Is CPM?
CPM represents the cost per one thousand views or impressions on a given platform. This reflects how much advertisers spend to advertise on said platforms. Often confused with RPM or revenue per mile, CPM reflects the cost and ad revenue.
RPM indicates the total revenue generated by a platform host. Advertisers should prioritize CPM, which includes revenue generated explicitly by ads and subscriptions to a platform. It has monetized views and earnings before revenue share, too.
CPM does not only exist on YouTube. Although primarily on this platform, it appears on other platforms, too. These include:
- Social media
- Direct mail
- TV ads
- Radio ads
- Print ads
Each of these platforms comes with its own benefits and disadvantages, but the most profitable is CPM for YouTube. Advertisers and content creators alike can benefit from the use of this advertising platform.
What Is CPM on YouTube?
YouTube CPM differs from other platforms because of its impact potential. With over 60% of marketers planning an increase in video marketing, it’s a fruitful investment. CPM for YouTube offers more opportunities for profit and connecting with consumers.
Advertisers can directly see their ROI with ad revenue analytics, as can video hosts and content providers.
Playback-Based CPM
Unlike CPM, which measures cost paid for every 1000 impressions, playback-based CPM differs. It reflects the cost of 1000 playbacks based on where ads display. General CPM counts towards any time ads display anywhere on YouTube.
The biggest difference is cost. Playback-based CPM runs at a higher cost because these ads end up with higher impressions. This type of CPM shares spaces in videos with other ads, which increases the chances of visibility and interaction.
If you only paid per impression, monetized playbacks would be less than the number of impressions. This would grant free ad views which result in lost revenue for the platform. To counteract this, YouTube uses playback-based CPM.
Why It Matters
Your business gains revenue form any dollars spent on CPM. If you host the videos where ads display, you gain a cut of these profits. As the company advertising, you gain revenue of all redirected traffic.
The more advertisers pay, the more hosts make. As an advertiser, you increase your chances of hitting a wider audience. The more you pay for YouTube CPM, the more valuable those impressions are for your business goals.
Ad hosts do not gain revenue from all displayed ads. Some videos end up demonetized, deemed unfriendly by YouTube. Videos with ads are monetized, generating revenue for video hosts and advertisers.
How It Changes
CPM changes. Different factors play into these changes. Advertisers’ behavior changes based on these behaviors, to make the most of CPM for YouTube.
The time of year impacts bidding rates for ads placed on videos. Many advertisers use holidays as a time of year to increase ad placement. Video hosts can anticipate a rise in the YouTube CPM rate.
Where viewers watch videos or viewer geography, also influences CPM rates. Advertisers target certain regions based on target demographics. Based on geographic competition, CPM rates vary.
Advertisers may pay more for certain video placement because of this competition. Video hosts can expect lower CPMs because of this change in consumer behavior and advertising response.
The distribution of ad formats also impacts CPM. Different ad types, such as unskippable ads, can increase CPM. Lower availability of revenue-generating ad types can drop your CPM.
How to Calculate YouTube CPM Rates
YouTube takes 45% of earned revenue from ads. To increase your CPM rates and earning potential, you need to increase views. Before you concern yourself with increasing views, you need to understand how earnings and cost breakdown.
For all partners, YouTube offers 55%. This split in revenue share means partners get the majority of the shares from ad revenue. CPM serves as the threshold for this ad revenue, with the content owner seeing revenue for anything above the CPM.
The formula for calculating CMP is straightforward. Simply divide the advertising cost by total impressions. Take this quotient and multiply it by 1000.
Your CPM rates can run very high or low, depending on total impressions. The more you spend on advertising, the higher your impressions can total.
Understanding Your YouTube CPM
If you want to understand your YouTube CPM rates even more, you need to understand some of the other features which factor into its calculation. Defining terminology can help you better understand.
- Views: number of times a video is played or watched
- Ad impressions: number of times ads are viewed in hosted videos
- Estimated monetized playback: number of times videos watched with ads
- Estimated revenue: revenue from all sources (ads, views, etc.)
- Estimated ad revenue: generated solely by ads in hosted videos
These terms can help you understand your ad revenue analytics. You can determine which ads are most effective and generate desired amounts of profit. Understanding each factor can also help you determine what actually generates the most revenue, too.
YouTube Analytics
The best thing you can do for understanding your YouTube CPM is to use YouTube Analytics. The most important section to understand your ad revenue analytics is the revenue tab. This section includes metrics on:
- Monthly estimated revenue
- Top-earning videos
- Revenue sources
- Ad types
- Transaction revenue
Each of these features can inform your earnings. It can also help you determine which advertisers to host in your videos. Understanding these terms is helpful for creators, not advertisers.
Increasing Your YouTube CPM Rates
Understanding YouTube CPM and calculating it are the first steps to increasing your rates. You can take other steps to increase your CPM rates, too. These work alongside SEO and content development strategies.
CPC Keywords
When you select content for your ads or video titles, you need strong keywords. You can explore words with a strong cost per click (CPC) value to increase your chances of views. The more you invest in this particular SEO tactic, the better your chances of increased views and impressions.
When you pay to increase your search visibility with strong CPC keywords, you increase your visibility on YouTube. This means more users interact with your videos, bumping up your ad revenue.
You can use these keywords for meta descriptions and in video titles. These help users find your videos first when using a search engine. This redirects them to any videos you prioritize because they generate ad revenue.
User Engagement
The more you engage users, the more views you will get. More views increase estimated revenue and result in more profit. When you receive more impressions, your ad revenue increases, too.
You can engage users more effectively by studying YouTube analytics. You can learn about your subscriber count, video views, and which videos have the most traffic. Use this information to determine which videos to monetize to make your ad hosting experience more profitable.
You also need to grow your understanding of popular trends for video content you advertise on. Use Google and YouTube analytics to determine what is trending. This information can help you keep with trends that change each week or month.
Consistent Content
You need to produce original content to generate views, too. If you’re not a content creator, you need to find video hosts that generate the views you want for your ad revenue. You can do this by studying content creators with high view counts.
As a content creator, you can establish trends for your viewers. Whatever your industry, establishing production timelines for new videos keeps your channel relevant. When you stop producing content, your YouTube CPM suffers.
You can fix this by studying trends for popular videos. Turn to Google or YouTube analytics to learn what does and does not work for your subscribers. Don’t be afraid to interact with users in the comments, either.
Growing Your View Count and CPM for YouTube
Growing your view count for your YouTube CPM requires original content. You can produce a variety of content types to generate higher view counts and impressions on your videos. The higher your view and impressions, the more ad revenue generated.
Product Reviews
What does your business sell? How do your products work? What do customers know or need to know about your product(s)?
Creating videos related to your products helps with reviews. Answer these questions as a general guide to creating product reviews. When you discuss your products, you can also advertise twice by monetizing these videos with your own branded ads.
Video Blog
Vlogs or video blogs are great content format to boost your YouTube CPM rates. You can generate original, engaging content that personalizes your brand. This can help with SEO and brand awareness.
Vlogs offer an informal opportunity for monetized content, too. As a creator, you can branch out from your brand and still generate ad revenue. Advertisers benefit by purchasing ads in unrelated videos with high view counts and impressions, too.
Tutorials or How-Tos
Creating relevant videos also means teaching subscribers new things. Increasing your YouTube CPM requires keeping viewers hooked throughout an entire video. Tutorials and how-tos offer great opportunities for longer content.
When you produce longer videos, you increase chances for views and impressions on ads. Longer content with more ads means more ad revenue for you and advertisers. You can even teach subscribers about products your videos are monetized for.
General Tips When Creating New Content
When you aim to increase your ad revenue, you need to find a niche and theme. These help keep your content consistent and searchable. This also helps advertisers determine which sorts of ads they should host on your channel.
If you have a broad niche, you can create a wider array of videos. This means you increase your chance at ad revenue and a higher CPM for YouTube. When you have advertising flexibility, more advertisers can host their ads on your videos.
When you engage with subscribers, you must market yourself correctly, too. Your niche and theme help build a following, but you also need to stand out online. SEO strategies can help, as do strong visuals like appeal thumbnail images.
You need to catch your audience’s attention in just a few seconds. The thumbnail and title are the best way to do this. When you choose these elements, make them as engaging (and relevant) as possible.
Avoid clickbait at all costs. This makes you appear inauthentic and can demonetize your content. You’ll lose revenue and reputation with advertisers, too.
Instead, grab viewers with authentic content. Keep them hooked throughout the entire video. Then, encourage them to take action.
Calling subscribers to action can involve purchasing the products advertised in your video. It could involve a visit to a sponsor’s website. Or, you could incentivize followers with direct interaction on another social media platform.
Where to Go for Successful YouTube CPM Advertising
Working with the regular changes of CPM frustrates many advertisers. Advertising on YouTube is not a magical process. Nor is YouTube CPM an impossible task.
Your advertising team may feel overwhelmed. Or, you may not have the advertisers you need to help you make the most of the cost per impressions. At Go Florida SEO, we can help.
With our expertise in YouTube advertising, we can make the most of your content. We’ll get your ads seen and increase your impressions. Visit our site today to begin advertising with a professional marketing agency.
