Calculate cost per reach from campaign cost and unique reach, estimate reach from impressions and frequency, or plan ad budget for a target audience.
Related Calculators
Cost Per Reach Formula
The calculator uses three formulas depending on which mode you select.
Cost per reach mode:
CPR = Cost / Reach
From impressions mode:
CPR = Cost / (Impressions / Frequency)
Plan budget mode:
Budget = Reach * CPR
- CPR: cost per reach, the amount paid to reach one unique person or household
- Cost: total campaign spend in your chosen currency
- Reach: number of unique people or households exposed at least once
- Impressions: total ad views, including repeats to the same person
- Frequency: average number of times each person saw the ad
- Budget: spend required to hit a target reach at a target CPR
The first mode is the direct calculation when you already know unique reach. The second mode estimates reach from impressions and frequency when the ad platform only reports impressions. The third mode works in reverse and tells you how much to spend to hit a reach goal.
Typical Values and Benchmarks
Use these tables as rough reference points. Actual numbers vary by audience, geography, creative, and bidding type.
| Channel | Typical CPM | Typical CPR (at frequency 2 to 4) |
|---|---|---|
| Meta (Facebook/Instagram) | $7 to $15 | $0.014 to $0.060 |
| YouTube | $5 to $12 | $0.010 to $0.048 |
| TikTok | $6 to $10 | $0.012 to $0.040 |
| Display / Programmatic | $1 to $4 | $0.002 to $0.016 |
| Connected TV | $20 to $40 | $0.040 to $0.160 |
| Linear TV (national) | $10 to $30 | $0.025 to $0.120 |
| CPR Result | Reading |
|---|---|
| Under $0.01 | Very efficient. Check audience quality before scaling. |
| $0.01 to $0.10 | Normal range for most paid social and digital campaigns. |
| Over $0.10 | High. Acceptable for narrow B2B or premium video placements. |
Examples
Example 1. You spend $2,000 and reach 400,000 unique people. CPR = 2000 / 400000 = $0.005 per person, or $5.00 per 1,000 reached.
Example 2. Your platform reports 1,200,000 impressions at an average frequency of 3. Estimated reach = 1,200,000 / 3 = 400,000. If the spend was $2,000, CPR = $0.005 per person.
FAQ
Is CPR the same as CPM? No. CPM is cost per 1,000 impressions, which counts repeat views. CPR is cost per unique person reached. CPR equals CPM divided by 1,000, then multiplied by frequency.
What is a good cost per reach? It depends on the channel and audience. Broad social campaigns often run between $0.01 and $0.05 per person. Narrow or premium placements run higher and can still be profitable.
Why does the impressions mode give an estimate? Dividing impressions by frequency gives the implied unique reach. If your reported frequency is rounded or modeled, the resulting CPR is approximate.
Should I optimize for the lowest CPR? Not always. A low CPR with poor audience match wastes spend. Pair CPR with conversion rate, view-through rate, or brand lift to judge real efficiency.
