CPM and RPM are not the same number
CPM is what an advertiser pays for 1,000 ad impressions. RPM is what a creator earns per 1,000 video views. They differ for two reasons. First, a platform keeps a share of the advertiser's money. Second, not every view shows an ad, so a thousand views might produce fewer than a thousand ad impressions.
This is why RPM is almost always lower than CPM. If you see a CPM quoted for your niche, it describes what advertisers pay, not what lands in your account. The YouTube CPM calculator shows both and lets you set the share.
What revenue share means
Under a revenue share, the platform pools advertising income and pays creators a percentage of it. YouTube has said that it pays creators 55% of ad revenue on long-form videos. The rest covers the platform's costs and profit. The exact split and the rules for Shorts and other formats differ by platform and change over time, so check the current terms in the platform's own help pages before relying on any figure, including ones on this site.
Why earnings per view vary
A thousand views are not always worth the same. Several things move the rate:
- Viewer location: advertisers pay more to reach people in some countries.
- Topic: a video about business software attracts higher bids than one about a casual game.
- Length and placement: a longer video can carry more ads, a short clip may carry fewer.
- Season: advertising budgets are usually higher in the last months of the year and lower in the first.
- Ad-friendliness: videos that advertisers avoid earn less or no ad revenue.
Because of this, a single “pay per view” figure from another creator is rarely a good guide for you. Your own analytics, once you are earning, are the only reliable number.
A worked example
Suppose a video gets 200,000 views and your RPM is $3. Earnings are 200,000 / 1,000 x $3 = $600. If the same video had 60% of its views from a country with an RPM of $5 and 40% from a country with an RPM of $1.50, the earnings would be 120 x $5 + 80 x $1.50 = $600 + $120 = $720. Same views, different audience, different income.
You can test your own numbers with the YouTube Shorts and TikTok calculators. Both use an assumed rate per thousand views, which you should replace with your own once you know it.
Platform payouts are only part of the picture
Many creators earn more from sponsorships and their own products than from platform payouts, especially on short-video platforms where the rate per view is low. If you are comparing platforms, include what a sponsored post could bring in as well. The guide on pricing sponsored posts covers that side.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my RPM lower than the CPM I see quoted?
CPM is what advertisers pay. RPM is what you earn after the platform's share and after counting views that did not show an ad.
Can I predict my earnings from another creator's numbers?
Only roughly. Audience location, topic and format change the rate a lot, so use their numbers as a guide and your own analytics once you have them.
Do all platforms pay the same share?
No. Revenue share and eligibility rules differ by platform and change, so read the current terms on the platform you use.