Clipping CPM & Budget Calculator

How the budget math works

Start with the money available for creator pay. CPM means cost per thousand views. The headline calculation divides your budget by the agreed rate and converts the result to views. It assumes each counted view earns at that rate. It does not predict which creators will post or how much attention their posts will receive.

Views at headline rate = budget ÷ rate per 1K views × 1,000
Max pay per post = view cap ÷ 1,000 × rate per 1K views

The effective-cost estimate applies the study’s ratio of real creator cost to median rate to your chosen rate. Estimated views then use that lower cost. Approximate approved posts use average earnings per earning post ($339,331.88 across 7,079 posts), scaled to your rate. Submissions to review divide that post estimate by the share not rejected. These are planning estimates based on our data, not delivery commitments.

Effective cost per 1K = rate × $0.246 ÷ $0.40
Views at effective cost = budget ÷ effective cost per 1K × 1,000
Approx. approved posts = budget ÷ ($47.94 × rate ÷ $0.40)
Submissions to review = approved posts ÷ (1 − 39.9%)

What the benchmark numbers mean

The State of Clipping Campaigns study covers 12,120 posts from one advertiser’s own campaigns for DePuff AI, not a market census. Among positive recorded rates, the median was $0.40 per thousand views. The preset buttons also use the study’s lower and upper quartile rates.

Real creator cost was $0.246 per thousand views on earning posts. That pools earnings and views, including views beyond caps. It is different from a median offer rate. Rejected posts are left out of that figure, but they still take review time: 39.9% of all study posts were rejected. The review estimate assumes that same rejection share.

How caps change cost

A per-post view cap limits the views used to calculate pay. Views beyond it can still increase reach without adding view-based compensation. A cap therefore limits exposure to a single large post. It does not set a campaign-wide spending ceiling, and it does not guarantee cheaper reach. A lower cap can also change whether creators find your offer worthwhile.

The planning model keeps the historical cost ratio when you change the cap. To compare caps on your own view counts, try the creator payout calculator. Agree the cap and counting window before posting, using the payment rules to check what counts.

A worked example using the study’s terms

At the median rate of $0.40 and median cap of 700,000 views, the maximum view-based amount per post is $280.00. A 90th-percentile post, with 236,283 views, would earn $94.51 under those terms. These are calculated examples using published study values, not the recorded earnings of those posts.

Before launch, use the clipping campaign guide to write the brief and review rules. If an agency manages the work, the clipping agency guide helps separate its fees from creator spend. Include tracking software costs in your total operating budget.

Frequently asked questions