Forum Discussion
Margin calculator for media budget
HelloGooner09,
You need to separate CPM as a fixed cost, then preserve margin as a fixed cash value and adjust the margin percentage based on the reduced base after CPM is removed.
Definitions:
T = total budget
m = margin %
CPM = cost per 1,000 impressions
Impr = impressions
Step 1 CPM cost
CPM_cost = (Impr / 1000) * CPM
Step 2 fixed margin amount
Margin = T * m
Step 3 media budget
Media = T - CPM_cost - Margin
Step 4 adjusted margin % for platform input
Adjusted margin % = (T * m) / (T - CPM_cost)
Example:
T = 10000
m = 20%
CPM = 1.5
Impr = 2000000
CPM cost = 3000
Margin = 2000
Media = 5000
Effective margin on remaining base = 2000 / 7000 = 28.57%
Key point:
The nominal margin (20%) stays fixed in cash terms, but the required margin percentage increases because CPM reduces the base that the margin is applied to.
- Gooner09Apr 23, 2026Copper Contributor
This has given me more clarity. Thanks for your input