PUBLISHED · UPDATED QUARTERLY

The benchmarks the platforms won't publish.

Compiled from industry reports we trust (Varetos, Tinuiti, WordStream, Gupta Media, IAS) and our own book of scaled accounts. Every number carries a source. Every range assumes the underlying plumbing - CAPI, Enhanced Conversions, server-side tagging - is actually live.

GROUP 01 · META

Meta - Advantage+ CPMs, CTRs, and blended MER by vertical.

Meta's auction absorbed most of what agencies used to manually manage. What still moves the needle is creative volume, CAPI signal quality, and consolidated ad set architecture. These are the ranges we see when the plumbing is right.

CPM · DTC skincare/beauty · US$28–$46
CPM · DTC apparel · US$22–$38
CPM · B2B SaaS · US$52–$95
CTR · Advantage+ Shopping · DTC1.4%–2.3%
Blended MER · scaled DTC (>$100K/mo)2.1×–3.4×
Winner rate · new creative concepts1 in 7 to 1 in 12
SOURCE - COMPILED FROM VARETOS Q4 2024, GUPTA MEDIA H2 2024, INTERNAL BOOK OF 42 DTC ACCOUNTS (2023–2024).
GROUP 02 · GOOGLE

Google - Search CPCs, PMax ROAS, and Shopping CTRs.

Google Search still captures the sharpest intent in the funnel. PMax still hides where the money went. These ranges assume Enhanced Conversions live, server-side tagging in place, and margin-aware asset group architecture.

Search CPC · ecommerce non-brand$0.85–$2.40
Search CPC · B2B SaaS non-brand$6–$22
Search CPC · finance / insurance$12–$55
PMax ROAS · DTC (blended, feed-hygiene tier A)3.8×–6.2×
Shopping CTR · DTC0.9%–1.6%
YouTube CPM · in-stream skippable$8–$18
SOURCE - COMPILED FROM WORDSTREAM 2024 SEARCH BENCHMARKS, TINUITI Q3 2024 GOOGLE REPORT, INTERNAL BOOK OF 28 ECOM + B2B ACCOUNTS.
GROUP 03 · LINKEDIN + B2B

LinkedIn - CPCs, CPLs, and pipeline economics.

LinkedIn's true cost isn't the CPC - it's the CPL of a qualified account, measured through offline conversion imports rather than platform lead-form volume.

Sponsored Content CPC · ABM$9–$16
Sponsored Content CPC · broad B2B$5–$11
Lead Gen Form CPL · raw$65–$180
Qualified pipeline CPL · via CRM sync$380–$1,200
Meeting → SQO conversion22%–38%
SOURCE - COMPILED FROM LINKEDIN Q4 2024 BENCHMARKS + INTERNAL BOOK OF 14 B2B SAAS ACCOUNTS ($5K–$45K MRR ACV).
GROUP 04 · TIKTOK

TikTok - CPMs, hook rate, and creative fatigue.

TikTok's economics depend more on hook rate than on any bid or targeting decision. Creative fatigues faster here than anywhere else in paid media.

CPM · DTC · US$8–$16
3-sec hook rate · winning creative24%–38%
Creative half-life · winners9–18 days
App install CPI · gaming · US$2.10–$5.40
SOURCE - COMPILED FROM TIKTOK Q4 2024 BENCHMARKS + INTERNAL BOOK OF 18 DTC + APP ACCOUNTS.
GROUP 05 · APPLE SEARCH ADS

Apple Search Ads - TTR, CPT, and post-install economics.

ASA remains the highest-intent app acquisition surface. Brand and category keywords define the floor; discovery + Search Match define the ceiling.

TTR · brand keywords48%–72%
TTR · category keywords6%–14%
CPT · category keywords · US$0.90–$3.20
Install → paid conversion · SaaS apps3.2%–8.1%
SOURCE - COMPILED FROM SEARCHADS.COM Q3 2024 + INTERNAL BOOK OF 9 APPS.
GROUP 06 · PROGRAMMATIC + CTV

Programmatic - CTV CPMs, viewability, and lift.

CTV is the most measurable upper-funnel channel we've operated. Its value comes from geo-holdout and MMM readouts, not in-platform reporting.

CTV CPM · premium AVOD inventory$28–$52
OLV CPM · programmatic (open exchange)$6–$14
Viewability · CTV94%–99%
Incremental lift · CTV on brand search (geo-holdout)+8%–+22%
SOURCE - COMPILED FROM IAS Q4 2024 MEDIA QUALITY REPORT + INTERNAL BOOK OF 6 CTV CAMPAIGNS.
GROUP 07 · CREATIVE VELOCITY

Creative - what a healthy pipeline looks like.

Creative velocity is the single strongest predictor we've measured of scaled account performance. Volume without archetype discipline burns budget; volume with archetype discipline compounds.

Weekly new concepts · scaled DTC8–14
Weekly new concepts · scaled B2B3–6
Winner rate · testing → scaling8%–14%
Iterations per winner3–7
SOURCE - INTERNAL BENCHMARK ACROSS 42 SCALED ACCOUNTS (2023–2024).
GROUP 08 · ATTRIBUTION + MEASUREMENT

Measurement - the gap between platform ROAS and truth.

Every scaled account we've measured shows a delta between summed platform ROAS and actual incremental contribution. The delta is the case for MMM + geo-holdout as the source of truth.

Summed platform ROAS overstatement · Meta+18%–+42%
Summed platform ROAS overstatement · Google PMax+22%–+55%
Brand search cannibalized by paid · avg31%
MMM confidence interval · at $50K+/mo spend±8%–±14%
SOURCE - INTERNAL BOOK, 12 SCALED ACCOUNTS WITH FULL MMM + GEO-HOLDOUT (2023–2024).
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