CPM = cost per 1,000 impressions. Walk in with the distribution, not one quote.
— Pull 5+ quotes per vertical; one quote has no percentile
— Normalize by geo — a blended CPM hides 4x tier-1/tier-3 spread
— Record the median and the p25 (your floor in negotiation)
— Tag each by traffic type; pop vs push CPMs aren't comparable
— Re-pull quarterly; CPM seasonality swings ±20% around Q4
Display CPM by vertical (n=6 quotes each):
finance $3.10 ▏▏▏▏▏ · nutra $1.20 ▏▏ · sweeps $0.70 ▏
Read: a single CPM quote is an anecdote; five make a negotiating floor.
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Benchmark vertical CPMs before you negotiate
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