RPM means Revenue Per Mille: how much you've earned for every 1,000 views on YouTube. It includes revenue from ads, channel memberships, YouTube Premium, Super Chat and Super Stickers, after YouTube's revenue share, and YouTube calculates it per 1,000 engaged views. It's always lower than CPM.
RPM and CPM sit next to each other in YouTube Studio and confuse almost everyone at first. One is what advertisers pay. The other is what you earn. Here's how YouTube itself defines them, and how to use RPM without misreading it.
What RPM includes
YouTube describes RPM as a metric that represents how much you've earned per 1,000 video views, based on several revenue sources:
- Ads
- Channel memberships
- YouTube Premium revenue
- Super Chat
- Super Stickers
Because it covers all of these, RPM is a broad measure of how well your channel earns, not just how well your ads perform.
RPM versus CPM
| RPM | CPM | |
|---|---|---|
| Stands for | Revenue Per Mille | Cost Per Mille |
| Measures | Your total revenue per 1,000 views | What advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions |
| Before or after YouTube's share | After | Before |
| Includes non-ad income | Yes | No |
| Counts every view | Yes, including views with no ads | Only ad impressions |
YouTube's help page says CPM is the cost per 1,000 ad impressions before YouTube's revenue share, while RPM is your total revenue after YouTube's revenue share per 1,000 views.
Why RPM is lower than CPM
Two reasons. First, RPM is measured after YouTube takes its share; CPM is before. Second, RPM is spread across all your views, including views where no ad played, while CPM only counts views where an ad was shown. So RPM will always look smaller. That's normal.
Engaged views and RPM
YouTube says RPM is calculated per 1,000 engaged views. That links RPM to the metric YouTube uses for Partner Program earnings, rather than the public view count, which now counts every time a video starts to play. If your public views rise but engaged views don't, RPM can look unchanged or lower.
Why your RPM might go down
YouTube describes RPM as a snapshot of the rate at which you're earning. If it goes up, you're earning more for every 1,000 views; if it goes down, you're earning less. There's a catch YouTube points out: RPM can go down when unmonetised views increase, even if your revenue stays the same.
For example, if a video goes viral in a way that brings lots of views without ads, your total revenue might hold steady while RPM falls. Your channel didn't lose anything; the average just spread across more views.
What RPM can't tell you
RPM is useful, but YouTube is clear about its limits. Because it combines several revenue sources, it can't tell you which source caused a swing in your revenue. If RPM jumps or drops, open the revenue breakdown to see whether ads, memberships, Premium, Super Chat or Super Stickers moved.
RPM on Shorts
Shorts earn differently from long videos. Shorts ad revenue is pooled each month and shared with monetising creators based on their share of engaged views, and it's separate from long-form monetisation on the watch page. So expect Shorts and long-form RPM to look different, and compare like with like.
A simple way to picture RPM
Imagine two videos that each earned the same total. One had far more views, many of them without ads. That video's RPM is lower, even though it earned just as much. RPM rewards earning efficiently across all your views, not just collecting views. That's why a viral video can lower your RPM while still being great for your channel: it brings new subscribers who may watch your monetised videos later.
RPM and your content mix
Because RPM includes memberships, Premium, Super Chat and Super Stickers, a channel with an engaged community can see a healthier RPM than one that relies on ads alone. Live streams with Super Chat, members-only perks and regular uploads that Premium members watch all feed the same number. If your RPM depends on ads only, it'll swing more with advertiser demand.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
How to raise your RPM
YouTube's advice is simple: to improve RPM, improve your total revenue. In practice that means:
- Turning on every revenue source you qualify for, such as memberships, Super Chat and Super Stickers.
- Making content that advertisers are happy to appear next to, since only advertiser-friendly content earns ads.
- Holding viewers longer, which tends to lift engaged views on Shorts.
- Checking whether a drop came from more unmonetised views before changing anything.
Where to find RPM
- Open YouTube Studio.
- Go to Analytics, then the Revenue tab.
- Look for RPM next to CPM and your estimated revenue.
You'll only see revenue metrics once you're monetised. If you're not there yet, here are the YouTube monetisation requirements, and once you are, how to check if a video is monetised. For another way to think about channel earnings, see how much YouTube pays per subscriber.
My take
Use RPM to track your channel against itself over time, not to compare with other creators, because niche, audience and revenue mix change it so much. When RPM drops, check unmonetised views and the revenue breakdown before you panic. Most of the time, the explanation is in one of those two places.
Frequently asked questions
What does RPM stand for on YouTube?
RPM stands for Revenue Per Mille, meaning your revenue per 1,000 views.
What's the difference between RPM and CPM on YouTube?
CPM is what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions before YouTube's share. RPM is your total revenue per 1,000 views after YouTube's share.
Why is my RPM lower than my CPM?
RPM is measured after YouTube's revenue share and spread across all views, including views without ads, so it's lower than CPM.
Why did my YouTube RPM drop?
YouTube says RPM can go down when unmonetised views increase, even if your revenue stayed the same.
Does RPM include channel memberships and Super Chat?
Yes. YouTube says RPM includes revenue from ads, channel memberships, YouTube Premium, Super Chat and Super Stickers.
Where do I find RPM in YouTube Studio?
Open Analytics and go to the Revenue tab. Revenue metrics only appear once your channel is monetised.
Is RPM based on views or engaged views?
YouTube says RPM is calculated per 1,000 engaged views.
