Free cheatsheet
Creator marketing metrics and formulas
The core creator marketing formulas are engagement rate (engagements divided by followers or reach), CPM (fee divided by impressions times 1,000), cost per engagement (fee divided by engagements), ROAS (attributed revenue divided by spend), and cost per acquisition (spend divided by attributed orders).
By Distinct ·
Every formula a brand or creator needs to quote, compare, or report on a deal, with the trap in each one.
Audience metrics
Engagement rate by followers
(likes + comments + saves + shares) / followers x 100
Example: A post with 400 engagements on a 10,000 follower account: 4 percent.
Engagement rate by reach
(likes + comments + saves + shares) / reach x 100
Example: Usually higher than by followers, so always say which you used.
Average over the last 10 to 12 posts
Single posts swing too much to quote.
Cost metrics
CPM (cost per thousand impressions)
fee / impressions x 1,000
Example: A 2,000 dollar fee for 250,000 impressions: 8 dollars.
Cost per engagement
fee / total engagements
Example: Useful for comparing creators of very different sizes.
Cost per click
fee / link clicks
Revenue metrics
ROAS (return on ad spend)
attributed revenue / total spend
Example: 4,000 dollars in sales on 1,000 dollars of spend: 4x.
Cost per acquisition
total spend / attributed orders
Conversion rate
orders / clicks x 100
Traps
Reach versus impressions
Reach counts people; impressions count views. CPM uses impressions.
Earned media value is an estimate, not revenue
Never report it as money made.
Promo codes undercount
People forget them or find them on coupon sites. Pair codes with tracked links.
Keep the business side in one place
Distinct keeps your media kit, rates, and brand deals together, so the numbers on this sheet live next to the deals they are for. See how it works.