What is UGC CPM? How pay per 1,000 views works
UGC CPM: UGC CPM is a pay model where a brand pays a creator a fixed amount for every 1,000 views their videos get, so earnings rise with total views.
UGC CPM is a pay model where the brand pays you a set amount for every 1,000 views your videos get. CPM stands for “cost per mille”, Latin for thousand. On a CPM deal, views are your income.
How it works
The math is simple:
Earnings = (total views ÷ 1,000) × CPM rate
The deal sets the rate, which platforms count, and how long a video’s views count (for example, views in the first 30 days). Some deals cap pay per video or per month. Others add a small base fee on top of the CPM.
Canvas UGC CPMs commonly sit around $2–4 per 1,000 views. Published ranges run from $1–5 up to $2–8 depending on the source. Other UGC deals report rates closer to $1.
Example
You agree to a $2 CPM. This month your posts on the brand’s account get 600,000 views in total.
600,000 ÷ 1,000 × $2 = $1,200
If one video goes viral and adds another 1,000,000 views, that’s $2,000 more. Check the contract for caps first. These numbers are an illustration, not typical results.
What to check in a CPM deal
- Which views count. Some brands only count one platform.
- Caps. A per-video cap limits what a viral post can pay.
- Counting window. Views after the window may not count.
- Proof. How views are reported: screenshots, analytics access or a tracking tool.
Why it matters for UGC creators
On CPM, you earn from the total views of all your posts. You can’t control which video takes off. You can control how many posts you make and how many hooks you test. More posts mean more chances at a high-view video. This is why CPM deals push creators toward daily posting, and why the editing time per post matters so much.
Compare with a retainer or a per-video rate, where pay does not depend on views. For the account model that most often pays on CPM, see Canvas UGC. For CPM next to per-video and retainer rates, see how much UGC creators make in 2026.
Related terms
- Canvas UGC: Canvas UGC is short-form video a creator makes and posts on an account the brand owns, paid on output or views instead of the creator's own following.
- UGC retainer: A UGC retainer is an ongoing deal where a brand pays a creator a fixed monthly fee for an agreed volume of videos or posts, often with view-based bonuses.
- Per-video rate: A per-video rate is a flat fee a brand pays a creator for each delivered and accepted UGC video, regardless of how many views it later gets.
- Hook: A hook is the first line, shot or on-screen text of a short video, built to stop viewers from scrolling past in the first seconds.