Cost‑per‑thousand (CPM) is the standard metric advertisers use to gauge the cost of reaching 1,000 listeners. In podcast advertising, CPM represents the amount a brand pays for one thousand impressions of an ad slot within an episode. For podcasters, CPM is the lifeblood of revenue—higher CPMs mean more money earned from fewer listeners, while lower CPMs can erode profitability, especially for niche shows with smaller audiences.