What Instagram ads actually cost
CPM, CPC and the number that decides everything: what you can afford to pay for one customer.
The Krevya team
Paid media7 min read
Nobody can tell you what your ads will cost, because the price is set at auction against everyone else who wants the same attention. What can be explained is which numbers to watch and which one decides whether you are winning.
The three numbers
- CPM, what a thousand impressions cost. Driven by your market and your season, not your skill.
- CPC, what a click costs. This is mostly your creative. A better hook halves it.
- CPA, what a customer costs. Creative plus product page plus offer, all together.
The number that decides
Take your average order value, subtract product cost, shipping, payment fees and returns. What is left is what you can pay for a customer and still keep the lights on. If that figure is 180 lira and your CPA is 240, the account is not "underperforming", it is unprofitable by design, and no bid strategy fixes arithmetic.
What actually lowers the cost
- A stronger first second. Cheaper attention is cheaper everything downstream.
- Fresh creative on a schedule, before fatigue shows up in the numbers.
- A bigger basket. Bundles move the ceiling instead of squeezing the floor.
- A product page that answers the ad’s promise in its first screen.
Cheap clicks are easy. Cheap customers come from saying something true that nobody else in your category is saying.