CreatorAxis
The Journal
How to Calculate Engagement Rate (and What Counts as Good)
Engagement rate is interactions divided by an audience size — but which audience? A walkthrough of the by-followers and by-reach versions, with a worked example and realistic benchmarks.
What to Charge for a Sponsored Post: A Practical Pricing Framework
There's no official rate card for influencer marketing. Here's a transparent, formula-based way to build a starting number — audience size, content format, and engagement, combined into one estimate.
CPM Explained: What Brands Actually Pay for Impressions
CPM — cost per mille — is one of the oldest metrics in advertising, borrowed from print and broadcast long before the internet. Here's what it means, how to calculate it both directions, and when it's the wrong metric to optimize for.
How Fast Should Your Follower Count Be Growing? Realistic Growth Benchmarks
There's no universal follower-growth target, but the shape of realistic growth is predictable — it compounds, it slows as accounts mature, and month-to-month noise is normal. A framework for setting your own benchmark.
ROI vs ROAS: The Two Numbers Every Brand Should Track
Return on investment and return on ad spend describe the same campaign performance in two different formats — one as a percentage, one as a multiple. Here's how they relate, and when each one is the more useful number to quote.
RPM and Ad Revenue: How Creator Earnings Actually Work
RPM is the number that actually determines a creator's ad-revenue payout — and it's a different, always-lower number than the CPM advertisers pay. Here's the distinction, why RPM varies so much, and how to estimate a range honestly.
Micro vs Macro Influencers: Engagement, Rates, and Reach Compared
Bigger isn't simply better in influencer marketing — micro and macro creators trade off differently on engagement, price per follower, and total reach. A practical comparison for brands choosing where to spend.
Engagement Rate by Reach vs. by Followers: Why the Denominator Decides the Answer
Same interactions, same post — but engagement rate can read completely differently depending on what you divide by. Two worked examples showing exactly when and why the two versions pull apart.
What CPM Doesn't Tell You: Reading Past a Single Rate Number
A lower CPM looks like a better deal on a spreadsheet — but CPM only prices exposure, not attention or outcomes. A worked comparison of two campaigns with the same budget and very different results.
Building a Sponsored-Post Rate From Scratch: An Audience-to-Price Walkthrough
Instead of asking around for 'the going rate,' build your own number step by step from three real inputs — audience size, format, and engagement. A full worked walkthrough for one creator across formats and platforms.
Evaluating a Creator Campaign's ROI: A Brand-Side Walkthrough
A brand running several creators at once needs more than one ROI number — individual results, a blended portfolio view, and a break-even check before the budget is even approved. A full worked walkthrough.
The Compounding Math Behind Follower-Growth Claims — and Why They Mislead
A three-percentage-point difference in monthly growth rate compounds into a near-doubling over a year. Extrapolating one unusual month compounds into absurdity. The math behind both, worked out in full.