IPM (Installs Per Mille) Calculator
Calculate the Installs Per Mille (IPM) rate, a key metric in advertising and app promotion. It measures the number of app installs achieved for every 1000 impressions an advertisement or offer receives.
Enter the Total Number of Installs and the Total Number of Impressions to find the IPM rate.
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Understanding IPM (Installs Per Mille)
What is IPM?
IPM stands for "Installs Per Mille" (where "Mille" is Latin for thousand). It's a metric used primarily in mobile advertising and user acquisition to measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign or placement. It tells you how many installs you got for every 1000 times your ad was shown (impressions).
IPM Formula
The formula for IPM is straightforward:
IPM = (Total Number of Installs / Total Number of Impressions) * 1000
This gives you the rate normalized to 1000 impressions, making it easier to compare performance across different campaigns or ad networks, regardless of the total number of impressions served.
Why is IPM Important?
- Performance Measurement: It's a direct indicator of how well your ad creatives, targeting, and offer are converting views into actual installs.
- Benchmarking: Helps compare your campaign's performance against industry averages, competitors, or other campaigns.
- Optimization: Identifying campaigns or placements with low IPM helps pinpoint areas for improvement (e.g., change the creative, refine targeting, adjust bid strategy). High IPM indicates successful strategies.
- Cost Efficiency: While CPI (Cost Per Install) measures cost, IPM focuses purely on the conversion rate from impression to install, which indirectly impacts cost efficiency. A higher IPM generally means you are getting more installs for the same number of impressions, potentially lowering your effective CPI.
IPM Examples
Click on an example to see the calculation:
Example 1: Standard Campaign
Scenario: A mobile ad campaign ran and achieved 500 installs from 100,000 impressions.
1. Known Values: Installs = 500, Impressions = 100,000.
2. Formula: IPM = (Installs / Impressions) * 1000
3. Calculation: IPM = (500 / 100000) * 1000 = 0.005 * 1000 = 5
4. Result: IPM = 5.
Conclusion: This campaign resulted in 5 installs for every 1000 impressions.
Example 2: High-Performing Ad Creative
Scenario: A new ad creative was tested, getting 250 installs from 25,000 impressions.
1. Known Values: Installs = 250, Impressions = 25,000.
2. Formula: IPM = (Installs / Impressions) * 1000
3. Calculation: IPM = (250 / 25000) * 1000 = 0.01 * 1000 = 10
4. Result: IPM = 10.
Conclusion: This creative performed well, achieving 10 installs per thousand impressions.
Example 3: Lower-Performing Ad Type
Scenario: A banner ad campaign generated 100 installs from 200,000 impressions.
1. Known Values: Installs = 100, Impressions = 200,000.
2. Formula: IPM = (Installs / Impressions) * 1000
3. Calculation: IPM = (100 / 200000) * 1000 = 0.0005 * 1000 = 0.5
4. Result: IPM = 0.5.
Conclusion: This ad type had a lower IPM of 0.5, meaning only 0.5 installs per thousand impressions.
Example 4: Small Test Campaign
Scenario: A small test campaign resulted in 5 installs from 1,000 impressions.
1. Known Values: Installs = 5, Impressions = 1,000.
2. Formula: IPM = (Installs / Impressions) * 1000
3. Calculation: IPM = (5 / 1000) * 1000 = 0.005 * 1000 = 5
4. Result: IPM = 5.
Conclusion: The IPM is directly calculated as 5 in this case.
Example 5: Zero Installs
Scenario: An ad placement received 50,000 impressions but zero installs.
1. Known Values: Installs = 0, Impressions = 50,000.
2. Formula: IPM = (Installs / Impressions) * 1000
3. Calculation: IPM = (0 / 50000) * 1000 = 0 * 1000 = 0
4. Result: IPM = 0.
Conclusion: An IPM of 0 indicates no installs were driven by these impressions.
Example 6: Very High Impressions
Scenario: A viral campaign got 5,000 installs from 5,000,000 impressions.
1. Known Values: Installs = 5,000, Impressions = 5,000,000.
2. Formula: IPM = (Installs / Impressions) * 1000
3. Calculation: IPM = (5000 / 5000000) * 1000 = 0.001 * 1000 = 1
4. Result: IPM = 1.
Conclusion: Even with huge numbers, the IPM provides a comparable rate: 1 install per thousand impressions.
Example 7: Fractional IPM Result
Scenario: A campaign got 30 installs from 40,000 impressions.
1. Known Values: Installs = 30, Impressions = 40,000.
2. Formula: IPM = (Installs / Impressions) * 1000
3. Calculation: IPM = (30 / 40000) * 1000 = 0.00075 * 1000 = 0.75
4. Result: IPM = 0.75.
Conclusion: It's common to have fractional IPMs, meaning less than one install per thousand impressions on average.
Example 8: Comparing Two Campaigns
Scenario: Campaign A: 100 installs from 20,000 impressions. Campaign B: 120 installs from 30,000 impressions. Which is better?
1. Campaign A: IPM = (100 / 20000) * 1000 = 0.005 * 1000 = 5.
2. Campaign B: IPM = (120 / 30000) * 1000 = 0.004 * 1000 = 4.
3. Result: Campaign A IPM = 5, Campaign B IPM = 4.
Conclusion: Campaign A is more efficient at converting impressions into installs (IPM 5 vs 4).
Example 9: Small Number of Installs, Small Impressions
Scenario: A very small test yielded 2 installs from 500 impressions.
1. Known Values: Installs = 2, Impressions = 500.
2. Formula: IPM = (Installs / Impressions) * 1000
3. Calculation: IPM = (2 / 500) * 1000 = 0.004 * 1000 = 4
4. Result: IPM = 4.
Conclusion: The IPM calculation is still valid even for smaller numbers, giving a rate of 4 installs per thousand impressions.
Example 10: Near Zero IPM
Scenario: A campaign had 1 install from 500,000 impressions.
1. Known Values: Installs = 1, Impressions = 500,000.
2. Formula: IPM = (Installs / Impressions) * 1000
3. Calculation: IPM = (1 / 500000) * 1000 = 0.000002 * 1000 = 0.002
4. Result: IPM = 0.002.
Conclusion: A very low IPM like this suggests significant issues with targeting or ad appeal for this audience.
Frequently Asked Questions about IPM
1. What does IPM stand for?
IPM stands for Installs Per Mille, which means Installs Per Thousand Impressions.
2. How is IPM calculated?
IPM is calculated by dividing the total number of installs by the total number of impressions, and then multiplying the result by 1000. The formula is: IPM = (Installs / Impressions) * 1000.
3. Is a higher IPM better?
Generally, yes. A higher IPM indicates that your advertisement or campaign is more effective at converting impressions (views) into actual app installs.
4. What's the difference between IPM and CTR?
CTR (Click-Through Rate) measures the percentage of people who clicked on your ad after seeing it. IPM measures the number of people who *installed the app* after seeing the ad (normalized per thousand impressions). IPM is a step further down the conversion funnel than CTR.
5. What is a good IPM?
A "good" IPM varies greatly depending on factors like the app genre, target audience, advertising platform, ad format, and region. There is no single universal benchmark, but comparing your IPM to industry averages for similar apps and campaigns can be helpful.
6. Can IPM be a fractional number?
Yes, absolutely. If you get less than one install for every 1000 impressions on average, your IPM will be a decimal (e.g., 0.5, 2.75).
7. What does an IPM of 0 mean?
An IPM of 0 means that zero installs were recorded from the given number of impressions. This suggests the campaign or ad placement was completely ineffective at driving installs.
8. Can I calculate IPM if I only have clicks, not impressions?
No, IPM specifically requires the number of *impressions*. If you only have clicks, you might calculate a conversion rate from clicks to installs, but not IPM.
9. How does IPM relate to campaign optimization?
IPM is a key metric for optimization. You can use it to identify which creatives, placements, or targeting options result in a higher install rate per impression and then allocate more budget to those performers or analyze why others are underperforming.
10. Is IPM the same as eCPM?
No, IPM (Installs Per Mille) is a conversion *rate* metric. eCPM (effective Cost Per Mille or effective Cost Per Thousand Impressions) is a *revenue* metric that measures the earnings generated per thousand impressions. They are different measures used in advertising.
