Benchmark table · 2026-09-03 · playbook seed + StackAdapt and Meta actuals (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
What every plan is built from
Mid values are the playbook's; low and high are its stated ranges. The planning buffer is applied on top of these at plan time and is never baked in here. Edit src/engine/data/tactics.ts and push to change them; a versioned editor arrives in Phase 2.
Funding policy · monthly media minimums · engagement floor $5,000/month
| Channel | Absolute | Recommended | Healthy | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta | $3,000 | $5,000 | $12,500 | Meta's own guidance points to ~$5k/mo to leave learning; consolidate ad sets below that. |
| Google Search | $2,500 | $4,000 | $10,000 | Demand-limited: available search volume can legitimately cap spend below the floor. |
| YouTube | $4,000 | $7,500 | $15,000 | Awareness and view budgets. Conversion-optimized YouTube needs 10–15× CPA per day and is a different animal. |
| StackAdapt CTV | $5,000 | $10,000 | $25,000 | Floor rises with the household universe: budget must reach households at least once or twice a month. |
| StackAdapt OLV | $4,000 | $7,500 | $15,000 | Online video: pre-roll and outstream on websites. Priced and judged like YouTube. |
| StackAdapt Display | $3,000 | $5,000 | $10,000 | Retargeting pools are the exception and may sit below the floor as part of a larger plan. |
| X | $2,500 | $3,000 | $7,500 | Unique-role channel (news audience, advocacy). Rarely earns more; should not get 5% of a tiny plan to look omnichannel. |
| $4,000 | $7,500 | $15,000 | Expensive clicks; small budgets produce very little behavioral data. |
Channels a monthly budget supports
| Monthly media | Channels | Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Under $5,000 | 1 | Concentrate on the single highest-value demand source. |
| $5,000–$10,000 | 1, occasionally 2 | One primary platform; a second only when its role is distinct and it reaches its recommended minimum. |
| $10,000–$25,000 | 2–3 | Build a strong core rather than superficial omnichannel coverage. |
| $25,000–$50,000 | 3–4 | Practical full-funnel diversification starts to be realistic. |
| $50,000–$100,000 | 4–6 | Broader channel specialization becomes supportable. |
| $100,000+ | 5–7 | True omnichannel can work when every channel has a defined job. |
| Channel · tactic | Funnel | Low / mid / high | CTR | CVR mid | VCR | Floor | Weight pol / LG | Creative | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Meta Prospecting · leads / conversions | mid / lower | CPM $15 / $22 / $40 | 1.50% | 8.0% | — | $1,000/mo | 0.9 / 1 | Static 1:1 and 4:5, social video 1:1 / 4:5 / 9:16 | A2P Meta lead-gen actuals Sep 2025–Aug 2026 (First Day PR, Veritas, Yes Every Kid, mrproteincoffee): CPM $15–20 broad / 1% LAL, $40+ narrow LAL; CTR (all) 1–4%; leads per link click 7–19%; CPL $14–35 at scale. Playbook §2 had $15–25 CPM, 0.9% CTR. |
Meta Reach · persuasion / awareness | upper / mid | CPM $8 / $12 / $25 | 1.00% | — | — | $1,000/mo | 0.9 / 0.35 | Static and social video (1:1, 4:5, 9:16) | A2P Meta political actuals Sep 2025–Aug 2026 (RLFA, IAP, Mackinac, Biggs, AFEC, CFFE $1.08M): Awareness CPM $8–9 frequency-capped, $25 when a statewide list is pushed to 4+/wk; Engagement $12–15 statewide, $20–30 district; Traffic $15–17; CTR (all) 1.0–1.6% reach, 1.4% engagement, 2–3% traffic. Objective CPMs live in PLATFORM_OBJECTIVES. |
Meta Retargeting · site visitors and engagers | lower | CPM $20 / $28 / $40 | 1.20% | 6.5% | — | $500 | 0.7 / 0.8 | Static, carousel | Playbook §5, §14: retargeting CPM 1.5–2× prospecting; 7–30 day windows |
Google Search Brand / name search | lower | CPC $0.8 / $1.5 / $3 | 8.00% | 12.5% | — | $500/mo | 0.7 / 0.9 | Responsive search ads, sitelinks | Playbook §4, §15: brand keywords convert 3–5× non-brand; always run brand search. Political CPC ×3.3 from A2P Google Ads actuals, 2026 AZ races (blended $3.25–8.60 per click). |
Google Search Non-brand / category search | lower | CPC $3 / $5.26 / $9 | 3.50% | 7.5% | — | $1,000/mo | 0 / 0.8 | Responsive search ads, negatives list | Playbook §4: avg CPC $5.26, CVR 7.52%, CPL ~$70 |
YouTube Skippable in-stream | upper / mid | CPM $5 / $8 / $10 | 0.30% | 1.5% | 70% | $1,000/mo | 0.8 / 0.6 | 16:9 video, 15s and 30s | Playbook §2, §4: skippable CPM $5–10, completion ~70% |
YouTube Bumper 6s | upper | CPM $3 / $3.5 / $4 | 0.10% | — | 100% | $2,500 | 0.25 / 0.3 | 16:9 video, 6s cut | Playbook §4, §5: bumper CPM $3–4, guaranteed complete view |
StackAdapt Display Display prospecting · contextual | upper / mid | CPM $5 / $6 / $8 | 0.12% | 0.8% | — | $5,000 | 0.6 / 0.5 | IAB banners 300×250, 728×90, 320×50, 160×600; HTML5 optional | A2P StackAdapt actuals Sep 2025–Aug 2026 ($77.6k, 13.3M impr): eCPM $4.88–7.93 tracking a $5–8 bid, blended $5.84; CTR 0.04–0.28%, typical 0.10–0.15%. Playbook §2/§27 had $5–10 and 0.2–0.5%. |
StackAdapt Display Display retargeting · site visitors | lower | CPM $10 / $14 / $20 | 0.50% | 2.5% | — | $2,000 | 0.5 / 0.6 | IAB banners | Playbook §5, §27: retargeting display CPM $10–20 |
StackAdapt OLV Online video · in-stream and outstream | upper / mid | CPM $10 / $15 / $22 | 0.05% | — | 72% | $10,000 | 0.6 / 0.4 | 16:9 video 15–30s, companion banner | A2P StackAdapt actuals Sep 2025–Aug 2026 ($185k, 12.8M impr): blended eCPM $14.46, campaigns $6 (outstream) to $22 (premium pre-roll at a $45 bid); VCR 66–86%, blended 72.5%; CTR 0.01–0.11%. Playbook §2/§27 had $15–30 and 70–90%. |
StackAdapt CTV Connected TV | upper | CPM $25 / $35 / $65 | — | — | 96% | $15,000 | 0.85 / 0.5 | TV-spec :15 / :30 (1080p, exact length), companion CTA banner | Confirmed by A2P StackAdapt actuals Sep 2025–Aug 2026 ($328k, 8.7M impr): premium-scale eCPM $31, blended $37.86, publisher-direct PMPs $44–73; VCR 96–98%. Playbook §2, §27, §28: CTV CPM $25–65, 96% completion, $100k+ plan. Floor set at $15k: §27 asks $25k+ but §23 allots 10–15% of a $100k plan and §28 calls under $10k unevaluable; $15k reconciles them. |
X Promoted posts | upper / mid | CPM $4 / $6 / $9 | 1.20% | 1.5% | — | $1,000 | 0.35 / 0.3 | Static and short video | Playbook §2, §4: CPC $0.50–2, CTR 1–2%. Thin data; first row to replace with actuals |
LinkedIn Sponsored content · lead gen forms | mid / lower | CPM $20 / $25 / $30 | 0.50% | 7.5% | — | $5,000 | 0 / 0.9 | Single image, video, lead gen form | Playbook §2, §4: CPM $20–30, CPC $3–6, CTR ~0.5%, lead forms 5–10%. Political ads prohibited by policy |