Campaign Forecast Calculator

How the forecast works

The forecast turns five planning numbers into a complete picture of a campaign. Each input feeds the next step of the funnel:

• Impressions × CTR → clicks
• Clicks × conversion rate → conversions
• Conversions × revenue per conversion → revenue
• Budget ÷ impressions × 1,000 → CPM; budget ÷ clicks → CPC; budget ÷ conversions → CPA
• Revenue − budget → profit; revenue ÷ budget → ROAS

Change any input and every downstream number updates instantly, so you can see exactly where a plan makes or loses money.

Plan your ad spend and marketing budget

Think of this as an ad spend calculator that works in both directions. In Forecast mode, enter a budget and your funnel assumptions to project exactly what that ad spend should return — clicks, conversions, revenue, profit and ROAS. In Goal-Seek mode it becomes an advertising budget calculator: set the outcome you want (a ROAS, a CPA, a number of conversions, or a revenue or profit target) and it solves for the ad spend you need to get there.

Either way, you can pressure-test an advertising budget before committing a dollar, and see the return on ad spend a plan implies — instead of guessing.

Budgeting for Google Ads, Facebook and other platforms

The maths behind a PPC budget calculator and a Facebook ad budget calculator is identical — budget divided by what a click or a thousand impressions costs, carried through your conversion rate to revenue. What changes between platforms is only the numbers you feed in, and they differ more than most people expect.

Search clicks typically cost several times what social clicks do, while social reach is usually far cheaper per thousand impressions. That single difference can flip which platform looks affordable at the same budget — so pull your starting figures from Google Ads benchmarks by industry or Meta ads benchmarks by industry rather than a generic average, and run the forecast twice.

Three things worth building into any platform budget:

• Leave room to learn. Ad platforms need a run of conversions before their optimisation settles down. A budget that produces only a handful of conversions a week never gets out of that phase.
• Don't split a small budget across platforms. Two half-funded campaigns usually both underperform; one properly funded campaign gives you a clean read.
• Budget for the test, not just the result. Your first numbers will be wrong. Plan enough spend to find out how wrong, then re-run the forecast with real figures.

Three ways to forecast

The tool works in three modes, switchable at the top:

• Forecast — the forward projection: enter your plan and read the outcomes (clicks, conversions, profit, ROAS and break-even CPM).
• Goal-Seek — work backwards from a target. Set a goal — a ROAS, a CPA, a number of conversions, or a revenue or profit figure — and it solves for what you need to hit it, including the maximum CPM you can afford to pay and the budget required.
• Scenario Analysis — compare three cases side by side. Hold budget and impressions fixed, then nudge CTR and conversion rate across conservative, realistic and optimistic columns to see how profit and ROAS move.

Break-even CPM — the number that matters

The forecast always shows your break-even CPM: the most you can afford to pay per 1,000 impressions before the campaign stops being profitable. It comes purely from how much each click is worth to you:

Break-even CPM = CTR% × Conversion% × Revenue per conversion × 1,000

If the CPM you're actually paying is below this number, you're in profit; if it's above, you're losing money on every thousand impressions. It's the fastest way to sanity-check whether buying those ads can ever pay off — and it's the reason this tool goes beyond a simple CPM calculator.

How much do ads cost?

There is no flat rate for online advertising — what you pay depends on the platform, your industry, audience and competition. Costs are usually quoted two ways: cost per 1,000 impressions (CPM) for awareness, and cost per click (CPC) for traffic. As a rough guide, Google Search CPCs range from under a dollar in low-competition industries to well over $10 in insurance, legal and finance, while Meta CPMs commonly run in the low double digits.

The most reliable number, though, is your own: check typical rates for your industry in our advertising benchmarks, then plug them into the forecaster above to estimate what a specific campaign will cost — and what it should return.

How to use it

1. Enter your budget and expected impressions.
2. Add your funnel assumptions — CTR, conversion rate and revenue per conversion.
3. Read the projected profit, ROAS and break-even CPM; a loss shows in red.
4. Adjust the inputs to find the plan that works, then copy the results to share.

Frequently asked questions

What is a campaign forecast?

A campaign forecast projects the likely outcome of an ad campaign before you spend, by chaining your inputs — budget, impressions, click-through rate, conversion rate and revenue per conversion — into the full funnel — the step-by-step journey from an ad being shown to a paying customer: clicks, conversions, cost per acquisition (what each customer costs), revenue, profit and return on ad spend.

How much do Google Ads cost?

There is no flat rate — Google Ads cost depends on your industry, audience and competition. Ads are priced per click (CPC) or per 1,000 impressions (CPM); Google Search CPCs commonly range from under $1 in low-competition industries to well over $10 in insurance, legal and finance. Check typical rates in our benchmarks, then use this forecaster to estimate a specific campaign's cost.

How do I estimate my ad spend or advertising budget?

Work backwards from a goal: in Goal-Seek mode (work backwards from a target), enter a goal — a ROAS, a CPA (cost per acquisition), a number of conversions, or a revenue or profit figure — and the tool solves for the ad spend you need. Or enter a budget in Forecast mode to project the results that spend should deliver.

How is ROAS calculated in the forecast?

ROAS (return on ad spend) is revenue ÷ budget. Revenue is your projected conversions × revenue per conversion, and budget is your total spend. A ROAS of 4× means every $1 spent is expected to return $4 in revenue.

What is break-even CPM?

Break-even CPM is the highest price you can pay per 1,000 impressions before the campaign stops making money. It depends only on the value each click brings in — your CTR (click-through rate), conversion rate and revenue per conversion — via CTR% × conversion% × revenue × 1,000. If your actual CPM is below it, the campaign is profitable; above it, it loses money.

Why is my profit showing as a loss?

A negative profit (shown in red) means the projected revenue is less than the budget at the inputs you entered. That is a valid outcome, not an error — it usually means your CPM is above break-even, or your CTR, conversion rate or revenue per conversion are too low to cover the spend.

How do I find the maximum CPM I can afford?

Switch to Goal-Seek mode and choose a target ROAS or CPA. The calculator solves for the highest CPM you can pay and still hit that target — the point above which the campaign stops being profitable — along with the equivalent maximum CPC.

Can I compare best- and worst-case scenarios?

Yes. Scenario Analysis holds your budget, impressions and revenue per conversion fixed while you vary CTR and conversion rate across conservative, realistic and optimistic columns, showing profit, ROAS, revenue and CPA for each side by side.

Are these forecasts guaranteed?

No. A forecast is a model based on your assumptions — real campaigns vary with audience, creative, seasonality and competition. Use it to pressure-test a plan and compare scenarios, then validate against your own account data.