CPE meaning: cost per event or engagement
CPE means cost per event, often called cost per engagement. The advertiser pays for an action inside the app, such as finishing a chapter or reaching a level, instead of paying for the install. One offer can price several events.
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The advertiser picks the steps that matter and prices each one. Nothing is owed until a step is confirmed, so an install that goes nowhere costs little or nothing.
Example: Tidewater Putt pays per event. Nothing at install, Finish chapter 1 pays $0.60, Reach level 25 pays $1.50 and Buy starter pack pays $4.00, for $6.10 in all if the player goes that far.
The steps can sit days or weeks after the tap, so reports fill in slowly. Look at a group of users over time, not a single day.
| Model | The advertiser pays for | Example | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPI | An install | $4.20 per install | You want volume and judge quality yourself |
| CPE | A step inside the app | $1.50 at level 25 | You want users who stay |
| CPA | One defined action | $30 per sign-up | One action is what you’re buying |
| Percent of sale | A share of each purchase | 10% of each order | Order sizes vary a lot |
Example figures, made up. CPE and CPA overlap, and people often use them for the same deal: see CPA vs CPE.
Advertisers price each event in dollars on the campaign page, and the setup guide covers sending them. Offers paid per event list what each step pays the publisher, step by step, and show Paid on each of N events on the Offers page. Game offers paid per install are different: they pay the publisher once, at install, and later steps reward the player. The details: Multi-step offers: which steps pay.
Questions
What does CPE stand for?
Cost per event or cost per engagement. Both are in common use and mean the same thing. Some companies also say cost per milestone.
Why would an advertiser choose CPE over CPI?
To pay for users who stay. An install says someone tried the app. Reaching level 25 says they played it. The trade-off is that publishers wait longer to earn, so the steps have to pay enough to be worth running.