How the Earned media value is calculated

In short

Earned media value puts a euro amount on a brand's visibility around a topic or event: what it would have cost to buy the same views (or interactions) as paid social ads. Actavero prices every post the brand posted or was mentioned in: a post with views at the platform's CPM, a post without views at its cost per engagement. The rates come with the web address of their source. Actavero's defaults come from public 2026 benchmarks; you can replace them with your own prices, e.g. your media agency's.

Formula

Value of a post = views ÷ 1,000 × CPM of its platform, when it has views and the platform a CPM
Otherwise: (likes + comments + shares) × CPE of its platform; no value when neither applies
Earned media value of a brand = Σ value of its own posts + Σ value of others' posts mentioning it (the event's own accounts not included)

How it is calculated, step by step

1. Each topic's posts are collected and read as described under Social media: topics and events.
2. Every post that counts for the brand is priced at the rates under Media rates (CPM and CPE per platform, in euro).
3. The value is shown per brand (own posts and by others), per platform, and in the HTML report together with the rates and their sources.

What goes into it

Topic posts

Views and interactions of the posts that count for the brand.

Media rates

CPM and CPE per platform in euro, each with the URL of its source and a note.

Data sources

• Default CPMs: Stackmatix, Platform Ad Cost Benchmarks by Country and Industry 2026 (Meta Germany and France, TikTok Western Europe, YouTube, X, Reddit).
• Default CPEs: InfluenceFlow, Cost Per Engagement 2026 guide (Instagram Reels, TikTok paid, YouTube, Facebook video, Threads).
• LinkedIn: SearchLab, LinkedIn advertising costs in the Netherlands 2026 (CPM for Sponsored Content, CPE for the engagement objective).
• Dollar figures converted at the ECB reference rate of 15 September 2026 (1 EUR = 1.1539 USD); ranges taken at their midpoint.

How often it is updated

Calculated whenever the topic or the rates change.

How to read it

• Compare the value of mentions by others with the value of the brand's own posts: earned value above own value means the topic was picked up beyond the brand's channels.
• Compare brands within the same topic and rates; the absolute amount depends heavily on the rates chosen.

Example

An Instagram Reel by a tennis account mentioning the brand gets 166,900 views; at €9.42 per 1,000 views it is worth €1,572. A LinkedIn post without views and 120 interactions, at €2 per interaction, is worth €240.

Limitations

• An advertising equivalent, not revenue or return on a sponsorship; TV, on-site branding and hospitality are not included.
• Only posts that were found and the views platforms show publicly: the value is a floor, not the total.
• Benchmarks are averages; your own buying prices (and their source) give a value that means 'what this would have cost us'.
• X and Reddit have no sourced default CPE, and Threads no sourced CPM; posts that need them have no value until you add a rate.

Frequently asked questions

Related

• Social media: topics and events — A brand linked to an event or topic within a period, optionally compared with other brands: their own posts about it and the posts by others that mention them, on eight platforms, with interactions, views, potential reach and share of the conversation.
• Social media: own channels — Each brand's own social accounts compared over the last 30 days: share of engagement, followers and posts, follower growth, posts per week, engagement rate, top posts, formats and posting days.