Influencer Advisory™What Is YouTube CPM by Niche in 2026
Sponsored CPM bands by niche on YouTube, drawn from our deal log.
Performance Analyst · April 25, 2026 · 5 min read · Updated October 28, 2026
$7,500 to $10,000 is what ForrestKnight at 692K subscribers quoted us for one 60 to 90 second integration.
On his 117,853 average video views from the last 150 days, that works out to a $64 to $85 CPM.
SaaS and developer-tool brands keep paying it because his audience signals are tight: 42 tracked sponsorships across 27 distinct sponsors, almost all category-fit.
Judo Sloth Gaming, at 3.67M subscribers, quoted us $20,000 for one integration on 560,187 average views, which is about a $36 CPM.
That gap, a tech channel asking about twice the CPM of a gaming channel five times its size, is what this post is about.
Key takeaways
- Niche moves CPM more than size. Gaming creators asked a $23 median CPM, finance creators $104 and business channels $178.
- 194 YouTube creators quoted us a price for one integration, and that is the sample under every number here.
- Across all 194, the median asked CPM is $60, and 67 of them (35%) asked more than $100.
- Inside a niche the spread is wide. In finance the top quarter asks more than ten times what the bottom quarter does.
Across 194 YouTube creators who quoted us one integration, the median asked CPM is $60 per 1,000 average views.
Asked CPM by niche, from the rates creators quoted us
Each row is the price a creator quoted us for one YouTube integration, divided by the average views on their long videos over the last 150 days. It is what creators ask before any negotiation, and only niches where at least 8 creators quoted us are shown.
| Niche | Creators who quoted | 25th percentile | Median CPM | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | 16 | $62 | $178 | $514 |
| Finance | 13 | $42 | $104 | $454 |
| Health | 9 | $24 | $102 | $251 |
| Lifestyle | 17 | $39 | $87 | $233 |
| Travel | 8 | $41 | $73 | $123 |
| Education | 12 | $44 | $70 | $292 |
| Technology | 16 | $29 | $69 | $178 |
| Entertainment | 27 | $20 | $40 | $78 |
| Sports | 8 | $19 | $35 | $252 |
| Gaming | 9 | $10 | $23 | $42 |
The business median is close to eight times the gaming median.
Minority Mindset, a finance channel at 2.54M subscribers, quoted us $25,000 on 318,516 average views, about a $78 CPM, while Judo Sloth Gaming asked $20,000 for 560,187 views.
These samples are small, so read each row as a direction and then check the creator in front of you.
A SaaS brand booking a gaming creator at gaming-CPM pays gaming-CPM rates but gets none of the SaaS-fit conversion benefit, the fit check we run.
What this means for brand procurement
Three rules we use:
- Match niche to product AOV. High-AOV products belong in finance, B2B, beauty, fitness niches. Low-AOV impulse products work better in gaming or vlog niches where reach is high.
- Pay above niche-median for category-fit. A SaaS brand paying $80 CPM for a finance creator is paying a premium for high conversion.
- Avoid pay-up for off-niche. Paying $80 CPM for an off-fit creator is paying a premium for low conversion, the way we figure niche fit.
Two more from our pricing playbook:
- Aim for an influencer CPM half of what you pay on Meta.
- If 25% of a creator's followers are outside your market, pay a 25% lower CPM.
And one warning that comes with them. As soon as you name the obvious category, the creators there know what they are worth and it stops penciling.
How YouTube CPMs got here
In 2017, Ridge started sponsoring YouTube creators when a read cost somewhere between five and ten dollars on a CPM basis. By 2024, the marketer at HexClad was saying that YouTube deals were running fifty to a hundred dollars CPM.
In the rates creators quoted us, 67 of 194 (35%) now ask more than $100 CPM.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I always pick the highest-CPM niche?
No. Pick the niche where the audience matches your buyer.
Highest-CPM niche won't help if the audience doesn't convert on your product.
How does sub-niche affect CPM?
Sharply.
Inside finance alone, the creators who quoted us asked anywhere from about $14 to more than $1,900 CPM.
Audit the sub-niche fit as well as the broad category.
Should I budget for niche-CPM premium upfront?
Yes.
Plan the budget against the niche median for the creators you want.
How do I read a creator's effective niche?
Watch their last 5 sponsored posts.
The brands they accept tell you what niche their audience converts in.
A "tech" creator who only takes finance briefs is functionally a finance creator on CPM.
Related reading: Instagram influencer rates in 2026 · How Much Does Addie Bowley Cost to Sponsor in 2026? · The 2026 FTC Disclosure Playbook for Brands · what a good engagement rate looks like.
Frequently asked
Why does CPM vary so much by niche?
Audience purchase intent differs sharply. A finance audience converts on high-AOV products (brokerage, software). A gaming audience converts on low-AOV impulse buys. Brand value-per-view follows.
What's the highest-CPM YouTube niche in 2026?
Business and finance channels. Across the rates creators quoted us, business channels asked a $178 median CPM and finance channels $104.
Which niche has the lowest CPM?
Gaming. The 9 gaming creators who quoted us asked a $23 median CPM, and the 27 entertainment channels $40. Big gaming channels pull large view counts, so even a five-figure fee divides down to a low CPM.
How do brands match category to CPM?
Pick a creator whose niche audience converts on the brand's product. A SaaS brand sponsoring a gaming channel pays the gaming CPM but gets little SaaS conversion. Niche fit is the read that matters.
Is CPM rising or falling across niches?
Rising. In 2017, Ridge started sponsoring YouTube creators when a read cost somewhere between five and ten dollars on a CPM basis. In the rates creators quoted us, 67 of 194 now ask more than $100.