CTV Costs for Law Firms: CPMs and ROI

“What does CTV cost?” is the first question every law firm asks. The answer depends on your market, targeting, and goals, but this guide gives you real numbers to plan with.

How CTV Pricing Works

CPM: Cost Per Thousand Impressions

CTV is priced on CPM: what you pay for 1,000 ad deliveries. Unlike search advertising (pay per click) or lead gen (pay per lead), you’re paying for exposure.

Why CPM?

CTV is an awareness medium. The value is in reaching households, building brand recognition, and creating future demand. CPM pricing reflects this.

What’s included in CPM:

Ad delivery to targeted households
Placement across streaming inventory
Basic reporting and measurement
Platform technology and optimization

What’s often additional:

Creative production
Advanced measurement/attribution
Management fees
Data costs (some targeting segments)

CPM Ranges for Law Firms

$40-55 premium streaming (Hulu, Peacock) Source: Keynes Digital, 2024

$30-45 mid-tier/blended programmatic Source: Adtelligent, 2024

$20-35 FAST channels (Tubi, Pluto) Source: Industry Data

Inventory Type	CPM Range	Notes
Premium streaming (Hulu, Peacock)	$40-55	Highest quality, brand-safe
Mid-tier streaming	$30-45	Good quality, broad reach
FAST channels (Tubi, Pluto)	$20-35	Lower cost, more volume
Local news streaming	$35-50	Good for local targeting
Blended programmatic	$32-45	Mix of inventory types

What affects CPM:

Targeting specificity: Tighter targeting = higher CPM
Inventory quality: Premium content costs more
Seasonality: Q4 and election years spike 20-40%
Market: Major metros have higher CPMs
Competition: More advertisers = higher prices

Effective CPM vs. Nominal CPM

Nominal CPM is the sticker price. Effective CPM is what you actually pay to reach your target audience.

Example:

Broadcast TV: $15 CPM nominal, but only 20% of audience is your target
Effective CPM: $75 to reach your actual audience
CTV: $40 CPM nominal, 70% of audience is your target
Effective CPM: $57 to reach your actual audience

CTV’s higher nominal CPM often delivers lower effective CPM because of targeting precision.

Monthly Budget Recommendations

By Market Size

Market Size	Minimum Viable	Recommended	Competitive
Small DMA (under 300K HH)	$12-15K	$18-25K	$30-40K
Mid DMA (300K-800K HH)	$20-30K	$35-50K	$60-80K
Large DMA (800K-2M HH)	$35-50K	$60-90K	$120-150K
Top 10 DMA (2M+ HH)	$60-80K	$100-150K	$200K+

Minimum viable: Enough to achieve basic reach and frequency. Below this, you’re not reaching enough households often enough.

Recommended: Solid presence with good frequency. Room to optimize.

Competitive: Strong presence, ability to dominate target audiences.

What Budget Buys

At $35K/month in a mid-size DMA:

Metric	Estimate
Impressions	875,000-1.1M
Unique households	175,000-250,000
Frequency	4-5 per household
Verified visits	3,500-7,000
Expected leads	35-100

These are directional estimates. Actual results depend on creative quality, targeting precision, and website/intake conversion.

Budget Pacing

Front-loaded: Spend more early to build awareness quickly, then maintain.

Steady-state: Even spend throughout month. Easier to manage, more predictable.

Back-loaded: Increase spend after initial learning. Can optimize before scaling.

For new campaigns, steady-state or slight back-loading makes sense. Learn before you scale.

Total Campaign Costs

CTV media spend is one part of total campaign cost.

Creative Production

Production Level	Cost Range	What You Get
Basic/template	$3-8K	Simple graphics, stock footage, voiceover
Mid-tier	$10-25K	Custom footage, professional talent, good production
Premium	$30-75K+	High-end production, multiple spots, full creative development

Don’t cheap out on creative. A $5K spot running on $30K of media delivers worse results than a $20K spot on the same media. Creative is leverage.

Platform and Management Fees

Fee Type	Typical Range
Platform fee	Often bundled in CPM
Agency management	20% of media spend (Taqtics)
Setup/onboarding	Typically included

Measurement and Data

Cost Type	Range
Call tracking (CallRail, etc.)	$50-200/month
Attribution tools	Often included, or $500-2K/month
Data segments (behavioral targeting)	$2-5 CPM additional

Full Campaign Example

Mid-size market, 6-month campaign:

Line Item	Monthly	6-Month Total
Media spend	$35,000	$210,000
Management (20%)	$7,000	$42,000
Creative (upfront)	-	Varies
Call tracking	$150	$900
Total	~$42,150	~$253,000+

Creative production costs vary based on approach, from templated spots to full custom production.

ROI Calculation

The Formula

CTV ROI = (Revenue from CTV-attributed cases - CTV costs) / CTV costs × 100

Or simplified: ROAS = Revenue / Spend

Working the Numbers

Assumptions:

Monthly media spend: $35,000
Management (20%): $7,000
Monthly leads: 60
Lead-to-case rate: 25%
Cases per month: 15
Average case value: $12,000 (fee to firm)

Calculation:

Monthly revenue: 15 × $12,000 = $180,000
Monthly cost: $35,000 (media) + $7,000 (management) = $42,000
ROAS: $180,000 / $42,000 = 4.3x
ROI: ($180,000 - $42,000) / $42,000 = 329%

A 4-5x ROAS is a healthy CTV campaign for personal injury.

Benchmark ROAS by Scenario

Scenario	ROAS	Assessment
Under 2x	Below break-even after case costs	Needs work
2-3x	Breaking even to slightly positive	Optimization needed
3-5x	Healthy, sustainable	Good performance
5-8x	Strong	Scale if possible
8x+	Exceptional	Rare, capture it

What Affects ROI

+ High-quality creative
+ Precise targeting
+ Strong intake conversion
+ High average case value
+ Efficient media buying

− Poor creative (low response)
− Broad targeting (waste)
− Slow intake (lost leads)
− Low case values
− Inefficient spend

ROI is a function of the whole system, not just media buying.

Cost Benchmarks

Cost Per Lead (CPL)

Market Type	CPL Range	Notes
Small market	$150-350	Less competition
Mid market	$250-450	Moderate competition
Major market	$350-600	High competition
Top 10 market	$450-800+	Intense competition

CPL varies significantly by:

Creative quality
Targeting precision
Website conversion rate
Intake speed

Cost Per Case (CPA)

Scenario	CPA Range
Efficient campaign, good intake	$1,000-2,500
Average campaign	$2,500-4,500
Challenged campaign	$4,500-7,000+

Compare CPA to average case value. If average case value is $15K and CPA is $3K, that’s 5x return. Good economics.

Comparison to Other Channels

Channel	Typical PI CPL	Notes
CTV	$250-500	Creates demand, builds brand
Google Ads (generic)	$400-800+	Captures existing demand
Google Ads (branded)	$50-150	Captures your brand demand
LSA	$300-500	Local, high intent
SEO (effective CPL)	$100-300	Long-term, compounding
Mass tort (purchased)	$200-600+	Varies by case type

CTV’s CPL looks comparable to search, but CTV also builds brand, which search doesn’t. The brand value compounds over time.

Seasonality and Timing

Seasonal CPM Variations

Period	CPM Impact	Notes
Q1 (Jan-Mar)	Baseline	Post-holiday, lower demand
Q2 (Apr-Jun)	+5-10%	Increasing advertiser activity
Q3 (Jul-Sep)	+10-15%	Summer, back-to-school
Q4 (Oct-Dec)	+20-35%	Holiday, political, highest demand

Election Year Impact

Presidential election years see significant CPM spikes:

Primary season: +15-25%
General election (Sep-Nov): +40-60% in battleground states
Even non-battleground states see +20-30%

Plan accordingly. Either increase budget to maintain share of voice, or accept reduced reach during peak political.

When to Launch

Good timing:

Q1: Lower CPMs, fresh budgets
January specifically: New year, new campaigns

Challenging timing:

Late Q4: Highest costs, holiday clutter
Election months: Political dominates

For new campaigns: Start in Q1 or early Q2. Build baseline before Q4 pressure.

Budget Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Under-Budgeting

Problem: $10K/month in a market that needs $25K minimum.

Result: Low frequency, minimal awareness impact, can’t optimize effectively.

Fix: Either commit adequate budget or don’t run CTV yet. Half-measures waste money.

Mistake 2: All Media, No Creative

Problem: $40K media budget, $3K creative.

Result: Cheap-looking ads undermine premium placement. Low response rates.

Fix: Allocate 15-25% of first-year budget to creative production.

Mistake 3: No Search Protection

Problem: Running CTV without branded search coverage.

Result: Creating demand that competitors capture.

Fix: Budget for branded search alongside CTV. They work together.

Mistake 4: Short Timelines

Problem: Expecting ROI proof in 30 days.

Result: Cutting campaigns before they mature. Never seeing real results.

Fix: Commit to 90+ day evaluation period. CTV builds over time.

Mistake 5: Set and Forget

Problem: Launch campaign, ignore it.

Result: Missed optimization opportunities, creative fatigue, wasted spend.

Fix: Regular monitoring, monthly optimization, creative refresh every 2-3 months.

Making the Investment Decision

+ Budget supports minimum viable spend for your market
+ You can commit to 90+ days
+ Creative investment is realistic
+ Search protection is in place or planned
+ Intake can handle additional volume

− Budget is below market minimum
− Can't commit to proper timeline
− No creative budget
− Search presence doesn't exist
− Intake is already struggling

Questions to Answer Before Committing

What’s my minimum budget for this market? Can I afford it?
What does creative production cost? Is it in budget?
Do I have branded search protection?
Can intake handle 20-50% more leads?
Can I commit to 90+ days before judging results?

If all answers are yes, CTV is likely a good investment.

The Taqtics Approach

We structure engagements to maximize ROI:

Right-sized budgets: We’ll tell you if your budget doesn’t fit your market. No point running under-funded campaigns.

Creative included: We produce the spots. No separate production hunt.

Search coordination: CTV and branded search run together. We capture what we create.

Transparent reporting: You see all costs, all metrics, all results.

Honest assessment: If CTV isn’t right for your situation, we’ll say so.

Next Steps

References

MNTN. “OTT & CTV Advertising Cost: CPM Pricing Explained.” 2025. https://mountain.com/blog/ott-advertising-cost/
MNTN Research. “Ad Impressions on FAST Platforms Increased 38% YoY in Q3 2024.” December 2024. https://research.mountain.com/trends/ad-impressions-on-fast-platforms-increased-38-yoy-in-q3-2024/
eMarketer. “4 CTV Ad Spend Trends to Track in 2025.” December 2024. https://www.emarketer.com/content/4-ctv-ad-spend-trends-track-2025
eMarketer. “What Awaits Advertisers in 2025: More Inventory, Lower CPMs.” December 2024. https://www.emarketer.com/content/what-awaits-advertisers-2025-more-inventory-lower-cpms
IAB. “2025 Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report.” April 2025. https://www.iab.com/insights/video-ad-spend-report-2025/
eMarketer. “CTV Ad Spend Surges in the US.” April 2025. https://www.emarketer.com/content/ctv-ad-spend-surges-us—economic-headwinds-remain-concern