beginner
2 min read
CPA (Cost Per Action/Acquisition)
Paying for results: aligning spend with actual outcomes
You only pay when a user completes a specific action — signing up, making a swap, providing liquidity, etc.
Best for
Direct response campaigns where you want to pay for defined actions rather than raw traffic.
Web3 Example
A DEX wanting to acquire users who complete their first swap. They only pay for confirmed conversions.
• • •
Advantages
- Align payment with actual business results
- Transfer risk from advertiser to publisher/network
- Clear ROI calculation
- Reduces payment for low-quality or non-converting traffic
Disadvantages
- Requires robust conversion tracking
- Publishers take more risk, so may charge premium rates
- May limit scale if publishers are reluctant
Typical web3 rates
$10-50+ CPA depending on action value and difficulty