Advertising Alphabet Soup-CPR Or CPA Resuscitating your ad revenue with referrals

By Aliza P. Sherman

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Here's another online advertising term defined so you cantalk the talk with potential advertisers to generate ad revenuethrough your Web site.

CPR is the cost per referral and a CPA is a cost per action.Both measurements mean that your advertiser will pay you if yourWeb site visitors not only click on your advertiser's adbanners but also takes some other kind of action.

Usually a referral means your visitors fill out a form on theadvertiser's Web site to request further information and toprovide the advertiser with contact information and key demographicdata. An average CPR could cost upwards of $10 or more, dependingon how desirable your audience is to the advertiser.

An action usually means that your Web site visitors have gone onto purchase products from your advertiser or conducted atransaction of some kind after clicking on the banner. Payment foran action could be $20 or more or a small percentage of thesale.

Aliza Sherman is an entrepreneur and author of Cybergrrl:A Woman's Guide to the World Wide Web (Ballantine Books).She is currently working on her next book and new company.

Aliza Sherman is a web pioneer, e-entrepreneur and author of eight books, including

PowerTools for Women in Business.

Her work can be found at mediaegg.com.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Growing a Business

'Boring' Businesses Are Making Millionaires — and You Can Borrow Their Strategies For Success

The silent growth strategy reveals how understated, steady businesses are quietly creating wealth for entrepreneurs in 2025. By focusing on long-term consistency and incremental progress, these "boring" industries are proving to be gold mines for those willing to embrace stability over hype.

Business News

YouTuber MrBeast Makes More Money From His Side Hustle Than From His YouTube Videos

The 26-year-old creator has racked up hundreds of millions of views and subscribers on YouTube, but it isn't his main moneymaker.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Leadership

Having This Kind of Mindset as a Leader Is the Key to Inspiring Teams, Creating Meaningful Impact and Achieving Lasting Success

True leadership is about more than just short-term profits — it's about leading with purpose, clarity and self-awareness. Superstar CEOs like Satya Nadella and John Mackey are demonstrating that conscious leadership is critical to success in today's marketplace.

Business News

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon Says Only One Group Is Complaining About Returning to the Office

In a new interview, Dimon said remote work "doesn't work" and noted some JPMorgan employees were checking their phones while he was speaking in a meeting.

Operations & Logistics

The Success of a New Product Launch Comes Down to One Detail, According to This Expert

A veteran consumer product officer shares the corporate strategy that small business owners can use to boost sales and loyalty.