Free calculator

Event Media Value Calculator

This event media value calculator turns your own numbers for attendee posts into an estimate of earned media value. There is no signup and nothing you type leaves your browser.

The formula, in plain words. Attendees x share who post = people posting. People posting x posts each = total posts. Total posts x views per post = impressions. Impressions divided by 1,000, times your value per 1,000 impressions (CPM) = media value.

Fields start empty. Type your own numbers, or press the example button to see how it works. Example values are for illustration only, replace them with yours.

Attendees People who attended the event

Percentage who post (0 to 100) Share of attendees who posted about the event

Average posts per person who posts Include stories and reels if you count them

Average views (impressions) per post Use what you can see or collect, not a guess about reach

Your value per 1,000 impressions (CPM), in your currency A rate you can defend, such as what you paid for paid reach

Enter your numbers

Estimated media value, in your currency

People posting-

Total posts-

Total impressions-

Cost of buying the same impressions at your CPM-

Each step

Fill in all five fields to see the arithmetic.

The last row is the same figure as the media value, restated. It is what those impressions would cost at the rate you entered, nothing more.

Limits of this estimate

The inputs are self-reported or sampled, so the result is only as sound as they are.
Impressions are not sales, sign-ups or attendance at your next event.
Use conservative inputs, and show a low and a high case rather than one number.

What earned media value means for an event

Earned media value is an estimate of what it would have cost to buy the same exposure as paid placements. When attendees post about an event, those posts reach people the organiser did not pay to reach. EMV puts a figure on that reach by pricing the impressions at a rate per 1,000, often called CPM. The figure is a model, not a measurement. Two people can enter different rates and both be honest, which is why this calculator asks for your rate instead of supplying one.

How to estimate each input

Attendees. Use actual attendance rather than registrations.
Percentage who post. Count public posts that use your event tag or mention your event, divide by attendance, and note that you will miss private and untagged posts.
Posts per person. Divide the posts you found by the number of distinct people who made them.
Views per post. Public view counts and shared screenshots from attendees and partners give you a sample. Use the average of the sample you actually saw.
CPM. Choose a rate that you or your sponsor could point to, such as an amount paid for comparable paid reach. If you cannot point to one, pick a low number and say that it is an assumption.

How to use the result in a sponsor or stakeholder report

State the formula, list every input with where it came from, and show the result as a range built from a low case and a high case. Say plainly that impressions are not sales and that the posts were counted by hand or self-reported. A report that shows its working is easier to trust than a large single figure, and it holds up when someone asks how you got there. For sponsors, describe the exposure your event created rather than promising what it did for their business, since this calculator cannot show that.

A worked example, with made-up numbers

Suppose 500 people attended, 10% posted, each posted twice, and the average post was seen 300 times. That is 50 people posting, 100 posts and 30,000 impressions. At a CPM of 5, the media value is 30,000 divided by 1,000, times 5, which is 150. These figures are the example values behind the button above and exist only to show the arithmetic. They are not typical of any event, and your own numbers will differ.

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating reach and impressions as the same thing. One person can see a post more than once, so impressions can exceed the number of people reached.
Counting only the best post. Use the average across the posts you found, not the one that did well.
Using a high CPM to make the total look larger. A rate that cannot be defended weakens the whole report.
Mixing currencies or time periods. Keep your CPM in the same currency as the rest of your report.
Presenting the result as revenue. Media value is a way to describe exposure. It is not money earned.

How to get more attendees posting

The percentage who post is the input you can influence most. People post when it is easy and when they have something worth showing. Guests who find their own photos after the event have a reason to share them, which is how attendee advocacy tends to start. Eventiere delivers photos to each guest by selfie search, and it offers "I'm attending" cards and share templates that make a post quick to write. Pre-event marketing can set up those posts before the day, post-event engagement keeps them coming afterwards, and event marketing ideas lists other ways to prompt sharing. A QR code on signage, made with the event QR code generator, sends guests straight to the event page. You can see how these pieces fit together on the features page, or read about the wider event marketing platform.

FAQ

Questions about event media value

What is event earned media value?

Event earned media value (EMV) is an estimate of what it would have cost to buy the same exposure through paid placements. For an event, it usually means the impressions created by attendee posts, priced at a rate per 1,000 impressions that you choose. It is an estimate built on your inputs, not a measured result.

How do I calculate event media value?

Multiply attendees by the share who post to get the number of people posting, multiply by posts per person to get total posts, multiply by views per post to get impressions, then divide by 1,000 and multiply by your CPM. The calculator above shows each of those steps with your numbers.

What CPM should I use for the value of attendee social posts?

Use a rate you can defend, ideally what you or your sponsor actually paid for comparable paid reach in the last year. If you have no figure, use a low one and say so in your report. This page does not supply a benchmark, because any number we suggested would be a guess.

Where do I find average views per post?

Ask attendees or partners who posted to share their post statistics, look at the public view counts on posts that used your event tag, or use your own posts as a small sample. Treat all of these as rough, and note how you collected them.

Can I use this to measure attendee advocacy ROI?

It gives you the value side of the sum. For a return figure you would set that value against what you spent to encourage posting. Because the inputs are estimates, present the result as a range, using a low and a high set of numbers, rather than as a single exact figure.

Give guests a reason
to post.

Start free Book a demo

Free plan available - No credit card required