Blog
Telegram Ads CTR, CPC, CPA and CVR: the formulas
· 2 min read
The same ad can have a strong CTR and a weak CPA. One measures clicks per impression, the other spend per action. Adtally displays both so that an attractive creative is not mistaken for an efficient result. Use Analysis to inspect a segment with one objective.
Four ratios, four different questions
| Metric | Calculation | Question |
|---|---|---|
| CTR | clicks ÷ impressions × 100% | How often does an impression lead to a click? |
| CPC | spend ÷ clicks | What does a click cost? |
| CPA | spend ÷ actions | What does the selected action cost? |
| CVR | actions ÷ clicks × 100% | How many actions are recorded per click? |
For a fictional ad with 10,000 impressions, 200 clicks, 20 actions and 80 EUR spend: CTR is 2%, CPC 0.40 EUR, CPA 4 EUR and CVR 10%. These calculations describe the recorded statistics; they do not measure revenue or profit.
Add counters before calculating ratios
Suppose ad A gets 10 clicks from 100 impressions: CTR is 10%. Ad B gets 90 clicks from 9,000 impressions: CTR is 1%. Averaging those two percentages gives 5.5%, but the actual segment has 100 clicks from 9,100 impressions: approximately 1.10%.
Adtally adds spend, impressions, clicks and actions first, then calculates the ratios. This weights the result by the relevant denominator. The same rule applies to the groups in the ad report.
Treat a dash as a question
With zero clicks, CPC and CVR are undefined. With zero actions, CPA is undefined, even if spend is known. With zero impressions, CTR is undefined. An unknown numerator also prevents a valid ratio. The dashboard uses “—” rather than inventing zero or infinity.
A zero-action ad can still deserve attention: the recommendations guide explains how spend without actions is assessed. First verify that the statistics are complete.
Keep objectives and currencies apart
A channel join and a bot start are different results. Adding them produces a number without a clear meaning. CPA and CVR are shown separately for each objective instead of becoming one combined efficiency figure. Do not combine money across accounts with different currencies.
Account statistics can also include deleted ads whose objective is unknown. Account CPA and CVR remain unknown unless the fully loaded current ads explain the account counters and spend. This check applies independently to each period and chart bucket; known spend and CTR stay available.
Read changes before setting a target
There is no universal good CTR or CPA for every ad. Check your own objective, sample and equal-length periods. A target CPA is your planning input; the dashboard does not know your margin. ROI and ROAS are not calculated because revenue is not supplied by this API workflow.