CAC
Free Template · Calculator

CAC
CALCULATOR

Calculate true blended CAC across every acquisition channel. Know which channels are profitable, which are subsidised, and which are burning money quietly. The number most DTC brands get wrong.

Format
Google Sheets / Excel
Channels
8 Tracked
Output
Blended + Per-Channel
Price
Free

MOST BRANDS CALCULATE CAC WRONG

The most common CAC calculation mistake is using only paid media spend divided by total customers. This ignores agency fees, creative production costs, influencer gifting, organic team time, affiliate commissions, and the attribution problem introduced by last-click reporting.

True blended CAC includes every cost associated with customer acquisition — paid, earned, and owned — divided by the actual number of new customers acquired in that period. The number is almost always higher than the reported figure. Knowing the real number is the difference between a business that is growing profitably and one that is growing expensively.

PAID
Meta Ads
Ad spend + creative costs + agency fees. Separate prospecting from retargeting.
PAID
Google Ads
Brand search, non-brand search, and Shopping separated. Each has different new-customer conversion rates.
PAID
TikTok Ads
Spend + UGC production costs. High creative velocity category — include content cost per conversion.
EARNED
Influencer / UGC
Product gifting cost + fees + team time managing relationships. Often excluded from CAC incorrectly.
EARNED
PR / Press
PR agency retainer or team time allocated to press outreach. Attribution is imperfect — use time-window analysis.
OWNED
Email / SMS
Platform costs + team time. For new customers only — retention revenue should be excluded from CAC.
ORGANIC
SEO / Content
Content production costs + team time. Amortised over 12 months for long-form content with ongoing traffic.
REFERRAL
Referral Programme
Referral incentive value + platform costs. CAC here is usually the lowest in the mix. Prioritise accordingly.
Blended CAC Calculation
Total acquisition spend (all channels)
$X
Divide by: new customers acquired
÷ N
= Blended CAC
$X/N

The calculator includes a channel profitability matrix that compares per-channel CAC against the LTV of customers acquired through that channel. Customers from referral and organic channels typically have higher LTV than paid channel customers. The matrix surfaces whether you should be spending more or less on each channel relative to the LTV it generates.

Free Template

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CAC CALCULATOR.

The acquisition cost calculator DTC brands should run monthly. Blended CAC, per-channel breakdown, and profitability matrix included. Enter your email and the download starts.