LRN · CHANNELS STACK/REV. 2026-06
Sheet— 01 / 10 —CHAN
001 ·

Every place you can reach a customer — paid, owned, and earned, with the numbers to choose between them.

Pick the channel, not the hype.

Here is the RGM channels stack — every marketing channel mapped, from paid search and social to connected TV, retail media, audio, email, affiliate, and out-of-home. Each with what it is, when to use it, and the 2026 benchmark that decides whether it fits. Start with a pillar, explore the periodic table, or filter the index.

0Channels mapped
0+Guides & playbooks
0Channel families
0+Industry playbooks

How to read this stack: no channel is best in the abstract — the right mix depends on your objective, your margin, and where your customers already are. Every channel here links to its deep guide and its 2026 benchmark.

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At a glanceQuick answers

The short answers.

Highest-intent channel?Search

Google Ads and retail search capture demand people already have.

Cheapest reach?Social / CTV

Low CPMs buy attention, but you create the demand and the click.

Best ROAS channel?Retail media

Sustains ~6.1x across retailers at the point of purchase.

Best owned channel?Email flows

~20x the revenue per recipient of one-off campaigns.

Fastest-growing?Retail media

~$69B in US spend for 2026 and climbing fastest.

Brand-building channels?CTV · YouTube · OOH

Reach-first channels that create the demand others capture.

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Load-bearing channelsSheet — 02 / 10

Six channels hold the roof.

Start here. Most programs are built on a handful of channels: search to capture demand, social and video to create it, retail media to convert it, and email plus affiliate to compound it. Learn these six and the rest slot in around them.
Start here
  1. F-01Google AdsPaid search — capture demand at the moment of intent.
  2. F-02Meta AdsThe reach engine of paid social — Facebook and Instagram.
  3. F-03Connected TVStreaming video — brand reach with near-full completion.
  4. F-04Retail mediaAds at the point of purchase — the fastest-growing channel.
  5. F-05Email marketingThe owned lifecycle engine — flows that compound revenue.
  6. F-06AffiliatePay-for-performance partners — you pay when they deliver.
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The channel indexSheet — 03 / 10

Every channel, filed.

Look at the channel library by family. Filter by name or pick a family. The full stack runs 1,600+ pages including 150 industry playbooks; the marquee channels are below, and search opens the rest.

Showing 26 of 26 channels

No channel matches that filter. Search the full library — it reads every page.

This is the curated index. The full channels stack holds 1,600+ pages — search the complete collection or jump to any family above.

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The map of channelsSheet — 04 / 10

The periodic table of channels.

Hover or tap a channel. Thirty channels grouped into seven families — search, paid social, video & CTV, retail media, display & OOH, audio, and owned & creator. Filter by family, or hit ★ Core for the twelve that carry most programs. Each tile carries what it is, when to use it, and its deep guide.
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Channels by the numbers — 2026Sheet — 05 / 10

What each channel costs.

Tap a card. Channels compete on cost and intent, not vibes. Here are the numbers that separate them in 2026 — each sourced, each linked to the channel and the full benchmarks compendium.
$4.66Paid search CPC

Avg Google Ads CPC

WordStream, 2024Google Ads overview →
Did you know? ↗
$13.48Paid social CPM

Meta median CPM

WordStream, 2025Meta Ads overview →
Did you know? ↗
6.1xRetail media ROAS

Retail media ROAS

Skai, 2025Retail media →
Did you know? ↗
~96%CTV completion

CTV completion rate

MNTN / FreeWheelConnected TV →
Did you know? ↗
~20xEmail flows win

Flow vs campaign RPR

KlaviyoEmail marketing →
Did you know? ↗
$15–30Podcast trust

Host-read podcast CPM

Ad Results MediaPodcast ads →
Did you know? ↗
A channel is only cheap or expensive relative to the intent it carries and the margin you protect.
— RGM analysis, 2026

Channel benchmarks, 2026 — see the full sourced set in the RGM Benchmarks compendium.

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RGM channel toolsSheet — 06 / 10

Run the numbers.

Use these. RGM ships free calculators for every channel decision — cost, efficiency, payback, and budget — no signup. Turn a benchmark into your own number in a minute.
RGM ToolCPC Calculator

Cost per click from spend and clicks.

 RGM ToolCPM Calculator

Cost per thousand impressions, fast.

 RGM ToolROAS Calculator

Return on ad spend for any channel.

 RGM ToolMER Calculator

Blended marketing efficiency ratio.

 RGM ToolBreakeven ROAS

The ROAS a channel needs to cover cost.

 RGM ToolTarget ROAS Setter

Set a margin-safe ROAS goal per channel.

 RGM ToolBlended CAC

Paid + organic cost per new customer.

 RGM ToolBudget Forecaster

Plan spend across channels and months.

 RGM ToolCAC Payback

Months until a channel repays its cost.

 RGM ToolLTV:CAC Ratio

Whether a channel's economics hold up.

 RGM ToolAOV Calculator

Average order value and how to lift it.

 RGM ToolChurn Rate

The leak every channel is filling.

Browse every calculator on the RGM tools floor, or start with the benchmarks compendium.

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MethodSheet — 07 / 10

How to choose a channel.

Five rules. Channel selection is where most budgets are won or lost. Here is the discipline that keeps you out of the hype cycle.
  1. Start from the objective. Brand channels — connected TV, YouTube, out-of-home — build demand; response channels — search, retail media, affiliate — capture it. Decide which job you are hiring the channel for first.
  2. Follow the intent. High-intent channels like search, shopping and retail media convert what already exists; low-intent channels like social, display and CTV create it. Match the channel to where the customer is in the journey.
  3. Match the economics. A channel is only affordable relative to your margin. Compare its CPM, CPC and ROAS against your break-even before you commit — the benchmarks compendium and break-even ROAS calculator set the floor.
  4. Diversify, then concentrate. Start broad enough to find signal, then double down on the two or three channels that pay back. Spreading thinly across ten channels usually beats none of them.
  5. Orchestrate, do not silo. Channels compound — social seeds search, CTV lifts everything downstream. Measure incrementally rather than crediting each channel in isolation.
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Go deeperSheet — 08 / 10

The deep guides.

Beyond the overview. Each channel has a full ultimate guide, and the stack goes deeper still: 150 industry-by-channel playbooks, 48 retail-media CTV extensions, and 118 tactical deep dives.
Ultimate guideAffiliate Marketing

The full partner-program playbook.

 Ultimate guideInfluencer Marketing

Creator strategy from nano to mega.

 Ultimate guideUGC & Creator Economy

Turn creator content into performance.

 Ultimate guideApple Search Ads

App Store acquisition, end to end.

 Ultimate guideApp Store Optimization

Rank and convert in the app stores.

 Ultimate guideProgrammatic Advertising

How automated media buying works.

Working a specific vertical? The stack pairs channels with industries — for example DTC on TikTok, or B2B on Google Ads. Search the full playbook library →

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The voices — top 12Sheet — 09 / 10

The voices — top 12.

Follow these. The practitioners and researchers who shape how channels are bought and measured — from Google Ads automation to media effectiveness. Each links to a profile.
01Frederick VallaeysOptmyzr; Google Ads automation 02Neil PatelCross-channel growth & content 03Gary VaynerchukSocial-first attention & brand 04Seth GodinPermission marketing; owned audiences 05Rand FishkinOrganic & zero-click research 06Sean EllisChannel testing & growth 07Andrew ChenPaid growth & network effects 08Lenny RachitskyProduct & growth channels 09Brian BalfourGrowth loops & channel fit 10Byron SharpReach & mental availability 11Les BinetMedia effectiveness; the 60/40 split 12Mark RitsonMedia strategy & brand rigor

Browse all marketing thought leaders →

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FAQSheet — 10 / 10

Channel questions.

What are the main marketing channels?

The major channels are paid search, paid social, video and connected TV, retail media, display and programmatic, audio (podcast and streaming), out-of-home, email and SMS, affiliate, and influencer — grouped into paid, owned, and earned. The periodic table above maps all thirty.

What is the difference between paid, owned, and earned channels?

Paid channels are media you buy (search, social, CTV, retail media). Owned channels are audiences you control (email, SMS, your site and organic social). Earned channels are attention others give you (affiliate, influencer, PR, word of mouth).

Which marketing channel has the best ROI?

There is no single best channel. Owned email flows and retail media often show the strongest efficiency (retail media sustains about 6x ROAS), but the right channel depends on your objective, margin, and where your customers are. Compare benchmarks against your economics.

How do I choose a marketing channel?

Start from your objective (awareness vs response), follow buyer intent, match each channel's CPM/CPC/ROAS to your margin, diversify to find signal, then concentrate spend on what pays back. The method above walks all five steps.

What is retail media?

Retail media is advertising bought on a retailer's own properties and data, such as Amazon Ads or Walmart Connect. It is the fastest-growing major channel because it reaches shoppers at the point of purchase with strong, measurable ROAS. See the retail media guide.

Are paid search and paid social different channels?

Yes. Paid search captures existing demand from people actively searching, so intent and conversion are high. Paid social creates demand by interrupting feeds, so reach is cheap but conversion is lower. Most programs use both.

Sources & provenance

  1. Channel benchmarks (CPC, CPM, ROAS, completion, CPM ranges) are drawn from the RGM 2026 Benchmarks compendium, which sources each figure to WordStream/LocaliQ, Gupta Media, Skai, MNTN, Klaviyo, Ad Results Media and others.
  2. Channel family groupings and the periodic-table layout are RGM's synthesis; every tile links to its full guide.
  3. Stack census — RGM analysis, June 2026; channel page and playbook counts are live totals from the deployed tree.