---
title: Media Planning Model — Cross-Channel Full-Funnel Forecast | RGM®
url: https://realgrowthmatters.com/tools/media-planner/
updated: 2026-06-10
source_html: https://realgrowthmatters.com/tools/media-planner/
---

### Step 1 — Your business targets

Industry / business type

DTC Apparel / Beauty / Wellness
E-commerce (multi-category)
SaaS — SMB / Mid-market
B2B Enterprise
Local Service / Multi-location

Total monthly budget ($)

Target CAC ($, optional)

Use Allowable CAC calc if unknown

Target sales / customers per month (optional)

Leave 0 if unknown — we'll compute possible

Target revenue / month ($, optional)

Average order value ($)

Lead-to-customer rate (%) — B2B only

If you sell direct (DTC/ecom), set to 100

Agency / mgmt fees (%)

% of media spend

Creative production cost ($/month)

Concepting, video production, editing

## Your media plan

Total monthly spend

—

Media + agency + creative

Forecast customers (avg)

—

vs your target

Forecast revenue (avg)

—

at your AOV

Blended CAC (avg)

—

vs your target

**Strategic reasoning**

Plan generated based on industry-standard benchmarks and your inputs.

[Open blank Google Sheet ↗](https://sheets.new)
[Open blank Google Doc ↗](https://docs.new)

After download: open the file above, click cell A1 (or click into the doc), and paste (Cmd/Ctrl+V).

Free training · Media planning fundamentals

**Build defensible media plans your CFO will sign**

This model gives you the math. RGM training teaches you how to defend it, when to deviate, and how to iterate as you collect first-party data. Free, no signup.

[Start the training →](/training/)

### How this model works

1. **Industry routing.** Each industry has a different priority order for which channels work best at each funnel stage. DTC starts with Meta and TikTok. B2B starts with LinkedIn.
2. **Funnel allocation.** Default budget split is based on industry-typical TOF/MOF/BOF percentages, weighted toward bottom-funnel for high-intent industries.
3. **Benchmark application.** Each channel × stage uses published CPM, CTR, and CVR ranges. The low end of the range produces "worst case," the high end produces "best case," and the midpoint produces "average."
4. **Layer the costs.** Media spend, agency fees, and creative production are added together for total cash outlay.
5. **Forecast vs target.** The output shows whether your plan will hit your stated CAC, customer, and revenue targets — and what to change if it won't.

**Important caveat:** Benchmarks are ranges, not guarantees. Your actual performance will depend on creative quality, targeting precision, landing-page conversion, and account maturity. Treat this as a starting estimate, not a contract.

Benchmark sources

1. Tinuiti — quarterly benchmark reports
2. WordStream — Google Ads benchmarks by industry
3. Common Thread Collective — DTC benchmark publications
4. Wpromote — paid-media quarterly benchmark reports
5. Pacific Crest / KeyBanc — SaaS metrics surveys
6. Meta and Google published platform benchmarks
7. RGM operator notes — aggregated client engagements 2023-2026

### Pair with these tools

[**Allowable CAC**Determine target CAC before planning.](/tools/allowable-cac-calculator/)
[**Contribution margin**Validate unit economics.](/tools/contribution-margin-calculator/)
[**Industry benchmarks**Deep dives by platform & industry.](/tools/benchmarks/)