How to Measure Content ROI in a Spreadsheet

Content ROI is the money a post brings in minus what it cost, divided by what it cost. The step most creators skip is counting their time as a cost.

The formula

ROI = (Return − Cost) ÷ Cost

Cost includes money spent (ads, props, tools) plus hours × the hourly value of your time.

A worked example

A post with $0 of spending still cost you time. If a reel took two hours and you value an hour at $25, its cost is $50, not zero.

Spreadsheet setup

With money spent in C2, hours in D2, your hourly value in $H$1 and return in E2:

=(E2-(C2+D2*$H$1))/(C2+D2*$H$1)

Use a pivot table or SUMIFS by platform to see which channel earns the most per hour.

What to do with the numbers

After a month, make more of the top three formats and drop the bottom three. Track return as sales where you can, or as leads or email sign-ups when sales are hard to tie to one post.