June Heat Map: Where to Spend Big (and Where to Hold Back)

June is when media budgets either get smarter or start bleeding efficiency. Mid-year spend means pressure: seasonality, shifting priorities, and the looming Q3 reset. So here’s the question every performance marketer should be asking:

Where should I push? And where should I pause?

Here’s your June read on what’s working, what’s overpriced, and where you still have room to test.

🔥 What’s Heating Up (Fast)

Meta Ads
CPMs are surging in retail, home services, and anything geo-targeted in top-income DMAs. If you’re going to stay in, rotate creative fast and start killing fatigue early. Lazy ads will cost you.

YouTube (Select + In-Stream)
Premium slots are tight. Inventory is getting scooped up by brands trying to own pre-summer. If you're not pairing this with branded search or strong remarketing, it's probably a flex spend.

Search (Google + Bing)
CPCs are volatile. Pest control, HVAC, travel, energy—everyone’s bidding and conquesting. Time to tighten targeting, lean on RSAs, and get aggressive with your geo/modifier strategy.

🔎 Where to Lean In (While It Lasts)

TikTok Smart+ and GMV Max
Still massively underpriced for top- and mid-funnel reach. CPVs are efficient, tools are maturing, and if you’ve got the creative built for it, this is the time to lean into scale.

Programmatic Display (Outside Tier 1 Markets)
Skip the cities everyone else is fighting over. Suburban and secondary DMAs are working—especially with new mover or weather-based targeting. Think: pest after storms, solar when the heat hits.

LinkedIn (B2B Quiet Zone)
CPCs have dipped post-Q2. SaaS and pro services should be running lead gen or native content now to feed Q3/Q4 pipeline. Especially useful if your buying cycle is long and you need to stay visible.

✅ Pro Tip: Plan Your July Now

July 4th is a temporary reset button. Platforms relax, auctions settle. Hold 20–30% of your June budget to retest winners with new creative once you’re past the noise.