Lead ads are the fastest way to get a stranger’s phone number. Whether that number is worth having depends entirely on the video that got them there and the form they filled in afterwards.
Lead ads versus sending people to your website
A normal ad sends someone to a landing page, where they read, decide, and — usually — leave. A lead ad opens a form inside Facebook or Instagram with their name and email already filled in. Two taps and they are a lead. The friction is gone, which is why lead ads produce far more enquiries per dollar than website campaigns.
The catch is that low friction cuts both ways. Some of those two-tap leads were barely paying attention. Managing that is the difference between a campaign that fills the calendar and one that fills the spam folder.
The four-part video structure
The video is doing the qualifying before the form ever appears. A structure that works, in about 30 seconds:
- Hook (0–3s). The viewer’s problem, stated in their words. “Still waiting on quotes for your solar install?”
- Problem (3–10s). Why the usual way is painful. Short, specific, no jargon.
- Proof (10–22s). A real job, a real result, a real customer if you have one. This is where footage of actual work earns its keep.
- Ask (22–30s). Exactly what happens if they fill in the form. “Leave your details and we will call within the hour with a fixed price.”
The last part is the one most businesses skip. If the viewer does not know what filling in the form leads to, the ones who do fill it in are guessing — and guessers do not answer the phone.
Form fields that filter
Meta lets you add custom questions to a lead form. Every question you add reduces the number of leads and increases the quality of them. That trade is worth making.
- One qualifying question — suburb, property type, job size, timeframe
- A multiple-choice answer — faster to complete than typing, cleaner to read
- Phone number as a required field — email-only leads are noticeably weaker
- Leave out anything you do not need — every extra field costs you leads
Following up fast enough
A lead ad enquiry cools within the hour. Someone who tapped a form at 8pm and hears nothing until Thursday has usually forgotten, or found someone else. The businesses that get real results from lead ads are the ones with a system: the lead lands in a phone or a CRM instantly, and someone calls back the same day.
This is not a video problem, and no amount of creative fixes it. It is the first thing we ask about before running a campaign, because if the follow-up is not there, the ad spend is wasted.
What to spend on a test
Enough to learn something, not enough to hurt. For a local service business that usually means a few hundred dollars a week for three to four weeks, across three or four hooks, with one form. By the end you know your cost per lead, which hook works, and — most importantly — whether the leads turn into jobs.
Our Meta Ads package is built around exactly this: a test campaign using lead form structures that already work, with creative cut in house so hooks can be replaced the same week if they are not landing. Details on the packages page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a lead cost?
It varies enormously by industry and offer. Local trades and property often see leads in the tens of dollars; higher-value services cost more per lead but need fewer of them. A test campaign tells you your number within a month.
Will the leads be real?
Mostly, if the video does its job and the form asks at least one qualifying question. Some junk is unavoidable. Fast follow-up sorts the rest.
Do I need a website for lead ads?
No, which is part of the appeal. You do need a privacy policy Meta can link to, which is a page on this site’s template.
Who owns the ad account?
You do. We work inside your account as a partner. The audiences, pixel data and history stay with you regardless of who manages it later.
