Facebook Ads Cost Per Lead Benchmarks for Media

Introduction

Media advertisers spent the year on a rollercoaster. Cost per Lead (CPL) across all countries started modest, surged to triple‑digit highs in Q3–Q4, then reset sharply at the start of 2026. Compared to the global, all‑industry benchmark—which moved within a relatively tight band—the Media category showed outsized swings, alternating between deep discounts and steep premiums versus the market. This analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks. This analysis explores ad performance trends for the Media industry across all countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

Across the 13‑month window, Media CPL averaged $46.59, beginning at $13.82 in January 2025 and landing at $3.72 in January 2026. The year’s high hit $142.22 in December; the low was that January 2026 trough. For 2025 alone, the Media average was $49.85.

The early year was quiet: January–June averaged $15.95, with a May low of $7.56. Then the market shifted. July leapt to $108.42 (+337% vs. June), August eased to $67.63, September rebounded to $96.79, and October pulled back to $40.14. A mild November lift to $51.02 set up the December peak of $142.22 (+179% month over month). The new year opened with a reset to $3.72, a $138 drop from December.

Volatility defined the category. Month‑to‑month absolute changes averaged $40.86—over eleven times more volatile than the global benchmark’s $3.52 average change. The peak‑to‑trough range for Media ($3.72–$142.22) spanned $138.50, underscoring how quickly acquisition costs moved.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The pattern splits cleanly mid‑year. H1 (January–June) was the soft phase, with CPLs hovering in the teens and single digits by May. H2 (July–December) was the high‑cost phase: the six‑month average jumped to $84.37, roughly 5.3x H1 levels. The crescendo arrived in December, in line with year‑end competition typical of Facebook Ads benchmarks, followed by a pronounced January reset. The rhythm was choppy within that broader arc—sharp July lift, partial August giveback, September rebound, and an October dip before the December spike.

Country vs. Global

Relative to the global, all‑industry baseline (average $40.99 across the same period), Media ran higher on average (+14%) but with large, shifting gaps:

• H1 discounts: Media trailed the market by 40–81% from January through June (May was widest at −81% vs. the $39.06 baseline).
• H2 premiums: Media flipped above market by 56–237% in July–December (December was widest at +237% vs. the $42.24 baseline).
• Narrowest gaps: October was only 18% below market; November hovered near parity at +6%.

The global benchmark itself was steady: it averaged $41.53 in 2025, ranged from $33.43 (March) to $48.83 (October), and ended near where it began ($35.04 in January 2025 to $34.46 in January 2026), a gentle decline of about 2%. In contrast, Media’s CPL expanded and contracted in large arcs against that steady backdrop.

Closing

As a snapshot of Facebook Ads benchmarks, this CPL analysis shows a quiet H1 and a volatile, high‑cost H2 for the Media industry across all countries, with a dramatic December peak and a sharp January reset. Understanding Cost Per Lead trends for Media globally—alongside related CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance—helps interpret country‑specific ad costs and compare industry ad performance to global patterns.