Compare lead generation cost benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type.
October 2025 - September 2026
Benchmark observations based on the selected data
The main story: Cost Per Lead (CPL) for Media across all countries ran materially below the global benchmark but showed notable month-to-month swings — a low, steady start in mid‑2025, a sharp spike into December, then a rapid normalization and a summer trough. 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 Media in All countries compared to the global benchmark.
Media CPL began at about $11.43 in July 2025 and closed nearly flat a year later at $11.32 in July 2026 — a net change of roughly −1%. Across these 13 months the median CPL averaged approximately $19.9 for Media in all countries, with a high of about $40.5 in December 2025 and a low of $9.9 in June 2026. That December peak was the standout month: the series jumped roughly $13.1 month‑over‑month from November, then fell by about $17.4 into January — the largest single-month reversal in the period. Monthly moves were large on average: absolute month‑to‑month changes averaged roughly $6.7, equal to about a 34% swing relative to the series mean, signaling meaningful volatility for Media CPLs.
Rhythm in the series shows a quiet build into autumn, a strong spike in late Q4 (December 2025), and then a steep correction in early Q1 2026. The pattern continued with moderate rebounds through spring, another softening into early summer, and the trough in June 2026. The December surge and the January correction dominate the seasonal narrative; other months show choppier, smaller lifts and declines rather than sustained trends. The mid‑year low in June stands out as the weakest single month in the year.
Compared with the baseline global benchmark for the same months (average CPL ≈ $44.1), Media in all countries ran substantially lower — roughly 55% below the global median on average. The gap varied: at its narrowest in December 2025 Media CPLs were only about 10% below the global level, while at the widest in February 2026 Media CPLs were around 70% below the global benchmark. In relative terms the global series was higher and generally smoother, peaking earlier in February 2026; the Media (all countries) series was more volatile, driven by the pronounced December spike and the deep June trough.
Understanding Cost Per Lead benchmarks for Media in All countries helps frame industry ad performance and country-specific ad costs within broader Facebook Ads benchmarks, and complements CPC trends, CPM analysis and CTR performance context for cross‑channel comparisons.
Facebook advertising cost benchmarks
Facebook advertising costs vary by industry, target audience, ad placement, and campaign objective. In the Media industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. Geographic targeting affects ad costs through regional competition and user engagement. Campaign objectives affect costs because Facebook optimizes delivery for different goals. The data shows median values across multiple campaigns. Results can vary with ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
A small share of campaigns has extremely high CPL values. Those outliers can inflate an average. The median is the midpoint across campaigns, so it better represents a typical result.
The data shows industry median benchmarks. Costs can vary with targeting, creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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The dataset includes over $3B in Facebook ad spend from thousands of ad accounts that use Superads to analyze and improve campaigns. Every data point is anonymized and aggregated. It does not expose an individual advertiser.
The dataset updates as new ad data is available.
A good CPL usually ranges from $10 to $50, depending on your industry and target audience. B2C offers tend to be cheaper, while B2B or high-ticket services may see CPLs over $100.
Weak creative, irrelevant targeting, or an offer that does not resonate can raise CPL. Low engagement or poor landing-page conversion rates can also increase costs.
Yes. Campaigns optimized for conversions or leads tend to generate less expensive, more qualified leads than traffic or engagement objectives. Facebook uses the optimization signal to find users.
Improve the offer, target the right audience, and use high-converting creative. Test native lead forms while continuing to qualify users.
For sales or revenue goals, optimize for deeper-funnel conversions. Optimizing for leads alone can increase volume while reducing quality.
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