See how your CPL compares. Explore lead generation cost benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type
August 2025 - August 2026
Detailed observation of presented 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.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Facebook advertising costs vary based on many factors including industry, target audience, ad placement, and campaign objectives. In the Media industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. Geographic targeting affects ad costs based on market competition and user engagement in different regions. Different campaign objectives lead to varying costs based on how Facebook optimizes for your specific goals. The data shown represents median values across multiple campaigns, and individual results may vary based on ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
We use the median CTR because the underlying distribution of click-through rates is highly skewed, with a small share of campaigns achieving extremely high CTRs. These outliers can inflate a simple average, making it less representative of what most advertisers actually experience. By using the median—which sits at the midpoint of all campaigns—we provide a more rigorous and realistic benchmark that reflects the true underlying data model and helps you set attainable performance expectations.
Note: This data represents industry median values and benchmarks. Your actual costs may vary based on specific targeting, ad creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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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.
Your CPL could be high due to weak creative, irrelevant targeting, or an offer that doesn't resonate. Low engagement or poor conversion rates on your landing page can also drive up costs.
Yes. Campaigns optimized for conversions or leads tend to generate cheaper and more qualified leads compared to traffic or engagement objectives. Facebook needs clear signals to find the right users.
Focus on improving your offer, targeting the right audience, and using high-converting creative. Test native lead forms, but make sure you're still qualifying users properly.
If your goal is sales or revenue, optimizing for deeper funnel conversions is better. Optimizing for leads alone can inflate volume but hurt quality.
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