After spending over $1.5 million on Facebook and Instagram ads, my absolute go-to is a lead generation campaign using an instant form.

And I wouldn’t spend the majority of my advertising budget on this campaign objective if it wasn’t very profitable for me.

Yet I see a lot of people having hesitation around using this campaign type.

It’s either because:

• They’ve never used it and just heard people say, “It’s low lead quality,” or

• They have used it, got great cost per lead… but then completely struggled to convert those leads into buyers.

That’s the issue I want to help you solve with this video.

I brought you an example of a winning lead generation ad—an example of what something that gets you low cost per lead looks like. And then I want to show you how to transform it into an ad that brings in the right type of lead, and also pre-frames and pre-nurtures so that you can convert quicker.

That’s what we’re going to do here.

Now let’s jump right in.

I help with offers, ads, funnels and emails.

Since 2020, I’ve generated $8M+ with 30k paid members, won the Two Comma Club Award, ranked 4th in Hormozi’s 100 challenge ($247k in 90 days), and secured 2nd place in the first-ever Skool™ Games with my partner Jessa ($81k MRR in 30 days). Known as the Facebook™ and Instagram™ ads expert with 1.5M€ invested, I’m excited to help you with these challenges. Check out my YouTube to learn for free, join my Skool™ waitlist, or apply for my mastermind.

I help with offers, ads, funnels and emails.

Since 2020, I’ve generated $8M+ with 30k paid members, won the Two Comma Club Award, ranked 4th in Hormozi’s 100 challenge ($247k in 90 days), and secured 2nd place in the first-ever Skool Games with my partner Jessa ($81k MRR in 30 days). Known as the Facebook™ and Instagram™ ads expert with 1.5M€ invested, I’m excited to help you with these challenges. Check out my YouTube to learn for free, join my skool waitlist, or apply for my mastermind.

First things first—let’s make sure we’re on the same page.

When I say campaign objective, I’m talking about what you select when you create a new Facebook campaign.

Now, I don’t want to go into all of them. My primary go-to objectives are leads or sales.

If I want to drive sales within a reasonable amount of time, I might go with the sales objective. Sometimes I do brand awareness campaigns too, but really, when I want to focus on growing quickly, I’ll use leads or sales.

Facebook’s campaign objectives are basically organized to funnel down the customer journey.

So the further down we are in the funnel, the higher the quality of the audience we’re getting in front of.

For example, people we can reach with a sales campaign, especially the kind optimized for purchase, are usually already actively searching for or buying offers like ours. That’s also why this is the most expensive campaign objective.

Your CPM—cost per mille, or how much you pay to reach a thousand people—is significantly higher with sales campaigns than with lead campaigns. And it’s even cheaper further up the funnel with things like awareness, traffic, or engagement.

Those campaign types come with the lowest CPMs—but also the least purchase intent.

So, why do I love running lead campaigns?

Because lead campaigns still attract people who are already in the market for the type of offer we have. But they come at a discount. And while yes, it takes more nurturing than a sales campaign, the nurturing journey from lead to buyer can happen a lot quicker if you do it right.

That’s why I love using lead generation campaigns with instant forms.

Now, don’t get me wrong—a sales campaign absolutely has its place. And it’s not like you’re choosing one or the other forever. This isn’t some old-school “organic versus paid” debate. Both work really well together. If you can do both, great.

But if you can only focus on one—if you have limited capacity or resources—then I recommend focusing on leads. Just like I’d say go with paid over organic when you’re stretched.

Lead generation is more budget friendly, and while it requires more effort to nurture your leads, it’s also less risky. Because here, you’re getting an email address. With a sales campaign, you don’t necessarily get anything unless they buy.

You also get a higher volume of people opting in, and you can reach them for free while you refine your offers.

Basically, this becomes your research lab. You’re not just running ads. You’re building out an entire pipeline and feedback loop.

Sales campaigns definitely serve their purpose too—especially for testing how well your offer works with cold traffic. That in itself can be super valuable, because it accelerates how quickly you can improve and shape your offer.

But that’s a topic for another day.

Right now, what I want to focus on is: how do we make our leads convert into sales—fast?

Let’s talk about the real problem.

I see a lot of my students getting insanely low cost per lead. We’re talking great numbers.

But converting those leads into actual buyers?
That’s a whole different challenge—especially if the nuances weren’t implemented correctly.

With advertising, the devil really is in the details.

And that’s why I don’t recommend jumping straight into ChatGPT, getting it to spit out some ad copy, slapping it on Facebook, and putting your budget behind it.

There’s way more thought that needs to go into your ad copy.

In my last Ads Workshop—which I hosted for a limited time on YouTube—I actually walked through what it really takes to write good copy. Like, really good copy. And it takes thinking. It takes strategy.

If you’re just throwing something up with AI, you might get a decent cost per lead. But then what?

You might struggle to convert those leads further down the funnel.

Why?

Because you haven’t created the right filter, and you haven’t psychologically primed your lead for the offer that’s to come.

That’s the core issue.

And that’s what I’m going to show you how to fix—starting with a breakdown of two ad examples: one that doesn’t convert, and one that does.

Let’s look at a real-world example.

I brought this in through Canva, and it’s actually inspired by one of my student’s ads. What I’m sharing with you here came straight out of a recent four-hour coaching call inside Grow with Evelyn.

Now, in this example, we saw really low cost per lead—super promising numbers. But the issue? Those leads weren’t converting.

Here’s why.

Let’s start with the first version of the ad—the one that didn’t convert.

The freebie being offered was this:
Free download: Learning to Read Worksheets for Kids

And here’s the ad copy:

“Struggle to keep your little one engaged while learning to read?
Our Learning to Read Worksheets make it simple, fun, and stress-free.
Phonics and word practice, engaging stories and activities—perfect for Pre-K and early readers.
Instant download.
Turn reading time into fun time and watch your child’s confidence grow.
Grab your printable worksheets now.”

Now, when I first looked at this ad, I was surprised.

Because the follow-up offer wasn’t just another worksheet or printable.
It was actually a homeschooling membership.

So take a step back. If I just showed you this ad—would you have guessed that the end goal here is to attract people who are a good fit for a homeschooling membership?

No. Of course not.

Yes, this is a helpful free resource for homeschooling moms—but it doesn’t filter for only homeschooling moms.
And it especially doesn’t filter for moms who are a good fit for a paid membership.

Here’s the problem: most of you think the lead quality issue is a targeting issue.

You think, okay—we just need to go into Facebook and select “homeschool” or “homeschooling” as a primary interest. That way, we’ll only get people interested in homeschooling on our email list, right?

Wrong.

That’s not how Facebook’s targeting works anymore.

First of all, Facebook’s default is now Advantage Plus, which means your audience gets automatically broadened. Even if you switch back to manual targeting, Facebook will still nudge you to expand your audience. And when you do?

You might technically be targeting people interested in homeschooling, but that can mean a lot of different things.

• Maybe they once bought something on Etsy with a “homeschool” tag.
• Maybe they liked a post three years ago.

Now they fall into that container.

It’s just not precise enough.

So what has to do the filtering instead?

Your ad’s visual and your copy.

That’s what actually qualifies people. And that’s what we’re going to look at next.

Let’s look at the second version of the ad.

At first glance, it might not seem like a big difference. But it makes all the difference in the world.

Here’s why.

The very first touchpoint of your ad is always the visual. That’s where people stop scrolling, or they don’t.

So in this improved version, instead of saying “Free Download,” the ad visual says:

Worksheets for Homeschoolers

Immediate filter.

This tells people right away, this is for homeschoolers. It also starts to repel people who aren’t homeschoolers—which is exactly what we want.

You might still get some general interest opt-ins, but you’re already doing a much better job calling out the right audience.

The new copy says:

Reading—but make it fun and natural.

Why this change?

Because the actual offer behind this ad was a membership focused on unschooling—which is a specific philosophy within homeschooling.

So this headline isn’t just about worksheets anymore. It’s starting to prime the lead psychologically. It plants the idea of natural, child-led learning. That’s a preview of the offer to come.

And I’m hooking them above the fold.

That means before someone clicks “read more” on the ad, they already see what this is about. This is crucial.

Even on a lifestyle ad like this, I want people to immediately know:

• What’s in it for them

• Who this is for

• What kind of tone and philosophy they can expect

On this particular ad, for example, the top part says:

“See what ads are working right now to sell coaching, paid communities, and courses.
Free ads workshop for coaches and personal brands.”

Even though this is a lifestyle image, it’s extremely targeted.

And I love using lifestyle ads like this because they also help build your personal brand. But you still have to get the targeting right above the fold.

Here’s how the new ad copy opens:

“You wanted homeschooling to feel natural and free—but somehow, teaching reading has become a daily battle filled with frustration for you and your kid.”

Now we’re speaking directly to our ideal client.

This isn’t just a generic opt-in anymore. It’s a conversation.

And if someone reads that and thinks, “That’s not me,” then great. They self-select out. Which means your email list is now filling with more aligned leads.

Next line in the ad:

“Hi there, I’m Anna Wilder. I’m an unschooling mom of three, a former curriculum chaser, and now I help other moms break free from the stress of ‘doing it right’ and lean into what actually works for their unique child.”

We’re introducing ourselves right away.

Why? Because this might be the very first touchpoint you ever have with this person. So make it personal. Make it human.

Then:

“That’s why I created these gentle, open-ended reading worksheets—designed specifically for unschooling families.”

So now we’ve dropped the word unschooling. We’re not forcing it. We’re planting a seed. That way, we create intrigue for people who might have heard of it but aren’t quite sure what it is yet. Or we attract those who are already aligned with the concept.

Then the copy continues:

“No rigid lessons. No one-size-fits-all phonics drills. Just playful, curiosity-sparking reading activities that invite exploration.”

“And the best part—they’re completely free.
Because when we stop forcing it, learning happens in the most unexpected and beautiful ways.
Grab your free worksheets now and see the difference for yourself.”

Can you see how this filters and pre-primes in a completely different way?

Yes, your cost per lead might be a little higher here. But now you’ve done one of two things:

• Filtered out the wrong people

• Or at the very least, primed the right ones

And that alone will make the conversion process later on so much smoother.

So here’s the deal.

Because it’s so easy to create an ad these days—especially with tools like ChatGPT—and because everyone is handing out copy-paste prompts, we’ve stopped thinking about the next part.

We’ve stopped thinking about how we continue the conversation once someone opts in from the ad.

Let me show you what most people’s standard welcome email looks like.

Subject line:
Your reading worksheets are here

(And yes, let’s quickly talk about this—putting emojis in your subject line can sabotage your deliverability. That’s a personal pet peeve of mine. Just don’t do it.)

Email body:

“Hey [first name],
Your gentle reading worksheets are ready!
Click below to download them and start exploring reading in a way that feels natural and pressure-free for your kid.”

Now, here’s the issue.

This email is what people would receive even if they came from the generic version of the ad. The one that said nothing about homeschooling, unschooling, or the deeper philosophy behind it.

So when they read this email, they’re like, “Huh? What is this?”

There’s zero context. The email jumps right into a new message that wasn’t part of the original ad.

It continues:

“I know firsthand how overwhelming it can feel to teach reading without relying on rigid, enforced lessons.
But here’s the good news—you don’t have to figure it out all alone.”

But again, if someone came in from a generic ad, they’re not having this conversation yet. You started with, “Here’s a random, gorgeous freebie,” and now you’re pivoting into an entirely different narrative.

So what happens?

Open rates go down.
Click rates go down.
Engagement drops.

And then you wonder, “Why aren’t people converting?”

It’s because you started the conversation one way, and now you’re trying to have a completely different conversation. There’s no throughline.

Let’s flip the script.

Let’s say you ran the specific ad—the one that actually filtered for your target audience. Now your follow-up can continue that conversation smoothly.

Email subject line:
Your reading worksheets are here

Email body:

“Hey [first name],
Your gentle reading worksheets are ready!
Download them here now.”

So far, same idea. But now we go deeper—on message.

“Really important: next step is we need to create a way for you to get to know me. Ideally on video.
And don’t worry, it doesn’t even need to be a video of my face—it could just be my voice.”

Why video?

Because we want our leads to spend time with us as soon as possible. Every minute they spend with you—watching, listening, learning—builds trust. It accelerates the entire nurture process.

For example, in my welcome emails, I send people to:

• A replay of my last ads workshop

• A podcast interview I did on the School Stories podcast

That way, people aren’t just getting a worksheet. They’re spending time with me. They’re learning how I think. They’re seeing the bigger picture behind the freebie.

You want your lead to think:

“Oh wow—this person gets me.”
“This is exactly what I needed.”
“I want to know more.”

That’s how you take a lead from “opt-in” to “buyer” much faster.

Let’s take this a step further.

A lot of people go straight from “Here’s your free thing” to “Buy my offer.”
And that’s a massive mistake.

What’s missing? Context. Connection. Trust.

People don’t just need to know what you’re selling.
They need to know why. They need to hear your voice. They need to understand how you got here.

That’s what creates resonance. That’s what makes someone say, “I want to learn more from this person.”

Let me give you an example.

Now, to be clear—this is a fictitious character I made up to illustrate the point. But this is how the story might flow in a real nurture email or landing page, aligned with the unschooling ad from before.

“Before you jump in, I need to tell you something that completely changed the way I homeschool.
Something that made me rethink everything I’d been taught about learning—and gave my kids the freedom to fall in love with reading on their own terms.”

“When I first started homeschooling, I believed my job was to teach my kids to read. That meant phonics drills, structured lessons, careful planning, scheduled reading time.
And if I’m honest—a lot of stress.”

“Despite my best efforts, my kids weren’t responding. They resisted. They got frustrated. I got frustrated.
And no matter how many programs I tried, it always felt like I was forcing something that just wasn’t ready to happen yet.”

“Then one day, I stopped. Not because I gave up—but because I realized something.”

“Kids don’t need to be forced to learn.
They are already wired to learn.”

“Think about it. Babies learn to walk without structured lessons. Toddlers absorb language without grammar drills.
Kids learn through curiosity, exploration, and play.”

“But the moment we turn learning into a chore, the joy disappears.”

“So I let go of control. I stopped obsessing over progress. I trusted that my kids would learn to read when it made sense to them.”

“And you know what happened?
They did. Not through force. Not through frustration.
But through stories. Conversations. Games. Real-world experiences.”

“Reading became an adventure—not an assignment.”

This kind of narrative is powerful for two reasons:

#1: It builds emotional trust.
It shows vulnerability. It makes your audience feel seen. It mirrors their struggle and offers hope.

#2: It naturally leads to your offer.
Because now, when you say, “This is why I created these gentle, curiosity-based reading worksheets,” your lead understands what’s behind it. They’re not just downloading a worksheet. They’re entering a new way of thinking.

And remember, this isn’t just about “sounding nice.”
This is about priming your lead for your product by creating emotional alignment. They see themselves in your story, and they start to believe that your offer might work for them too.

That’s what moves them from freebie to buyer.

So, here’s what I want you to remember.

Running a lead generation campaign is powerful—but it’s not enough on its own. You need a strong, compelling reason for people to take the next step now.

That’s where a limited-time offer comes in.

It gives your new lead a reason to make a decision right now, instead of waiting around. And it works across the board—whether you’re selling a low-ticket product or a high-ticket coaching program.

Here’s how it plays out depending on the type of offer:

You’re probably not selling directly from an email. And that’s fine.

Instead, you might be sending them to:

• A pre-recorded webinar

• A masterclass

• A sales page

• Or directly to book a call

Any of these work. But you still want to give a limited-time bonus for taking that next step.

This is where you want to offer a really strong 72-hour bonus. Something that makes the lead think:

“I don’t want to miss this.”

Because when someone receives your welcome email, there’s a timestamp. You can track when they joined and whether they claimed the bonus in time.

This gives you a clean way to segment behavior and see who’s most likely to buy.

If you’re offering a bonus or time-sensitive deal, you have to remind people.

Here’s a simple reminder sequence:

• 48-hour reminder

• 24-hour reminder

• Ideally, one final push at 12, 6, or 3 hours left

The exact timing might depend a bit on your niche, but the core idea holds:

You need to be loud enough to get noticed in their inbox.

You’ll see higher unsubscribe rates during this sequence—and that’s okay.

You might even see unsubscribes right after the first welcome email, especially if people only opted in to get the freebie and never intended to engage.

Good.

That means your email list is getting more aligned, and you’re not paying your email marketing platform for people who were never going to convert anyway.

The people who do stay?

They’re the ones who are interested. And if your messaging is clear, if your bonus is compelling, and if your backstory built trust—you’ll start seeing conversions even during that first follow-up sequence.

In a perfect world, this is what starts happening:

• You nurture your leads with real value

• You give them a time-sensitive reason to buy

• You continue building trust through story and personal touchpoints

• And your very first sales start coming in

The process becomes more fluid. More intentional. More effective.

Let me leave you with this.

The key takeaway is simple, but powerful:

Your ad must do two things—it must filter and it must prime.
And then your follow-up has to continue that same conversation.

Because no matter how good your emails are, they can’t succeed if the ad didn’t do its job in the first place.

If all the ad did was bring in random people with no context, no alignment, and no psychological priming, then your funnel is going to feel like a bait-and-switch. It won’t convert.

But when your ad starts with the right message…
And your email follow-up continues that message intentionally…
That’s when you see your leads convert—faster, easier, and more profitably.

I hope you found this insightful.
And if you have any questions, drop them below.
I’ll see you in another one. Bye for now.

If you decide to join Skool, you can use this link: https://www.skool.com/signup?ref=1999a274837b41938768694b466147cb, and I’ll earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

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Disclaimer: Results shared in this post are based on my personal experience. Your success will depend on multiple factors, including your effort, strategy, and willingness to take action. There are no guarantees, but with the right approach, you can see meaningful results.

AI Note: I use AI tools to assist with content creation, but all ideas, strategies, and personal insights shared in this post are my own. AI helps streamline my workflow, but I personally craft and refine every piece of content to ensure authenticity and quality.