If you listen to this podcast, I’m willing to bet you want to scale your business. And whether we like it or not, in 2026, one of the best ways to do that is by running ads.
You know I will preach all day about how SEO, blogging, and search-driven marketing is one of the best ways to market your business on an evergreen basis. But especially for those of you running launch models — and honestly, even if you don’t — ads are something we just can’t ignore anymore. Especially with social media algorithms that a lot of us have grown to rely on becoming increasingly unreliable.
So I brought in Melissa Litchfield of Litchfield Media to talk about how to scale Facebook ads, starting from square one with a lead magnet.
And we’re doing something a little different with this episode. I’m literally handing the mic over to her. She’s recorded what is essentially a masterclass, and I’m so excited to try this format — because one thing I’m always focused on is keeping episodes under 30 minutes, and I’ve found that traditional interviews can burn a lot of time on intro and banter. So let me know what you think about this one.
I knew Melissa would be the perfect person to test this format with, because honestly, I love her. I have purchased her offers with my own hard-earned dollars, and she has delivered every single time. I think the first time was back in 2021 when she launched a how-to-set-up-your-agency offer — and she genuinely helped me build and grow my agency in its very early stages. I’m forever grateful for that. I’ve also taken her ads offerings, and listen, ads are very much on my radar. You’ll be seeing ads from me in the near future.
If you’re interested in signing up for her Test Drive Ad Sprint, click here. You won’t be disappointed.
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The Honest Truth About Lead Magnets in 2026
I’m so grateful Kara invited me to take over the podcast today to talk about something I see business owners get wrong all the time: lead magnets.
You’ve probably got one. Maybe it’s a checklist, a guide, a template pack, or a mini course. And if you’re being honest, it’s not converting the way you thought it would. You put it out there, you promoted it on Instagram, you pinned it on Pinterest. Maybe you got some downloads — but those downloads aren’t exactly turning into clients or customers.
So today I’m going to break down:
- Why most lead magnets fail, even the pretty ones
- How to know if your lead magnet is actually set up to convert
- How to test it with just $5–$10 a day in Meta ads so you’re not wasting months promoting something that doesn’t work
Let’s dive in.
Why Most Lead Magnets Fail
Let’s start with the uncomfortable truth: most lead magnets fail because we create them completely backwards.
Here’s what’s usually happening. You spend weeks creating a beautiful 20-page guide or workbook. You design it in Canva, write the copy for your opt-in page, and set up the email automation. You launch it to your audience — and then silence. Crickets.
Or worse, people download it but never buy anything. It goes straight into that digital graveyard where unconsumed freebies go to die.
So what went wrong? You created the lead magnet based on what you think people need — not what they’re actively looking for right now.
Here’s a test I use with my clients: Would someone searching Google or scrolling Pinterest right now type in the exact phrase that describes your lead magnet?
If not, it’s too vague or too clever.
For example, “The Ultimate Guide to Thriving Online” — no one is searching for that. Compare that to “Pinterest Pin Template Pack for Service Providers.” It’s specific about the solution and who it’s for. People are actively searching for Pinterest templates, so your lead magnet is meeting them where they already are.
Your lead magnet should solve one specific problem your ideal client is actively trying to solve today — not a nice-to-have, but a “I kind of need this right now.”
Your Lead Magnet Isn’t Connected to What You Actually Sell
If you sell a Pinterest management service, your lead magnet shouldn’t be “10 Ways to Grow Your Email List.” It should be something like a Pinterest account audit checklist or five pin templates that actually get clicks.
Why? Because someone who downloads that is already interested in Pinterest — they’re pre-qualified for your service. Compare that to someone who downloads a generic email list growth guide. They might be interested in Instagram, SEO, webinars — who knows. Now you’re starting from scratch trying to convince them that Pinterest even matters.
The tighter the connection between your lead magnet and your paid offer, the higher your conversion rate.
How To Create a Stronger Lead Magnet in 2026
Start with the end goal. What do people want to buy after they download your lead magnet? Then reverse engineer your lead magnet to be the logical first step toward that paid offer.
A few examples:
- If you sell a course on blogging with Pinterest → your lead magnet could be The 30-Day Pinterest Traffic Plan for Bloggers
- If you sell website copywriting services → your lead magnet could be The Homepage Copy Audit Checklist
- If you sell a membership for Meta ads support (which is what I do) → your lead magnet could help people set up their Business Manager correctly
Your lead magnet isn’t just a random freebie to grow your list. It’s the first step in your buyer’s journey — and getting this right makes everything else so much easier.
Should You Promote Your Lead Magnet With Ads?
Let’s say you have a lead magnet that’s aligned with what you sell. Now what?
Most people think, “I’ll just run ads and people will download it.” Then they waste $500 and declare that ads just don’t work for them.
Before we talk about how to scale Facebook ads, there are four things that need to be true before you spend a dime on ads.
1. You have a validated offer.
Even if it’s just a freebie, you want to have either sold it 10 times or had at least 100 people opt in. You want to know that people will actually consume it — and if it’s a paid offer, that people actually buy it.
If you’re already struggling to sell your offer and hoping a freebie will call in the right people who eventually convert, I want you to focus on the foundational stuff first. Ads will amplify what’s already working in your business — but they’ll also amplify what’s not working. They can’t fix a broken offer.
Get your core signature offer selling organically first. Then add ads.
2. Your funnel actually converts.
Before you learn how to scale Facebook ads, you need to know your funnel works. Think through the flow: someone comes from paid traffic, lands on your lead magnet, enters your email sequence, and gets presented with a paid offer. Do they buy?
If your funnel doesn’t convert organically, ads will just send money into a broken system. Test it with your warm audience first — email your list, post on social, and see if people actually move through the funnel and buy. If they do, great. Let’s add ads. If they don’t, we need to fix some things first.
3. You’re prepared to invest $500–$1,000 for one month of testing.
Notice I said testing — you probably won’t see results immediately, but you will get good data so that you can scale Facebook ads. Most people think they need thousands of dollars to run ads. You really don’t, but you do need enough budget to test three to five audiences, gather real stats, and find what actually works.
$500 a month can get you there.
If that’s not feasible right now, consider running simple top-of-funnel micro ads to drive traffic to your Instagram while you save up. Focus on building your organic conversion rates in the meantime, then come back and run conversion campaigns — the ones optimizing for leads and purchases.
4. You’re launching in the next 90 days, or you already have campaigns running.
Ads work best when you have a specific goal and a timeline. If you’re launching a program in May, running lead generation ads now makes a lot of sense. The goal is always to grow your audience by at least 30% before a new launch or re-launch.
If your answer is “I might do something someday” — you’re probably not ready yet. Ads need a destination. What are you building this list for? If you don’t have a clear answer, hold off until you do.
If you’re reading this and realizing you still have some things to work out first — that’s completely fine. I’m going to share something at the end of this episode that will help you get there.
But first, let’s talk about what testing actually looks like when you are ready — and how to do it for just $5–$10 a day.
How to Actually Test Your Lead Magnet with Ads
So let’s say you’re ready to learn how to scale Facebook ads. You’ve got a validated offer or freebie that’s converting, people are consuming it, you’re getting good feedback, your funnel works, you have the budget to test, and you have a launch or goal on the horizon.
Here’s how to actually test your lead magnet with ads.
Step 1: Start with a micro budget.
Don’t launch one ad set at $50 a day with one version of copy and one image and hope for the best. Start smaller — $5 to $10 a day per audience.
Why? Because right now, you’re not trying to scale. You’re trying to learn. What audiences are responding? What messaging is sticking? What’s your actual cost per lead?
You can test three to five different audiences for under $200 a month and get clear data on what’s working. Most people skip this step because they want to jump ahead and then they end up wasting money. Test small first.
Step 2: Know your cost per lead (CPL) benchmark.
A lot of people launch ads, see a cost per lead of $4, and immediately wonder: is that good? Is that bad? Should I pause?
Here’s the honest answer: CPL varies widely by industry and offer. I can’t give you a blanket number. But here are some general ranges to work with for free lead magnets:
- For service providers: $2–$5
- For course creators: $2–$6 depending on the niche
- For online coaches targeting B2B: $3–$7
The real question isn’t whether your CPL is too high or too low. The question is: does your funnel convert well enough that the cost per lead is actually profitable?
Let’s do some math. Say your CPL is $4, 10% of your leads book a discovery call, and you close 30% of those calls at $2,000.
If 100 leads come in a given month, that’s roughly $400 in ad spend. That’s 10 discovery calls, 3 clients closed, and $6,000 in potential revenue. You spent $400 to make $6,000 — that’s a 15x return.
Suddenly a $4 lead doesn’t sound so expensive.
But if your funnel only converts at 1% and your offer is $500, that same $4 CPL just doesn’t work. So you have to do the math for your business. Know your close rate. If you can get someone on a call, what percentage do you typically close? Work backwards from there.
Step 3: Test for at least five to seven days before making decisions.
A lot of people launch an ad on Monday, check on Wednesday, see three leads at $6 each, panic, and turn everything off.
We don’t have enough data yet.
I’m not saying let a clearly broken campaign keep running — but here’s what often happens: those three expensive leads might be coming from one underperforming ad within the campaign, while other ads are actually converting just fine. When you look at only the top-line numbers, the outliers make everything look worse than it is.
Give it at least three days before turning everything off, and make sure you’re looking at performance at the ad level — not just the campaign level. It could be much better than it looks at first glance.
Step 4: Find the winners and scale them.
Most people spread their budget across five audiences, never touch anything, and wonder why nothing improves.
Here’s the actual strategy:
Test five audiences at $5–$10 a day each, with at least three different creatives under each audience.
After seven days, identify the one or two that are performing best — lowest CPL, highest quality leads. Pause the ones that aren’t converting or are converting at too high a cost. Then scale the winners to $15, $20, $30 a day from there.
You’re not trying to make every audience work. It’s okay if some don’t convert right away. The whole point is that you’re testing more than one ad and more than one audience — you’re not putting all your eggs in one basket. You’re just finding the one that works, and then scaling it.
The strategy itself isn’t complicated. Test small, find what works, scale it. The hard part is knowing when to make decisions. When do I pause this audience? When do I scale? My CPL just jumped — is that normal? Should I change the creative or give it more time?
That’s where people get stuck. Not because they don’t know how to set up a campaign, but because they don’t know what to do once it’s actually running and spending money. You’re staring at the screen thinking, what do I do with this now?
So let’s talk about the three moments when running ads that make you want to slam your laptop shut.
The Three Critical Moments When Figuring Out How To Scale Facebook Ads
There are three moments when learning how to scale Facebook ads that make you want to just slam your laptop shut or just bang your head against the wall. Let’s talk about them.
Moment 1: The Setup Moment.
You’re brand new, or you’re launching a new campaign. You’ve got Ads Manager open and you’re completely paralyzed — you don’t want to click the wrong thing and waste money. What you need in that moment isn’t a three-hour course. You need someone to tell you in real time: here’s what to click next, here’s what this button actually does, here’s which objective you should choose for your specific goal.
Moment 2: The Breakdown Moment.
Your campaign was working — promise, it was. You were getting leads at $3 each. Then overnight, your cost jumps to $7. Now what? Do you pause? Change the creative? Add more budget? You’re bleeding money while Googling for answers.
What you need is a real-time diagnosis: “Your audience is fatiguing — here’s what to test next.” Or, “This is actually normal, here’s what to monitor.” Or, “It’s probably your landing page conversion rate — let’s look at that first.”
Moment 3: The Scaling Moment.
Your campaign is finally working. You’re getting consistent leads under $3, sales are happening — and now you’re afraid to touch anything. Do you double the budget? Duplicate the campaign? Add more audiences? You don’t want to break the one thing that’s actually working.
What you need here is someone who can guide you through your specific campaign scenario — not generic advice, but real direction based on what’s actually in front of you.
The Problem with Most Ad Support If You’re Learning How To Scale Facebook Ads
Most ad support is built for only one of these moments.
Courses teach you the setup and then you’re on your own when something breaks. Facebook groups offer peer advice, not expert diagnosis, and most of those people are only running their own ads, not running an agency or actively coaching others.
And if you hire an agency to run everything for you, you’re probably spending $3,000–$5,000 a month minimum — before ad spend — which puts it out of reach for a lot of people who just want to learn to run their own campaigns.
There’s a real gap for people who want to build the skill themselves, have expert oversight, and get real-time support — not wait a week for answers.
That’s exactly why I built Ad Traffic School.
It’s not a one-and-done course where you never hear from me again. It’s not a done-for-you agency. It’s done-with-you campaign oversight — expert guidance at the exact moments when you actually need it.
The Test Drive Ad Sprint Live
In April, I’m running a live five-day ad challenge showing you how to scale Facebook ads: the Test Drive Ad Sprint Live, happening April 13–17.
Over the course of the week, you’ll build and launch your first lead gen campaign alongside me. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Day 1: Plan your campaign structure and establish your CPL benchmark
- Day 2: Build your audience targeting
- Day 3: Write your ad copy and choose your creative
- Day 4: Build and launch your campaign
- Day 5: Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize
By the end of the week, the goal is a working lead gen campaign — not a draft sitting in your account, not something almost ready. We’re going live. Ads are running and spending money by Thursday night.
It’s $97 to join.
I’m doing it this way because the best way to see if my support style works for you is to just try it. I don’t want you to watch a boring webinar or read testimonials. I want you to experience what it actually feels like to have real-time answers in Slack, expert eyes on your specific account, and daily support as you build.
There’s also an option at checkout to add me directly to your ad account — that’s the “expert eyes on your specific account” piece. You’re not watching me do it. We’re building together, and I’m right there in Slack guiding you the whole way.
And if you love it, you can join my Ad Traffic School membership at a discount at the end of the week — with your $97 credited toward the membership. If you decide it’s not for you, you still walk away with a working campaign. Win-win.
Work With Litchfield Media to Scale With Facebook Ads
This is a great fit if you have a validated offer and a working funnel, you’ve already tested ads but want expert oversight before spending thousands, and you can invest roughly $100–$300 in ad testing after the challenge wraps.
This is not for you if you’re still figuring out what you’re offering, you don’t have a freebie yet, or you want someone to just run the ads for you. This is a done-with-you experience — you will have to show up, put in some work, and learn some things.
Registration opens March 25th, and by the time you’re hearing this, you should be able to sign up. The challenge runs April 13–17, and you can find the link in the show notes.
About Creating a Lead Magnet in 2026
Here’s what we covered today:
1. Most lead magnets fail because they’re not connected to what you actually sell. Fix that first — make sure your freebie is the logical first step toward your paid offer.
2. Before you run ads, make sure you’re actually ready. That means having a validated freebie or offer that’s converting, sales already happening, a budget to test, and ideally a launch or goal on the horizon.
3. When you are ready to test, start small. Five to $10 a day per audience, give it at least three to five days before making decisions, and optimize from there.
The hard part isn’t the strategy. It’s knowing what to do once your campaign is actually running — that’s where most people get stuck, and that’s exactly where expert oversight matters.
If you want to build your lead gen campaign with hands-on support, join me for the Test Drive Ad Sprint Live, April 13–17. It’s $97 to join, and if you want me added directly to your ad account for VIP support, that’s an additional $97 at checkout. Registration opens March 25th.
Thanks so much for listening, and a huge thank you to Kara for letting me take over the podcast today. If you got value from this, send Kara or me a DM on Instagram. Hope to see some of you in the challenge!
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