Mockingbird

Explainer

Meta lead ads and instant forms explained: how to generate leads with Facebook and Instagram ads

Facebook lead ads are ads run under Meta's leads objective that collect a person's details or start a conversation with them. An instant form is the version that opens a form inside Facebook or Instagram, with contact details prefilled where Meta already holds them, so nobody has to visit your website. Meta does not name one type of campaign as best for generating leads: you choose the conversion location where you want the enquiry to arrive. Leads from an instant form can be downloaded for 90 days only.

Last updated

Facebook lead ads: what they are

Everything below is from Meta's Business Help Centre as it read on 13 October 2026. The pages carry no publication date.

Meta's page about lead ads describes three kinds: lead ads with an instant form, lead ads with calling, and lead ads that click to message in Messenger, Instagram or WhatsApp. It says they can appear in Facebook and Instagram Feed and Stories, in-stream reels, Marketplace and other placements, and that you can create them in Ads Manager or Meta Business Suite.

Which type of Facebook ad campaign is best for generating leads?

Meta does not rank them. The campaign to choose is one with the leads objective, and the real decision is the conversion location, which you pick at ad set level. Meta's page on creating a lead ad in Ads Manager lists these, each described by where the lead is collected.

Conversion locations Meta lists for the leads objective in Ads Manager, read on 13 October 2026
Conversion locationHow Meta describes it
Instant formsPeople fill in a form on Facebook and Instagram.
WebsitePeople convert on your website. Meta says the Meta pixel must be installed first.
MessengerAn automated question-and-answer flow in Messenger.
InstagramAn automated question-and-answer flow in a message.
WhatsAppLeads start a chat on WhatsApp.
CallsPeople call your business to order, ask for information or make an appointment.
AppMeta says the app must be registered with it first.
CombinationsWebsite and instant forms, website and calls, or instant forms and Messenger. For the last, Meta uses whichever the person is most likely to act on.

In practice that means asking where you can answer an enquiry fastest: a form you check daily, a phone someone picks up, or an inbox. Our post on campaign objectives covers the choice above this one, and the Meta pixel post covers the website route.

What is an instant form in Facebook ads?

An instant form is a form that opens when someone taps your lead ad, without them leaving Facebook or Instagram. Meta's page about lead ads with instant form says a form has a form type, an optional intro, questions (at least one), a privacy policy and an ending with text and a button. Meta keeps only your 100 most recent saved forms, and offers the full set of form features only when you build the form in Ads Manager.

Meta offers three form types and describes what each is designed for.

Instant form types and how Meta describes each
Form typeWhat Meta says it does
More volume (the default)Quick to submit on a mobile device, and designed to generate a larger number of leads.
Higher intentAdds a note under the contact fields that your business may follow up, and a review screen where people confirm their details. Meta says it is delivered only to Facebook Feed and Instagram feed on mobile.
Rich creativeLets you change the colours and add images and extra text such as product descriptions. The intro section becomes mandatory.

Meta's guidance on choosing is brief: if every lead needs follow-up or further qualification, a higher intent form may make more sense for your business.

Questions come in two groups:

  • Prefill questions. Answers taken from the person's profile. Meta's list includes name, email, phone number, address fields, job title and company name. People can edit a prefilled answer, except date of birth.
  • Custom questions. Meta's page on custom questions lists multiple choice, short answer, conditional answer, shop locator and appointment request, with a total of 15 questions on a form.

Some questions are not allowed at all. Meta's list of prohibited questions includes health, financial details, government-issued identifiers, race or ethnicity, religion, political affiliation and sexual orientation. It says an ad whose form breaks the rule will not run.

The privacy policy and the personal data you collect

Meta's wording here is not consistent. The instant form page labels the privacy policy section optional and, in the same line, says a privacy policy is required to run instant forms on Facebook or Instagram. Our reading is to treat it as required. Meta's page on privacy policies for lead ads says you can use the policy already on your website, and that the link cannot point straight at a PDF, an image or a download.

A lead form collects personal data, so your own country's privacy law applies to what you do with it. Meta's page on Lead Ads Terms and security says you must accept those terms for each Page, and that under the GDPR both Meta and the advertiser are data controllers for lead ads. Its requirements page recommends telling people why you are collecting their details and contacting them only for that purpose.

Where your leads go, and how long you have to download them

Meta's page on downloading leads data gives three places to get instant form leads as a file:

  • Ads Manager. In the Ads tab, select On-Facebook leads in the Results column, then download as CSV or XLS.
  • The Instant forms page in Meta Business Suite, under All tools.
  • Leads Centre in Meta Business Suite. Meta says this CSV holds fewer fields and at most 10,000 leads per file. Leads Centre is also where you can move leads through stages, assign an owner and set reminders.

The time limit is the detail to remember. Meta's page about expired leads says leads can be downloaded for up to 90 days after the form was submitted. After that the Results column still counts them, but the file no longer contains them. Meta recommends downloading often or connecting a CRM.

On CRMs, Meta's integrations page lists three routes: a direct integration, a third-party connector, or a custom one built on its API. It says a connection is not required. The download page adds that Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel can be connected so new leads are added to a spreadsheet automatically. If you cannot download, Meta says that by default only people with full control of the Page, or messaging permissions, can.

Performance goals: leads or qualified leads

The performance goal tells Meta which result to find more of. Meta's page about performance goals for lead ads lists four, and says to choose the one that best aligns with your business goals.

Performance goals Meta lists for lead ads, who each shows the ad to and what Meta says each needs
Performance goalWho sees the adWhat Meta says it needs
Maximise number of leadsPeople most likely to share their contact information.No conversion event for instant forms. A website location needs the pixel.
Maximise number of qualified leadsPeople most likely to convert after sharing their details.Your CRM connected through the Conversions API, or a Meta source for instant forms. Works with website forms and instant forms.
Maximise number of leads through messagingPeople most likely to become a lead in a chat.Meta says it is being introduced gradually and may not be available to you.
Maximise value of conversionsPeople likely to become high-value leads.Lead values sent through the pixel and Conversions API, with at least five unique values per event and at least 100 conversions in the past 14 days.

Two notes on the second row. Some Meta pages still call it conversion leads; the page those links open is now titled Set up your CRM for qualified leads. And a notice on the performance goals page says that since April 2026 the goal cannot be chosen for a new campaign without a Conversions API integration, with existing campaigns affected from August 2026. Meta's page on connecting a CRM says instant form leads in Leads Centre are sent automatically, with no setup.

Meta claims the qualified leads goal with a CRM connection gave a 21% lower cost per quality lead on instant forms than the leads goal. That is Meta's figure, with no period or sample given on the page.

Advantage+ leads campaign: what it means and how to turn it off

There is no single switch. A new leads campaign starts as an Advantage+ leads campaign, and it stops being one when you change any of three settings. Meta's page about Advantage+ leads campaigns says the label means Advantage+ campaign budget, Advantage+ audience and Advantage+ placements are all applied, and that every conversion location and performance goal above stays available. Its page on what turns Advantage+ on and off gives the triggers:

  • Budget. Off if the campaign has several ad sets and does not use a campaign budget.
  • Audience. Usually off if you use Further limit the reach of your ads and untick Use as a suggestion. Raising the minimum age up to 25, or excluding a custom audience, does not turn it off.
  • Placements. Off if you exclude a placement in any ad set, or opt out of mobile or desktop devices.

Controls set for the whole ad account do not change the label. To go back, Meta's setup page says to open the Campaign opportunities section and select Apply now. Meta reports that in early testing leads campaigns with Advantage+ on averaged 14% lower cost per lead; treat that as its claim. Our post on Advantage+ campaigns in 2026 covers the rule for all three objectives.

Sources

Questions people ask

Which type of Facebook ad campaign is best for generating leads?

Meta does not name one as best. You create a campaign with the leads objective and choose a conversion location, such as instant forms, your website, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp or calls, according to where you want enquiries to arrive. Meta's help pages describe what each location does and leave the choice to your business goals.

What is an instant form in Facebook ads?

An instant form is a form that opens when someone taps a lead ad, without them leaving Facebook or Instagram. Contact details such as name, email and phone number can be prefilled from what the person has already given Meta. Meta offers three form types: more volume, which is the default, higher intent and rich creative.

How do you turn off an Advantage+ leads campaign?

There is no single switch. Meta says a leads campaign shows Advantage+ off when it has several ad sets without a campaign budget, when you limit the audience with Use as a suggestion unticked, or when you exclude a placement or opt out of mobile or desktop devices. Controls set for the whole ad account do not change the label.

How long do Facebook lead ads keep your leads?

Meta says leads from an instant form can be downloaded for up to 90 days after the form was submitted. After that they still count in your results but are no longer in the file. Meta recommends downloading leads often or connecting a CRM so they are copied across as they arrive.

Try it on your own competitors.

$9 for 7 days. Paste a competitor's Page and see their best ad rebuilt for your brand.

Start 7-day trial · $9

More from the blog

  • Advantage+ creative enhancementsWhat Meta's Advantage+ creative enhancements can change in your ad, which are on by default, and how to review and switch each one off in Ads Manager.
  • Ad Library spend and reachThe Meta Ad Library shows spend ranges only for political and issue ads, and reach only for EU and UK ads. Clicks and conversions are never shown.
  • Less personalised ads in the EUWhat Meta's less personalised ads choice for EU users is, the dated history behind it, what data it uses, and what it means for your targeting and creative.

Keep reading

Mockingbird is an independent product from Onwards Analytics and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Meta. Meta, Facebook, Instagram, Meta Ads Manager and the Meta Ad Library are trademarks of Meta Platforms, Inc. Meta changes its tools often; check Meta's own help pages for the current detail before you rely on it.