The cheap-lead trap
CPL is the easiest paid-media metric to game and the easiest to be fooled by. Broad targeting and a low-friction form will drive CPL down while filling your CRM with people who will never buy. The number that matters is cost per qualified lead, or better, cost per SQL.
We optimize to the qualified end of the funnel, not the raw lead count. A higher CPL that produces sales-ready opportunities almost always beats a low CPL that produces noise, once you trace it through to CAC. It is also why we reconcile every platform lead count back to the CRM: Google, Meta, and your CRM disagree on conversions. On LinkedIn specifically, a saturating audience inflates CPL, and that usually traces back to how the targeting facets were stacked.
Common questions
How do you calculate cost per lead?
Divide total ad spend over a period by the number of leads generated in that period. $5,000 of spend producing 100 leads is a $50 CPL.
Is a low cost per lead good?
Not on its own. A low CPL is only valuable if those leads convert to qualified pipeline. Cheap leads that never close raise your true customer acquisition cost.