Short answer: Lead ads let people send you their details through a form that opens inside Facebook or Instagram. Their name, email and phone can be prefilled from what they already gave Meta. You pick a form type, ask a few questions and link your privacy policy, which Meta requires. Leads arrive in Ads Manager, Leads Center or your CRM.
Three kinds of lead ads
Meta’s lead ads come in three kinds: instant forms, calls, and ads that open a chat in Messenger, Instagram or WhatsApp. This guide covers instant forms.
Lead ads can appear in Facebook Feed and Stories, Instagram Feed and Stories, in-stream reels, Marketplace and more. The ad itself follows the same specs as a regular link ad, listed in our guide to Facebook and Instagram ad sizes.
From the Meta Business Help Center, “About lead ads” and “Design specifications for lead ads with instant form”, read November 2, 2026.
The three form types
| Form type | What it does | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| More volume (default) | Quick to fill out and submit on a phone | You want more leads |
| Higher intent | Adds a review screen where people confirm their details; mobile feeds only | You call or qualify every lead |
| Rich creative | Adds your images, colors and text; the intro is required | Your offer needs explaining |
Meta says a Higher intent form makes more sense when every lead needs follow-up or further qualification. Rich creative features show only in the Facebook app on mobile.
From the Meta Business Help Center, “About instant form types”.
What goes in the form
An instant form has a form type, an optional intro, your questions, the privacy policy and an ending. You need at least one question, and you can add up to 15 custom questions.
Meta’s best practices ask for as few questions as possible, and for multiple choice instead of answers people must type. People can edit their prefilled answers before they submit.
For housing, employment or financial products and services in the US or Canada, Meta doesn’t let you collect details such as age, gender, marital status or zip code.
The privacy policy
Meta says a privacy policy is required to run instant forms on Facebook or Instagram, even though the form editor labels that section optional. The link can’t go straight to a PDF, an image or a download, and the policy page you already have works.
Meta suggests eight topics to consider covering, from the kind of information you collect to the policy’s effective date. Our guide to a privacy policy for a small business website covers how to write one.
From the Meta Business Help Center, “About lead ads with instant form” and “About privacy policies for lead ads”.
How to set up a lead ad with an instant form
- Have your privacy policy ready on a web page, not in a PDF.
- In Ads Manager, create a campaign with the Leads objective and choose Instant forms as the conversion location.
- Pick the form type: More volume, Higher intent or Rich creative.
- Ask as few questions as you can, and use multiple choice where you can.
- Add your privacy policy and, if you need one, a custom disclaimer such as a marketing opt-in.
- Write an ending that tells people what happens next, with a link or a call button.
- Send the leads to a CRM or to Leads Center, and run the ads when someone can answer.
Meta also asks you to have your legal team review your questions, its Lead Ads Terms and its Advertising Standards before you start.
From the Meta Business Help Center, “Create a lead ad with instant form in Meta Ads Manager” and “Best practices to create lead ads”.
After the form
Meta recommends an integrated CRM or Leads Center, because downloading leads by hand takes more time to follow up. It also suggests running lead ads during your business hours, so you can start the conversation quickly.
In Leads Center, every new lead starts as Intake. You can move it to Qualified, Converted, Lost or Not qualified.
From the Meta Business Help Center, “Best practices to respond to leads” and “Manage and download your leads in Leads Center”.
What our own privacy policy covers
On November 2, 2026, we checked our own privacy policy against the eight topics Meta suggests. It covers all eight, from what we collect and why to its effective date, October 28, 2026.
Legal requests were the only topic without a section of their own. One line under who receives your data names authorities, when the law requires it.
The policy is a web page, not a PDF, so its address can go straight into an instant form.
Before you publish your lead ad
- Your privacy policy is a web page, not a PDF.
- The form type matches how you follow up.
- Few questions, most of them multiple choice.
- A custom disclaimer for any marketing opt-in.
- An ending that says what happens next.
- Leads go to a CRM or Leads Center, not to a manual download.
RememberKeep the form short, link a privacy policy page, and answer each lead quickly, during your business hours.
If you want us to set up and run your lead ads, see our Meta Ads management service.
Quick answers about Facebook lead ads
What are Facebook lead ads?
Ads that collect people’s details through an instant form that opens inside Facebook or Instagram. Contact details can be prefilled from what people already gave Meta, and they can edit them before submitting.
Do Facebook lead ads need a privacy policy?
Yes. Meta says a privacy policy is required to run instant forms on Facebook or Instagram. You can use the policy page you already have, as long as the link doesn’t go to a PDF, an image or a download.
More volume or Higher intent: which form type fits?
More volume is the default and is quick to submit on a phone. Higher intent adds a review screen where people confirm their details, and it shows only in the Facebook and Instagram feeds on mobile.
Where do I find my leads?
In Ads Manager, in Leads Center inside Meta Business Suite, or in your CRM if you connect one. A CRM isn’t required to download them, but Meta recommends one because manual downloads slow the follow-up.
How many questions can an instant form have?
At least one, and up to 15 custom questions. Meta suggests asking as few as possible and using multiple choice, because typing several answers may stop people from submitting.
Sources
Read on November 2, 2026. Meta Business Help Center: About lead ads, About lead ads with instant form and About instant form types. Also Create a lead ad with instant form in Meta Ads Manager, About privacy policies for lead ads and Best practices to create lead ads. And Best practices to respond to leads, Manage and download your leads in Leads Center and Design specifications for lead ads with instant form. Our own case: our privacy policy, on November 2, 2026.