Where Meta keeps your leads
When someone submits a Lead Ad form, Meta stores the answers in Meta Business Suite (in the Leads Center or the form’s download page). You can download them as a CSV, but Meta only keeps them available for download for a limited time (90 days at the time of writing), and nobody gets notified when a new one arrives. Manual downloads are where most Lead Ad campaigns lose their value.
Three ways to connect
1. A direct CRM integration
Some CRMs connect to your Facebook page directly. You sign in with Facebook, choose the page and form, and new leads arrive within seconds. This is the cleanest option when your CRM supports it.
2. Zapier or Make
Automation services like Zapier and Make already have Meta’s approval to read leads. You build a simple automation:
- Trigger: Facebook Lead Ads → New Lead. Choose your page and form.
- Action: send the lead to your CRM, either with the CRM’s own Zapier app or with Webhooks → POST to a webhook address your CRM gives you.
- Map the fields: full name, email, phone, and any custom questions.
- Test with Meta’s Lead Ads Testing Tool, then turn it on.
Free plans cover a small number of leads per month; paid plans start around $20–30 a month.
3. Manual export (only as a backup)
Download the CSV from Meta weekly and import it into your CRM. It works, but every lead waits days for a reply.
Instagram works the same way
Instagram Lead Ads are created and stored through the same Meta system as Facebook, so the same connection brings in leads from both. Make sure the source is recorded, so you know which platform is working.
After the lead arrives
- Assign an owner and create a reply task automatically
- Tag the lead with the campaign or form name
- Reply within minutes while the person still remembers your ad
- Track which forms turn into paying clients, not just how many leads they produce