Guide 9 of 17 in Level 4: Run it as an ad

How to run Facebook lead ads and download the leads

To run Facebook lead ads with Blackbox (blackbox.plus), open Plan, click + on a day, choose Meta ads and, under Or skip the plans, pick Get leads. Under Lead destination, click Native form, so people fill in Meta’s own form inside the ad instead of visiting your website. Paste your privacy policy link, which Meta requires, then choose the questions: full name, email and phone to start, plus company, job title or a question of your own. Plan the rest as for any campaign, with who sees it, the ads and the budget, then draft it, approve it and start it. Blackbox checks the form every ten minutes, and new sign-ups land on the Leads page in the left menu, with name, email, phone, a status and where they came from. Search them by name, email or company, and click Export CSV to download them all, with a column for each question.

You'll need
Time
About 8 minutes 12 steps Updated
You'll end with
A Meta lead ad collecting sign-ups, and its leads downloaded as a CSV file
Do it in Blackbox Open Plan, after you sign in
Example
Meta’s own form in the ad, and every sign-up in one list

How to run Facebook lead ads and download the leads in Blackbox

  1. Step 1:Open New Campaign

    In Plan, click + on the day it starts, then Meta ads under Campaign.

    You'll see: What is this campaign for?, with goals to start from under it.

    Open this in Blackbox

  2. Step 2:Pick Get leads

    Under Or skip the plans, click Get leads.

    You'll see: Lead destination under the goals, with Website and Native form.

  3. Step 3:Pick the native form

    Under Lead destination, click Native form.

    You'll see: The form’s settings, starting with Privacy policy URL.

  4. Step 4:Add your privacy policy

    Paste the address of your privacy page into Privacy policy URL.

    You'll see: Your link in the box, and the red Required line gone.

  5. Step 5:Write the form’s words

    Fill in Headline, Intro text and Thank-you message, or leave them empty.

    You'll see: Your words in each box.

  6. Step 6:Choose the questions

    Under Form fields, keep Full name, Email and Phone, or click Add field for another.

    You'll see: One row per question, each with a Required box.

  7. Step 7:Plan the rest

    Click Continue, then set who sees it, the ads and the budget as for any campaign.

    You'll see: Review, with What the draft creates, marked All paused.

  8. Step 8:Draft it

    Click Draft the campaign.

    You'll see: The Campaign proposal card beside the calendar.

  9. Step 9:Approve and start it

    On the proposal, click Approve & create, then Start ads.

    You'll see: The card marked Running, with the day it is on.

  10. Step 10:Open Leads

    Click Leads in the left menu.

    You'll see: Each lead as a row, with its Status, Next step and Meta.

    Open this in Blackbox

  11. Step 11:Find a lead

    Type a name, email or company into the search box.

    You'll see: Only the leads that match.

  12. Step 12:Download them

    Click Export CSV.

    You'll see: A file named leads- and the date, with one row per lead.

Good to know

  • Blackbox checks the lead forms on your Meta account every ten minutes and adds new sign-ups to Leads.
  • Forms you made in Meta Ads Manager show on Leads too, including ones made before Blackbox. To work the leads, see How to manage leads from your Facebook and LinkedIn lead ads.
  • Website sends people to your landing page instead; their sign-ups happen on your site, not on the Leads page.
  • A live post can’t carry the form. Use a Studio post or a blank creative.
  • Click a lead to read every answer, including to your own questions. The CSV has one column for each question.
  • The CSV holds every lead that matches the search, with times in UTC.
  • People see and download the leads of the brands they are on.

Official docs

If something doesn't work

Leads says No leads yet

Leads appear after someone fills in the form and Blackbox next checks it, within ten minutes. Blackbox needs the Page permission on Meta to read them.

I don’t see Lead destination

It shows once Get leads is picked and Meta Ads is on under Where it runs. Pick both, and it appears under the goals.

It says Required — Meta/LinkedIn need a privacy policy URL

Blackbox asks for one, and Meta shows it on the form. Paste the full address of your privacy page, starting with https://.

Review blocks a live post with Live post · lead form

A post running as posted has no form. Remove it on Creative and add a Studio post or a blank one, or switch Lead destination to Website.

My own question isn’t in the table

The table shows the standard fields only. Click a lead to read every answer, or click Export CSV: each question has its own column there.

Stuck at any step? Send us a message and we'll do it with you on a call. All of Level 4: Run it as an ad