Setting Up Your Facebook Lead Form
If you’re running a virtual challenge, Facebook Lead Forms are where your campaign begins for most participants. Getting the setup right — before your ads go live — is worth the time. Lead Forms can’t be edited once published, which means any error or missed optimisation requires a new form, updated ads, and Meta’s algorithm starting its learning phase over again.
Here’s how to set them up properly.
Starting in Ads Manager
Navigate to Ads Manager, click Create, and select Lead Generation as your campaign objective with Instant Forms as your conversion method. This tells Facebook to optimise for people most likely to complete your form, not just to view your ad.
You’ll configure your ad creative and targeting first (covered in Guide 3 of the GivePanel Playbook), then reach the Lead Form section.
Naming your form
Use a clear, descriptive name — something like “2025 March 100 Miles in a Month Challenge.” This matters more than it sounds. Once you’re managing multiple challenges or running several forms across a campaign, recognisable names save significant time.
Choosing your form type
Always select “More Volume” rather than “Higher Intent.” Higher Intent forms add a review step before submission, which reduces completions without meaningfully improving the quality of leads for virtual challenges. Fewer barriers, more sign-ups.
The introduction section
Use the same image from your ad. Supporters clicking through from an ad expect visual continuity — matching the image reinforces that they’re in the right place. Your headline should simply state the name of the challenge. Your description can be a short paragraph or two bullet points covering the essentials. Keep it brief; the goal is confirming their interest, not re-selling the concept.
What to ask for
First name and email only. Every additional field reduces completion rates, and for virtual challenges you don’t need more than this at the lead stage. Phone number is optional — include it only if you have a concrete SMS plan and can commit to messaging that’s genuinely useful rather than intrusive. Collecting more data upfront rarely improves participant quality; converting interested people into active participants is what moves the needle.
Privacy policy
Link to your organisation’s privacy policy using a web URL, not a PDF — Facebook requires a functional link. The link text should say “Privacy Policy” and nothing else. Avoid adding extra disclaimer language; it creates unnecessary concern without any legal requirement.
The completion screen
This is where many forms underperform. Your thank-you screen should maintain the momentum from the sign-up and tell participants clearly what to do next. Something like: “Thank you for signing up for the 10,000 Step Challenge! To complete your registration, click ‘Join the Group’ below. You’ll then receive your t-shirt and fundraising pack.” Your CTA button should say “Complete Registration” or similar — something that signals this is a next step, not a final destination.
The 90-day window
Meta deletes lead data after 90 days. If you’re relying on manual CSV downloads, this creates real risk. GivePanel’s Meta Leads integration imports participant data in real-time and feeds directly into your follow-up sequences, so nothing is lost and follow-up starts automatically. Leads who don’t complete registration can then be retargeted — a second touchpoint for people who expressed interest but didn’t take the final step.
Tracking what’s actually working
GivePanel’s Lead Ad Performance tool shows you which ads are generating Active Fundraisers, not just initial form completions. With around a 75% attribution match rate, you can see registrations, fundraising page creation, and fundraising activity broken down by ad — which lets you shift budget toward what’s genuinely performing rather than optimising for lead volume alone. In campaigns running multiple ad variations across different audiences, this is the metric that matters.
Before you publish
Save as a draft, get team sign-off on all details, then publish. Once it’s live, changes aren’t possible without starting over — and resetting the learning phase mid-campaign costs you performance. The draft step takes an extra ten minutes and regularly saves considerably more.