A brow & lash studio in Chicago came in with a simple brief: make paid social pay for itself and bring the cost per lead down to $12–$20 or better. They were relying on occasional promo posts and discounts to move the needle, but lead quality was inconsistent and bookings swung week to week.

We set up Meta click-to-message campaigns so prospects could book right in DMs (faster than cold forms). Targeting mixed tight geo around the studio with broad/Advantage+ delivery and a small retargeting pool of engagers. Creative was UGC-style (before/after brows, lash lift close-ups, quick procedure cuts, text overlays with time-to-result).

We A/B tested value messaging vs. discounts. After the first sprint we killed discounts entirely and kept proof-driven value hooks: safety, stylist expertise, same-week availability, and “what to expect” snippets. Creative refresh ran every 10–14 days to keep frequency healthy.

In the period shown (see screenshot), the account delivered 214 messaging conversations on $1,547.78 in spend — an average $7.23 per lead. Two examples:

• 95 conversations at $5.27 (spend $500.65) from a UGC reel focused on brow shaping + lamination results.
• 60 conversations at $8.47 (spend $508.01) from a lash-lift clip with a 40-minute “in-and-out” hook.

After turning off discounts, performance stabilized at $6–$8 CPL across the best creatives. Lead quality improved (fewer price-only shoppers), which produced steadier booking weeks and a clearer forecast without having to run constant promos.

• Frictionless booking: DM flow with quick qualify → slot options → confirmation link.
• Proof over promos: real results and process transparency beat “% off” for this audience.
• Broad + local: Advantage delivery found pockets of demand inside a tight radius.
• Creative hygiene: frequent refresh, early pruning of any ad above target CPL.

Bottom line: the studio asked for $12–$20 leads; we delivered $6–$8 consistently, with reliable weekly message volume and bookings — no discounts required.