Marketing
Sep 30, 2025
CPL Lies: Why cost-per-lead isn’t ROI
Agencies brag about low CPL, but leads don’t equal revenue. Smart med spas use ClinicROI to see which ads booked real patients—and which ones just burned cash.
Natalie Evans
Your agency says: “Good news, we cut your CPL from $95 to $42!”
But here’s the problem:
- 83 “leads” came in
- Only 14 booked
- 9 actually showed
- 5 no-shows = ~$2,500 in lost revenue
On paper, CPL looked amazing. In reality, the campaign barely broke even.
Cost-per-lead is a vanity metric. It tells you nothing about booked patients, no-shows, or revenue.
What actually matters:
- Which ads booked paying patients
- Which campaigns are quietly burning budget
- How much hidden revenue is being lost to no-shows
That’s why smart clinics are shifting away from CPL and tracking ad → booking → revenue.
Curious how this looks in practice?
👉 Book a free 15-min demo of ClinicROI
