First time Facebook Ads, Massive failure.

G

goldenjamiee

Newbie
Joined
Apr 6, 2025
Messages
42
Reaction score
25
Tried running Facebook Ads for the first time a few weeks ago. I have a gambling consultancy business (not a casino) and I created a subdivision of my site that looks like a gig platform - made a professional website with a .com domain, created a facebook page, loaded a very aged facebook account of mine and made my ad. I used AI to help with the copy and settings instructing it to mention my offer without talking of gambling and I thought it did a nice job - copy looked great, photo on the ad I did myself and it looked great as well. I specifically targeted certain states and demographics as well as 21 - 55 age range.

To try and avoid making this too long, the summary is - great traffic... HORRIBLE conversion. My ad leads to a typeform where they answer 6 simple questions, I collect their emails on step 2 and on step 3, they get told if they're eligible. The last 3 steps are basically getting their consent on our potential offer. Now the ad stats.... (PAIN):

$0.29 per landing page view. Thousands of impressions, above-average engagement ranking, $77 in adspend. On typeform, 357 views, 61 starts, 6 submissions, 11.5% completion rate.

And if you thought 6 submissions from 357 visits is bad enough.... NONE OF THESE 6 replied to my first email once I reached out to them.

The typeform questionnaire is name, email, 21+ or not, state => approved/rejected => do you have accounts with X and Y bookmakers => do you have $2000+ in starting capital?

Just to confirm, I never get access to their accounts or bankroll - it's just matched betting that all of you are aware of. They need that money to fund their own accounts so they can claim their bonuses.


I'm a total beginner with ads and I have no clue how to fix this conversion rate. I understand gambling-related offers would have a low conversion rate but this is a disaster. Any advice?
 
Advertise on BHW
In this niche, I would advise you to create a small website with lots of information and a long funnel. This is because traffic to short lead forms will always be low quality, and conversion to the target action will be low. In this case, it is most likely not a matter of creativity, but of the funnel itself.
 
Your ad isn't bad, but you're letting too many "inappropriate" people click through. When they land on the page and fill out the form, they only find out they need a betting account and around $2,000 in cash, so most of them give up. Those who fill out the form don't trust you enough because it's a sensitive issue, so they don't dare reply to your email. The way to improve is to clearly state the requirements on the first page, shorten the form, clearly explain that you don't hold money or access accounts, and the first email should only explain how it works, not immediately sell you something. Doing so will result in fewer visitors, but those visitors will be higher quality and easier to convert.
 
I understand the struggle — even with great traffic, niche funnels like yours often have low completions because of multiple steps and email follow-up issues.


From experience, small tweaks in funnel structure and outreach can significantly increase actual leads.


If you want, I can review your setup and suggest safe, step-by-step improvements to boost conversions — feel free to PM me.
 
goldenjamiee said:
Tried running Facebook Ads for the first time a few weeks ago. I have a gambling consultancy business (not a casino) and I created a subdivision of my site that looks like a gig platform - made a professional website with a .com domain, created a facebook page, loaded a very aged facebook account of mine and made my ad. I used AI to help with the copy and settings instructing it to mention my offer without talking of gambling and I thought it did a nice job - copy looked great, photo on the ad I did myself and it looked great as well. I specifically targeted certain states and demographics as well as 21 - 55 age range.

To try and avoid making this too long, the summary is - great traffic... HORRIBLE conversion. My ad leads to a typeform where they answer 6 simple questions, I collect their emails on step 2 and on step 3, they get told if they're eligible. The last 3 steps are basically getting their consent on our potential offer. Now the ad stats.... (PAIN):

$0.29 per landing page view. Thousands of impressions, above-average engagement ranking, $77 in adspend. On typeform, 357 views, 61 starts, 6 submissions, 11.5% completion rate.

And if you thought 6 submissions from 357 visits is bad enough.... NONE OF THESE 6 replied to my first email once I reached out to them.

The typeform questionnaire is name, email, 21+ or not, state => approved/rejected => do you have accounts with X and Y bookmakers => do you have $2000+ in starting capital?

Just to confirm, I never get access to their accounts or bankroll - it's just matched betting that all of you are aware of. They need that money to fund their own accounts so they can claim their bonuses.


I'm a total beginner with ads and I have no clue how to fix this conversion rate. I understand gambling-related offers would have a low conversion rate but this is a disaster. Any advice?
Click to expand...
Your task is to optimize advertising costs, because in the initial phase you can focus on collecting potential customer data, and the real effectiveness will come later.
 
From my experience, marketing based on cooperation with other content creators, like "I invite my friends, you invite yours" is much more effective than official FB paid ads.
 
Your ad s are getting curiosity click, not buyer intent that is the reason traffic is cheap but conversions are terrible.
 
Yes, your ads are working. You can set up a new Pixel and re-check traffic on each result.
 
goldenjamiee said:
Tried running Facebook Ads for the first time a few weeks ago. I have a gambling consultancy business (not a casino) and I created a subdivision of my site that looks like a gig platform - made a professional website with a .com domain, created a facebook page, loaded a very aged facebook account of mine and made my ad. I used AI to help with the copy and settings instructing it to mention my offer without talking of gambling and I thought it did a nice job - copy looked great, photo on the ad I did myself and it looked great as well. I specifically targeted certain states and demographics as well as 21 - 55 age range.

To try and avoid making this too long, the summary is - great traffic... HORRIBLE conversion. My ad leads to a typeform where they answer 6 simple questions, I collect their emails on step 2 and on step 3, they get told if they're eligible. The last 3 steps are basically getting their consent on our potential offer. Now the ad stats.... (PAIN):

$0.29 per landing page view. Thousands of impressions, above-average engagement ranking, $77 in adspend. On typeform, 357 views, 61 starts, 6 submissions, 11.5% completion rate.

And if you thought 6 submissions from 357 visits is bad enough.... NONE OF THESE 6 replied to my first email once I reached out to them.

The typeform questionnaire is name, email, 21+ or not, state => approved/rejected => do you have accounts with X and Y bookmakers => do you have $2000+ in starting capital?

Just to confirm, I never get access to their accounts or bankroll - it's just matched betting that all of you are aware of. They need that money to fund their own accounts so they can claim their bonuses.


I'm a total beginner with ads and I have no clue how to fix this conversion rate. I understand gambling-related offers would have a low conversion rate but this is a disaster. Any advice?
Click to expand...

Why first-time Facebook Ads usually fail (honest reasons)​


1️⃣ Expectations vs reality mismatch​


Most beginners expect:


  • Fast sales
  • Clear data
  • Ads to “just work”

Reality:


  • First campaigns are data collection, not profit machines
  • Meta needs time to learn
  • You’re also learning how Meta thinks
 
It's not about "gambling," but it needs to be clearly stated that it's related to bookmaker/bonus/promotion.
If people join and find it "not meeting their expectations," they leave or ghost the site.
 
You’ll get better results if you focus your ads on the right audience.
 
The problem seems to lie not in the ads but in the funnel structure and trust level.
Users click out of curiosity, but leave when faced with too many questions that promise early commitment. This often reduces completion rates.
You should simplify the initial steps, build trust, and clearly explain the value before asking for details. Reducing friction at the top of the funnel often significantly improves conversions.
 
Your traffic is likely too broad and low-intent, so people click but aren’t ready for a long, trust-heavy funnel. Try pre-qualifying harder in the ad (clear expectations), shortening the form, and building more credibility before asking for commitment.
 
Your core issue is funnel misalignment: a generic Facebook ad is sending broad, low-intent traffic to a complex qualification form. The low completion rate indicates audience mismatch or lack of immediate value perception.

Fix: Create a lead magnet (e.g., a free "Bonus Hunters Guide" PDF) to capture emails first, then nurture leads into your qualification form. Also, test different ad angles focused on the problem (e.g., "Stop losing money on sports bets") rather than a generic platform offer.
 
In this niche, it’s often better to build a small but informative website with a more detailed funnel. Short lead forms tend to attract lower-quality traffic and usually convert poorly. In situations like this, performance issues are more likely related to the funnel structure rather than the creatives themselves.
 
Your clicks are cheap because the traffic is low-intent, but the funnel asks for too much trust too fast. Be clearer in the ad about who it’s for, shorten the form, add strong proof (results, testimonials), and move email capture later to improve conversion quality.
 
Your traffic is cheap because it’s low-intent, but the funnel asks for too much trust too early. Pre-qualify harder in the ad, shorten the form, and add strong credibility (clear value, proof, expectations) before collecting emails to improve conversion quality.
 
I think this funnel is too complicated for gambling: a survey, a response to an email. What is your final conversion rate?

Right now, gambling is struggling even with the simplest funnel: a landing page with bonuses > registration form. Most of the traffic is now mobile, which also needs to be taken into account.

And I understand that you don't work with casinos, but adaptation for mobile devices should be a priority. In the case of casinos, this means PWA and web view applications. The logic is the same: to be as convenient as possible for the user and to have the ability to communicate further. Push notifications are more convenient than emails.
 
Your traffic metrics are fine — the problem is intent mismatch and funnel friction, not Facebook Ads.


Main issues:


  • Your ad avoids mentioning gambling, but the form quickly reveals it → users feel misled and drop off
  • Too many qualification questions for cold traffic
  • Asking about $2,000+ capital is a strong friction point
  • Typeform is optimized for surveys, not conversions
  • Email follow-up is weak because trust was never built

How to fix it:


  • Be clearer in the ad about what the offer actually involves (without policy violations)
  • Pre-qualify in the ad, not in the form
  • Cut the form to 2–3 questions max
  • Send warm traffic to a simple landing page, not Typeform
  • Use Messenger or call booking instead of cold email

This isn’t an ad problem — it’s a funnel + expectation problem.
 
Although your cost per click is low, this might be a "vanity metric." You need to sacrifice a little click-through rate to gain more targeted traffic.
 
Advertise on BHW
You must log in or register to reply here.
Sign up now!

Main Menu

Home Main Forum List Black Hat SEO White Hat SEO BHW Newbie Guide Blogging Black Hat Tools Social Media Downloads

Marketplace

Account Selling Content / Copywriting EBooks / Methods Hosting Misc Proxies For Sale SEO - Link building SEO - Packages Social Media Social Media - Panels Web Design More

Making Money

Affiliate Programs Hire a Freelancer IM Journeys Making Money Pay Per Click Site Flipping Want to Buy

BlackHat World

Dispute Resolution Forum Suggestions & Feedback Introductions Lounge
Back
Top