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There is a belief that quietly holds a lot of business owners back.
That belief is “You need a big budget to make Facebook™ and Instagram™ ads work.”
Maybe you have heard that $10 a day is a waste of time. That you need $50 or even $100 a day to get “real results”. It is easy to believe, especially when you have tried ads before and not seen the leads or sales you hoped for.
But I want you to know this: $10 a day will not fix a broken strategy. However with the right foundations, it can absolutely generate leads, build momentum and give you useful data to improve over time.
I have helped many clients generate 100 plus leads in thirty days on $10 a day. In this post I will walk you through how that works, what actually matters more than budget and where small ad accounts quietly waste their spend.
Why “I just need more budget” keeps you stuck
If you have ever run ads and thought, “It is not working, maybe I just need a bigger budget”, you are not alone.
It feels logical. If a little is not working, try more. The problem is that more budget does not fix the real issues. If your messaging is vague, your funnel is not converting or your offer is not compelling, spending more will not change that. It will simply burn more money, faster.
Before you scale your ad spend, you need to know that the foundations are working. That means:
- Clear messaging that speaks to a specific problem and result
- A landing page that actually converts visitors into leads
- An offer that feels like a no brainer for the right people
Once you can see a positive return at a lower budget, then you can decide if increasing your spend makes sense.
What $10/day can realistically do
$10 a day might not sound like much, however when it is used well it can do more than you think.
A $10 a day budget can:
- Put your lead magnet in front of hundreds of the right people each day
- Build a steady stream of email leads you own, not just likes or views
- Give you enough data to see what is working and what needs adjusting
It will not “blow up” your business overnight. It can, however, build consistent momentum and give you proof that your message, offer and funnel are on the right track.
The key is how you spend it.
Where most people waste their $10/day
There are three common mistakes I see when business owners run small budget ads.
1. Sending traffic to a weak landing page
If your opt-in page is not optimised, your cost per lead will climb. It does not matter how strong your ad copy is. If people click through, feel confused or underwhelmed and then leave, you are paying for clicks without getting leads.
Your page needs to be clear, simple and focused on the outcome. It should make it obvious what someone will get and why it matters right now.
2. Using vague messaging
Many ads still lead with “Get my free guide” or “Sign up for my free training”. Your audience does not care about the format. They care about the result.
Your copy needs to speak directly to your dream client’s current problem and the specific transformation you can help them achieve. If that feels like them, they will stop scrolling. If it feels generic, they will keep moving.
3. Overcomplicating the ad setup
At $10 a day, complexity hurts you. Too many campaigns, too many ad sets and trying to test everything at once spreads your budget too thin.
Simple is smarter. One clear campaign, one well structured ad set and a small number of ads is often more than enough to start. This gives Meta’s system enough data in one place to learn and optimise.
What actually makes the difference at lower budgets
When you are working with a smaller daily budget, the biggest levers are your messaging and offer clarity.
You want to:
- Lead with a clear, specific problem
- Promise a focused transformation or result
- Deliver it through a quick, actionable lead magnet that gives a real win
If someone is going to stop scrolling, click your ad, land on your page and hand over their email address, it needs to feel like a win they want right now.
People’s email addresses are currency. They will not give them out for “just another free guide”. Your lead magnet needs to feel necessary, not optional.
Proof that $10/day can work
I have used this approach across many different industries and offers. Some of the recent results I have seen include:
- Leads for around 43c for an ebook
- Leads for around 98c for a mini course
- A return on ad spend of 6.86 on a low ticket tripwire funnel
These campaigns were running on budgets as low as $10 to $20 per day.
The results did not come from magic or secret hacks. They came from doing the basics well. The offer, message and funnel were working together before any decision was made to increase the budget.
Want to learn the full $10/day strategy?
If this is sparking ideas, or you are realising your own ads might not be set up to get results yet, I have created a free training that goes deeper.
It is called “Get 100 Leads In The Next 30 Days With Just $10/Day On Ads.”
In this 20 minute training I walk you through:
- The ad setup that is working right now
- How to choose the right type of lead magnet for your audience
- What to check if your ads are not converting
You can watch it now at: https://learn.webonize.com.au/100leads
Final thoughts
If you have been telling yourself that you “just need more budget” to make ads work, let this be your invitation to pause and review your strategy first.
$10 a day will not fix a broken funnel. It can, however, build real momentum when it is aligned with a clear message, a strong offer and a simple, converting landing page.
Start by tightening those pieces at a smaller budget. Once you can see that your ads are bringing in quality leads and supporting your sales, then you can choose to scale from a place of confidence rather than guesswork.
I would love to hear your thoughts...