Demand · 6 min read
CPL is a vanity metric
Cost per lead is easy to improve by ruining the form. Cost per arrived customer is harder — and honest.
Published July 18, 2026
How to cheat CPL
Widen targeting. Shorten the form. Stop asking if they can pay. Congratulations: cheaper leads, worse book.
Cost per arrived customer includes the night, the no-show, and the person who never picked up. That is the metric a grown-up P&L uses.