Film a credentialed practitioner explaining one notice or situation at a time, in under 60 seconds, with no settlement promises. Run it in Meta's Financial Products and Services category, let the creative and the form do the targeting, and judge each video on cost per qualified consultation, not views.
Why video works in resolution
Taxpayers facing the IRS want to know two things: what is happening to them, and whether the person helping them is real and competent. A short video of an enrolled agent, CPA or attorney explaining a notice answers both in seconds. It also reaches people before they search, which is where Meta is cheaper than Google's resolution auctions.
What to film
One video per situation. A good first batch:
- "Got a CP504? Here is what it means."
- "The IRS is taking money from your paycheck. Here is how that stops."
- "Haven't filed in a few years? What actually happens when you catch up."
- "Business owner with payroll tax problems? Read this before you talk to the IRS."
- "Is an offer in compromise right for you? Usually not, and here is why."
The last one works because it is honest. The IRS accepted about 14% of offers in FY2025 (see our FY2025 data analysis), and saying so builds trust that settlement-led competitors cannot match.
Script structure (under 60 seconds)
- Hook, 3 seconds: name the notice or situation on screen and out loud.
- What it means, 15 seconds: plain explanation and the real deadline.
- The options, 20 seconds: the realistic routes, without promising outcomes.
- Who you are, 10 seconds: name, credential, firm.
- Next step, 5 seconds: "Answer four quick questions and we will call you today."
Film on a phone in good light. Plain, real footage often beats polished production. Add captions, because most people watch without sound.
Campaign setup
- Special ad category: US financial services ads must run as Financial Products and Services, which limits age, gender and location targeting and removes detailed audiences. See what the category means for tax firms.
- Let creative target: the notice named in the hook selects the viewer. Broad audiences with strong, specific creative usually outperform narrow ones here.
- Instant form or landing page: either works if it asks balance, notice and years unfiled. Higher-friction forms produce fewer but better enquiries.
- Testing: launch 3 to 5 videos, keep the ones producing qualified consultations, and replace the rest every two to four weeks.
Lines not to cross
- No "pennies on the dollar", guaranteed approval or "eliminate your debt" claims.
- No invented urgency or countdowns that do not match a real IRS deadline.
- No imagery or wording that implies you are the IRS or a government programme.
- No actors or AI avatars presented as your practitioners.
Our compliance standard lists the full set of rules we write to.
What to measure
Hook rate and cost per lead tell you whether a video is seen and acted on. Cost per qualified consultation and cost per retained case tell you whether it is worth paying for. Keep videos that win on the last two, even if their view numbers look ordinary.
Want these numbers for your own firm? Book a strategy call and we will walk through your lead sources, intake and cost per retained case.