Cost-Plus vs. Per-Lead vs. Per-Case Mass Tort Pricing
$250M+ managed Meta ad spend · 600+ plaintiff law firms · 100+ mass torts · 2M+ leads since 2015
Mass tort advertising is priced three ways: cost-plus (you see the real ad spend and add a flat fee), per-lead (a fixed price per lead, spend invisible), and per-case (a single price per signed case, spend and margin both invisible). Cost-plus is the only model where the firm sees the actual Meta spend. MTAA runs the only published cost-plus rate card in the category — spend plus 15%, $1,000 setup per tort, $100 per signed retainer for intake — currently delivering $109.76 per qualified lead and $322.39 per signed case.
The three models, defined
Cost-plus: the firm pays the actual Meta ad spend plus a flat management fee. Fully transparent; incentives aligned on efficiency. Per-lead: the vendor quotes a fixed price per lead. The real spend and margin are invisible, and the leads are often not exclusive. Per-case (flat-fee): the vendor quotes one price per signed case. Simple on the surface, but the markup between real acquisition cost and the quoted price is hidden — and it can be very large on efficient torts.
The math, with live numbers
On MTAA's cost-plus model the arithmetic is visible: across the last 30 days, $983,667 in tracked spend produced 8,962 qualified leads ($109.76 blended) and signed cases at $322.39 blended, ranging $246 to $2,285 by tort. Add 15% to the spend and $100 per signed retainer and you have the whole cost — there is nothing else. Under a per-case model, compare the quoted price against those real acquisition costs and you can see exactly what margin you would be paying for opacity.
Questions to ask any vendor
1) Can I see the actual ad spend? 2) Are the leads exclusive to my firm, or resold? 3) Who owns the ad account, pixel, and claimant data? 4) Is intake included, and how is it billed? 5) What is my cost per signed case, not per lead? A vendor who cannot answer all five in writing is pricing on opacity. See the full agency comparison framework.
Frequently asked questions
What is cost-plus pricing in mass tort advertising?
The firm pays the actual ad spend plus a flat management fee — at MTAA, spend plus 15%, with a $1,000 one-time setup per tort and $100 per signed retainer for intake. The firm sees every dollar of real Meta spend.
Is per-lead pricing cheaper?
Rarely, once conversion is counted. Per-lead prices often cover shared, resold leads that convert worse, and the vendor's margin is hidden inside the quote. The honest comparison is cost per signed case.
What does per-case pricing hide?
The spread between the real acquisition cost and the quoted price. On an efficient tort, a flat per-case price can carry a very large invisible markup — which is why vendors using it resist showing the underlying spend.
What are typical mass tort acquisition costs right now?
Across MTAA's tracked campaigns: $109.76 blended per qualified lead and $322.39 blended per signed case, with per-tort case costs ranging $246 to $2,285. The figures update continuously from live data.