DevExpert (hackathon)

The task

Attract leads for the DevExpert hackathon (niche — IT education) through paid traffic. A hackathon is an event with a deadline: participants have to be recruited by a specific date, and lead volume matters no less than lead cost. At the same time the audience is narrow — developers and IT professionals — so leads for such events usually cost more than leads in mass niches: both employers and educational products compete for this audience’s attention.

What we did

Launched ads in parallel on two platforms — Facebook Ads and Google Ads. Splitting the budget between two channels removes dependence on a single auction and lets us top up lead volume where the price is lower at the moment.

Results

• Ad budget — $8,220
• Leads acquired — 532
• CPL — $15.45

Insights

• $15.45 per lead on a narrow IT audience is a working price for event lead generation: with 532 leads the organizer gets a participant pool on a predictable timeline, not a hope for organic reach.
• A volume of 532 leads on an $8,220 budget shows that the two-channel combo did not hit the capacity ceiling of a single platform — important for events where leads are needed fast and in bulk.
• For IT event organizers the conclusion is simple: the participant recruitment budget is calculated in advance — the target number of leads multiplied by a cost per lead in the $15–16 range.