The overall picture
| Platform | What I have measured | What I have not measured |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook and Instagram | 17 landing page ads (€9.86 per application, €5.30 per 1,000 views (impressions)) and three form ads | Anything outside France or outside my jobs |
| Two ads for office profiles, in October and November 2026 | Frontline profiles: I have no LinkedIn ad measured for a frontline job | |
| TikTok | Nothing | Price per view, click-through rate, applications |
| YouTube | Nothing | Same |
| Google, display network | Nothing | Same |
| Google, search | Nothing | Same |
The “nothing” rows do not mean it does not work. They mean I have no figures to show you. What I write below about these platforms is what I know about how they work, not a result.
Facebook and Instagram: what I really measure
This is where I run the most ads. Across my 17 landing page ads in 2026, an application received cost €9.86 on average, and the three Facebook form ads between €0.53 and €5.83. All the details are in the study. With Open door and Plus, I deliver ads on Facebook and Instagram only.
LinkedIn: an honest comparison, on two ads
I launched two ads for office profiles (an accounting assistant, a recruitment consultant) on LinkedIn and on Facebook and Instagram, with unequal budgets: €23.48 per 1,000 views on LinkedIn, €7.68 on Facebook and Instagram. A click costs €1.70 on LinkedIn against €0.27. But the conversion itself is not that expensive: €25.55 on LinkedIn against €21.34.
Two caveats: the periods are not the same (LinkedIn up to 9 November, Facebook and Instagram up to 28 October), and LinkedIn counts responses to its own forms whereas Meta counts applications on the page.
What I can say: for office profiles, LinkedIn costs much more per view and per click, and a little more per conversion. What I cannot say: that this holds for other jobs, or that the gap will last. Two ads, a few weeks. I have no LinkedIn results for a frontline job, so I do not promise you any.
TikTok, YouTube, Google: what I know, not what I have measured
Here is how they work, so you know what to expect:
- TikTok: a large, young audience that demands a video that grabs attention fast. I have no price figures at Rafa.
- YouTube: mainly a tool for telling a company's story in video. I have not measured it for recruitment.
- Google, display: views on countless websites. I have not measured how many people apply from them.
- Google, search: the person types “welder job Lyon” themselves. The volume is limited by what people search for. I use it on a custom basis, for jobs my simulator does not cover. I have no figures to publish.
As soon as I have enough measured ads on one of these platforms, I will say so here, with the sample.
Who chooses, at Rafa?
You do not have to choose: I select the platforms according to your job and your budget, and a platform that does not help your recruitment is simply not used. With Open door and Plus, I deliver ads on Facebook and Instagram. With Max, I add other platforms when they serve your ad.
In summary
- Facebook and Instagram: the only ground I have measured well, with 17 landing page ads and three form ads.
- LinkedIn, office profiles, two ads: €23.48 per 1,000 views against €7.68, and €25.55 per conversion against €21.34.
- TikTok, YouTube, Google: no measurements, so no figures.
- I choose the platforms, according to your job and your budget.
