Ping/post integration for lead buyers
This page is for the developer and the operations lead on the buyer side. It explains how a ping/postPing/postA real-time selling method in which a lead is pinged to buyers with partial data, buyers bid, and the winning bidder receives the full lead by post. Glossary integration with Summit Leads works, what each message contains, how filters and caps are set, and what to send us so we can connect your endpoint and start test traffic.
The ping/post flow, step by step
Ping/post splits the sale of a lead into two messages. The ping lets you price a lead without seeing who it is; the post delivers the lead only to the buyer that wins it. For background on the model itself, see ping post explained.
A lead is submitted
A consumer completes a form on a supplierSupplierAny company that provides leads to a buyer, whether it generates them itself or brokers them from publishers. Glossary page and gives consent. The supplier posts the lead into the Summit Leads tree.
Filters and caps are checked
The lead is compared with the filters and remaining daily caps of every buyer in that verticalVerticalThe industry or product category a lead belongs to, such as roofing or car accident. Glossary. Buyers whose criteria do not match are skipped.
Your endpoint receives a ping
Matching buyers receive a ping with partial, non-identifying data, enough to price the lead but not enough to contact the consumer.
You bid or decline
Your system replies with a bid or a decline within the response window agreed at setup. A late reply is treated as a decline.
The winning bid receives the post
The winning buyer receives the full lead by post, including contact details and the consent record.
Your system confirms
Your endpointEndpointThe web address in a buyer's system that receives pings and posts. Glossary accepts or rejects the post and returns a response, so both sides have the same record of what was sold.
What a ping contains
A ping carries partial, non-identifying data: the vertical and sub-type (for example roof replacement or a car accident with injury), the state and ZIP code, and the consumer's answers to the qualifying questions for that vertical. It never carries full contact details. No name, phone number, email address or street address leaves Summit Leads until a buyer has won the lead.
How your system responds
For each ping, your endpoint returns either a bid or a decline. A bid is the amount you will pay if you win the lead; a decline tells us to move on. Your reply must arrive within the response window agreed at setup. A reply that arrives late, or an endpoint that does not answer, is treated as a decline for that lead, so a slow endpoint costs you volume.
What the post contains
The winning buyer receives the post. It contains the full contact data (name, phone, email and, where the vertical needs it, address), the lead fields collected for the vertical, and the consent record. The consent record includes the opt-in languageOpt-in languageThe consent disclosure shown next to the submit button on a lead form. Glossary the consumer saw, the timestamp of submission, the IP address and the page URL where consent was given. Store it with the lead: it is what you, or your client, will rely on if a contact is ever questioned. Our TCPA compliance guide covers what a usable record looks like.
The exact field specification (field names, formats, required and optional fields per vertical) is shared during onboarding, so your developer can map it before test traffic starts.
Example ping and post (illustrative)
Illustrative only. Field names, formats and timing are set in the specification shared during onboarding. The blocks below show the shape of each message with placeholder values in capitals. They contain no real consumer data and no real bid values.
1. Ping sent to your endpoint (no contact data)
{
"ping_id": "PING_ID",
"vertical": "VERTICAL",
"sub_type": "SUB_TYPE",
"state": "STATE",
"zip": "ZIP_CODE",
"answers": {
"qualifying_question_1": "ANSWER_1",
"qualifying_question_2": "ANSWER_2",
"qualifying_question_3": "ANSWER_3"
}
}2. Your response: accept with a bid, or decline with accept set to false
{
"ping_id": "PING_ID",
"accept": true,
"bid": "BID_AMOUNT"
}3. Post sent to the winning buyer (contact data and consent record)
{
"ping_id": "PING_ID",
"first_name": "FIRST_NAME",
"last_name": "LAST_NAME",
"phone": "PHONE",
"email": "EMAIL",
"address": "STREET_ADDRESS",
"state": "STATE",
"zip": "ZIP_CODE",
"answers": {
"qualifying_question_1": "ANSWER_1",
"qualifying_question_2": "ANSWER_2",
"qualifying_question_3": "ANSWER_3"
},
"consent": {
"opt_in_text": "OPT_IN_TEXT_SHOWN_TO_CONSUMER",
"timestamp": "SUBMISSION_TIMESTAMP",
"ip_address": "IP_ADDRESS",
"page_url": "PAGE_URL"
}
}Filters, caps and targeting
Filters and caps are configured on our side, per campaign, from the details you send. A filter can cover the vertical and sub-type, a list of states or ZIP codes, and other criteria such as homeowner status in home improvement or injury and attorney status in MVA. Daily caps limit how many leads each campaign receives, and you can ask for a cap or filter change by email at any time. Leads that fall outside your filters, or arrive after a cap is reached, are never pinged to you, which keeps declines low and your endpoint load predictable.
Testing before going live
Before live traffic, we send test leads to your endpoint so your developer can confirm that pings are parsed, bids and declines come back in the agreed format, and posts land in your system with every field mapped. Once test leads pass, you start on a small live volume so your operations team can check contact rates and quality before caps are raised. Go-live timing is confirmed during onboarding.
Returns
Return terms are discussed on the onboarding call and agreed before going live. The terms set out which reasons qualify and how a return is submitted, so both sides work from the same rules.
What to send Summit Leads to start
- Your ping and post endpoint URLs (or one URL, if your system handles both steps)
- Your field mapping: the names and formats your system expects for each lead field
- Filters per campaign: vertical and sub-type, states or ZIP codes, and any other criteria
- Daily caps per campaign
- A contact for technical questions during integration and testing
Email these to team@summitleads.ai. Buyers setting up supply for the first time can read how to become a partner first.
Frequently asked questions
What data is in a ping?
Partial, non-identifying data such as the vertical and sub-type, the state and ZIP code, and the answers to qualifying questions. A ping never includes the full name, phone number, email address or street address.
How long do we have to respond to a ping?
Your system replies with a bid or a decline within the response window agreed at setup. A reply that arrives after the window is treated as a decline for that lead.
What is included in the post?
The full contact data, the lead fields for the vertical, and the consent record: the opt-in language shown, the timestamp, the IP address and the page URL where consent was given.
Can we buy without being pinged?
No. Every lead starts with a ping, and only the winning bid receives the full lead by post. Your filters decide which pings you see.
Can we receive leads in batches?
No. Leads are delivered one at a time by real-time ping/post, not in batch files.
Is there an example ping and post?
Yes. The example on this page shows the structure of a ping, a bid response and a post with placeholder values. It is illustrative only: field names, formats and timing are set in the specification shared during onboarding.
Where is the field specification?
The exact field specification for each vertical is shared during onboarding, together with test instructions. Email team@summitleads.ai to request it.
How are returns handled?
Return terms are discussed on the onboarding call and agreed before going live, covering which reasons qualify and how a return is submitted.
How long does integration take?
Go-live timing is confirmed during onboarding, once test leads and a small live volume have been checked.
Request the integration details
Tell us your verticals, states, daily caps and delivery method, and we will send the field specification.
Start small, with no long-term commitment
- No long-term contract. Pause or stop at any time.
- No setup fee and no monthly fee. You pay only for leads delivered that match your filters.
- Start with a small test volume and scale when the numbers work.
- MVA and home improvement leads are exclusive by default: each lead is sold to one buyer.
- Return terms are agreed on the onboarding call, before you go live.
Or write to team@summitleads.ai. We reply by email.
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