How to get paid for lead generation

You get paid for lead generation in one of four ways: pay per lead (a set amount per accepted lead), rev share (a share of what each sold lead sells for), a hybrid of the two, or selling leads directly to buyers at a price you agree. Each pays on a different trigger, so read the terms before sending traffic.

The four ways to get paid for lead generation

Every lead gen payout model answers the same question: what has to happen to a lead before you are paid for it? The answer is the payout trigger, and it matters more than the headline rate.

Some local lead gen businesses also earn a set rent from one provider for a ranked site. That is covered in rank and rent for home improvement leads. This guide covers per-lead models.

How can I get paid per lead?

To get paid per lead, you either join a program that pays publishers for leads from their traffic, or you build your own forms and sell the leads to buyers. The steps:

1. 1

   Step 1: Choose your role

   As a publisher (affiliate), you send traffic to the program's landers and the program handles the form, consent and buyers. As a lead seller, you run your own forms and consent capture and sell the leads. See lead gen affiliate vs lead seller.

2. 2

   Step 2: Pick a vertical you can reach

   Choose one vertical where you can produce traffic, such as MVA / personal injury or home improvement. See MVA vs home improvement for affiliates.

3. 3

   Step 3: Compare the payout terms

   For each program or buyer, write down the payout trigger, the return terms and the payment terms. Use the checklist further down this page.

4. 4

   Step 4: Apply and get approved

   Most programs review publishers before approving them. Expect to describe your traffic sources, verticals, states and expected volume.

5. 5

   Step 5: Set up tracking

   Use your tracking link and sub IDs so every paid lead can be traced to a campaign and an ad. See tracking links and sub IDs explained.

6. 6

   Step 6: Run a small test and reconcile

   Send a small amount of traffic, then compare what you sent with what was accepted, sold, returned and paid. See how to plan a first test campaign.

How each payout is triggered

A lead passes through several statuses between the form and the payment. Which status triggers payment is what separates the models.

Pay per lead

Pay per lead (CPL) pays a set amount when a lead is accepted. Because the program pays whether or not it sells the lead, it usually sets stricter acceptance criteria and caps on volume.

Rev share

Rev share pays a share of what each lead sold for. In ping/post markets, each lead can sell for a different price, depending on which buyers bid at that moment. Rev share passes that price through, so your payout per lead varies, and unsold leads are not paid. See rev share vs CPL.

Hybrid

Hybrid terms combine the two: a set amount plus a share above it, or a share with a minimum. Read exactly which status triggers each part. The comparison is in rev share vs CPL vs hybrid payouts.

Selling leads directly

When you sell your own leads, the price and trigger are whatever you agree with each buyer, usually a price per accepted lead. You also handle the consent capture, delivery integrations, invoicing and collections. See how to sell the leads you generate and sell your leads.

Returns: how a paid lead can be reversed

Under every model, a buyer can return a lead after the sale, for reasons such as a wrong phone number, a duplicate, or a person who says they did not ask to be contacted. A returned lead is deducted from what you are owed. Return terms set which reasons count and how long a buyer has to return a lead.

Returns are why the number that matters is paid leads after returns, not form fills. See why leads get returned and how to increase your sold rate.

What to check before joining a pay-per-lead program

• Payout model and trigger: pay per lead, rev share or hybrid, and the exact status that triggers payment.
• Acceptance criteria: what a lead must contain and which leads are rejected before they can be paid.
• Return terms: the reasons a buyer can return a lead, the time allowed, and how returns are deducted.
• Allowed traffic sources: which sources and placements are approved. Leads from other sources can be reversed in full.
• Creative rules: claims your ads may not make in that vertical.
• Consent: who captures consent and whether you may change anything near the form. On hosted landers, the answer should be no.
• Reporting: how you see accepted, sold, unsold and returned leads by sub ID.
• Payment terms: when and how you are paid, and any minimum before a payment is made.
• States and caps: which states the program accepts and any limits on volume.

Get these answers in writing before you spend on traffic. For a fuller review of an offer, see how to evaluate a lead gen offer.

How Summit pays publishers

Summit pays publishers rev share on sold leads. Publishers send MVA / personal injury or home improvement traffic to Summit landers, Summit captures TCPA consent on every lead, and each lead is routed by real-time ping/post to buyers. Unsold leads are not paid. Returned leads are deducted under return terms agreed during onboarding, and payment terms are agreed during onboarding too.

Every publisher is reviewed before going live. Ask during onboarding how reporting is delivered for your account. The full flow from click to payout is in how publisher payouts work.

Common mistakes

• Comparing programs by headline rate. A higher rate with strict acceptance and frequent returns can pay less than a lower one.
• Not knowing the trigger. If you do not know whether you are paid on accepted or sold leads, you cannot work out your costs.
• Counting form fills as income. Leads that are rejected, unsold or returned earn nothing under most models.
• Skipping the return terms. Returns arrive after the sale and reduce what you are paid.
• Running traffic from a source the program does not allow. It can cost you the payout on every lead from that source.
• Running without sub IDs. You cannot tell which ads produce paid leads.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Start a lead generation business: Every decision, in order.
• How publisher payouts work: Click to payout at Summit.
• Rev share vs CPL: How the two models compare.
• How pay-per-lead affiliate programs work: The life of a lead in a program.
• CPA networks vs pay-per-lead programs: The kinds of program compared.

Already generating leads on your own forms? Sell your leads instead.