Publisher Guide: Native

How to run native traffic to lead offers

This guide walks through a native ad campaign for MVA and home improvement lead offers, from choosing the flow to cutting sites that do not sell. By the end you will be able to decide between a direct link and a pre-lander, set up a campaign on a native ad network, pass site IDs into your sub IDs, and build allow lists and block lists from sold-lead data.

It applies to any native ad network. Settings have different names on each one, so check your network's own help pages for the exact labels.

Published 5 October 2026. How we write and check guides: editorial standards.

Apply as a publisher

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

How native differs from Meta and Google

Native ads appear in content recommendation widgets and in-feed units on news, lifestyle and content sites. Each ad is a headline and a thumbnail image, shown next to articles. The reader is in reading mode, not searching and not scrolling a social feed. That has three effects:

Clicks are cheaper to get, and harder to qualify. A headline has few words to tell the reader what the offer is.
The site is the targeting. Results vary widely from one publisher site to the next, so site-level data drives every decision.
A pre-lander often helps. Many native campaigns send readers to an article first, which explains the topic and the next step before the Summit lander.

See native traffic for publishers for how native fits the program, and native vs Meta for lead gen affiliates for a side-by-side comparison.

Before you start

An approved Summit publisher account and tracking links for the offers you plan to run. See how to apply.
An account with a native ad network, with its ad policies read.
Your tracker set up, if you use one, with the Summit tracking link as the offer URL.
A sub ID plan that includes the site or placement ID from the network.
A pre-lander, if you plan to use one, that follows our traffic guidelines.
A list of states to target first. Summit covers all U.S. states in both verticals.

Step 1: Choose direct link or pre-lander

Direct link versus pre-lander for native lead offers
Flow	How it works	When it fits
Direct link	Ad click goes straight to the Summit lander through your tracking link	Headlines that state the offer clearly, such as "Compare roof replacement quotes"
Pre-lander or advertorial	Ad click goes to your article, which links to the Summit lander through your tracking link	Curiosity-led headlines, or topics that need explaining, such as what to do after a crash

Test both if you can, in separate campaigns. Either way, the lead submits on the Summit lander, where consent is captured, and the consent language on that lander is not changed or removed. Pre-lander structure and disclosure are covered in advertorials and pre-landers for lead gen.

Step 2: Set up the campaign

Starting native campaign settings for lead offers
Setting	Starting choice	Why
Campaign	One per offer and flow, for example "car accident, pre-lander"	Keeps results by offer and flow separate
Location	A small group of U.S. states	Enough traffic per state to compare
Device	Separate campaigns for mobile and desktop	Sites and costs differ by device; mixing hides it
Bidding	Start at or near the network's suggested level	Bidding too low gets you only leftover placements
Ads	Four to six headline and image pairs	Enough to find a winner in the first round
Schedule	All hours at first	Collect data before you cut hours; see day-parting

Step 3: Pass site IDs into your sub IDs

Native ad networks provide macros: placeholders in the click URL that the network replaces with values such as the site ID, campaign ID and ad ID when a person clicks. Passing the site ID through to Summit is what lets you tell good sites from bad ones by sold leads, not only by clicks.

Find the network's list of URL macros in its help pages. Note the macro for site or placement ID, campaign ID and ad ID.
Build the click URL: your tracking link (or your tracker's campaign URL) with each macro placed in a sub ID parameter.
If you use a pre-lander, carry the same sub ID values from the pre-lander URL into the tracking link on its button. Test that they come through.
Click a live preview and confirm that every sub ID holds a real value, not the macro text.

Leads are reported by tracking link, with your sub IDs. Ask during onboarding how reporting is delivered, and which other tracking options apply to your account. The tracking links and sub IDs explained guide covers the basics.

Step 4: Write headlines and pick thumbnails

Headlines on native should tell the reader what they will find after the click. Vague curiosity headlines raise clicks and lower sold leads. Each native ad network publishes its own ad policies, and our traffic guidelines require claims to be accurate for the offer.

Name the topic: "What to do in the days after a car accident" or "Signs your gutters need replacing before winter".
Name the reader in general terms: "Homeowners in Florida are comparing roof quotes" without claiming facts about the reader.
Match the thumbnail to the headline: a real-looking roof for a roofing headline, a damaged car for an accident headline.
Avoid fake news formats: no news logos, no "breaking" labels, no images made to look like a news report.

Native ads sit beside editorial content, so they must still be recognizable as ads. The FTC's Native Advertising: A Guide for Businesses explains how U.S. truth-in-advertising law applies to ads that look like the content around them. This is not legal advice.

Vertical-specific headlines and thumbnails are in native ads for accident offers and native ads for home improvement offers.

Running native traffic to lead offers? Apply with your sources, states and expected volume.

Apply as a publisher

Step 5: Optimize by site

Once each site has had enough traffic to judge, sort sites by sold leads and returns, using the site ID in your sub IDs. Then act on each group:

What to do with each kind of site in a native campaign
Site result	Action
Sold leads at a cost you can work with	Add to an allow list; raise the bid on that site if the network allows it
Clicks but no leads after a fair test	Add to the block list
Leads, but few sold or many returned	Add to the block list; check whether the headline drew the wrong readers there
Too little traffic to judge	Leave running; review again later

When the allow list holds enough sites, start a second campaign that targets only those sites at a higher bid, and keep the original running to find new ones. The how to scale a winning lead gen campaign guide covers the next steps. You are paid rev share on sold leads, and unsold leads are not paid, so judge sites on sold leads and returns.

Watch traffic quality from day one

Some sites in native inventory send clicks that are not from real, interested readers. Buyers notice those leads, and they come back as returns. Check these signs for each site ID as data comes in:

Clicks with almost no time on the pre-lander or lander.
Bursts of clicks at odd hours from one site.
Leads with contact details that do not work, clustered on a few sites.
A site with a high click rate and no sold leads after a fair test.

Block those sites early. Read bot and fraud traffic: how networks detect it for more.

Common mistakes

No site ID in sub IDs. Without it, you cannot block the sites that waste spend.
Mixing mobile and desktop. One device can hide the losses of the other.
Blocking on clicks alone. A site with few clicks can still produce sold leads.
Curiosity headlines that do not name the topic. They attract readers with no interest in the offer.
Pre-lander button without sub IDs. The values from the ad click are lost before the Summit lander.
Changing headlines, bids and sites at once. One change at a time keeps results readable.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a pre-lander for native traffic?

No. Direct links can work when the headline states the offer clearly. Many publishers test both flows in separate campaigns. The lead always submits on the Summit lander through your tracking link.

Which native ad networks can I use?

Native ad networks are an approved traffic source. Tell us which ones you plan to run when you apply, and follow each network's own ad policies.

How do I know which sites to block?

Pass the network's site ID macro into a sub ID. Your Summit reports show leads by tracking link and sub ID, so you can see sold leads and returns per site.

Can I use my tracker with Summit tracking links?

Many publishers do. Set the Summit tracking link as the offer URL in your tracker and pass sub IDs through. Ask during onboarding which other tracking options apply to your account.