How to choose a pay-per-lead network
Before you send traffic to a pay-per-lead network, run these seven checks. They decide what you actually get paid for the traffic you buy, and how much risk you carry. At the end you will have a list of questions to send any network, and Summit's own answers.
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Check 1: Payout model
Find out how the network pays. Is it a fixed cost per lead (CPL) or rev share? Is the payout on every accepted lead, or only on sold leads? Two offers with the same headline can pay very differently once you know which leads count.
In ping/post verticals, a fixed CPL leaves the spread between the sale price and your payout with the network. Rev share passes the sale price through to you. See rev share vs CPL.
Check 2: Return terms
Ask which leads buyers can return, in what time window, and how a returned lead is deducted from your payout. Return terms decide how much of what you earn you keep. A network with loose return terms can take back a large share of what you earned.
Also ask how you will see returns, so you can trace them back to a campaign or ad. The guide on why leads get returned explains the common causes.
Check 3: Payment terms
Ask how and when you are paid, and when each payment period closes. You pay for traffic up front, so the time between buying media and being paid affects how much you can spend. Get the terms in writing before you launch.
Check 4: Reporting
Ask how leads are reported and how reporting is delivered to you. At a minimum, you want to see leads by tracking link and to break them down by sub ID, so you can tell which campaigns, ads and states produce leads that sell.
Without reporting at that level, you cannot tell good traffic from bad, and you cannot scale what works. See tracking links and sub IDs explained and reading your publisher reports.
Check 5: Consent and compliance
Ask who writes the consent language and who stores consent certificates. If consent is missing or wrong, leads can be returned or rejected, and the traffic you paid for earns nothing. On hosted landers, the network should handle this. On your own landers, it is your job.
Ask for the network's traffic guidelines too, so you know what your creative must do before you build it. See hosted landers vs your own landers and TCPA compliance.
Check 6: Buyer demand
Ask how many buyers the network works with, in which states, and how leads are routed to them. More buyers competing for a lead generally gives it more chances to sell. Coverage by state matters if you plan to target many states or want room to expand.
Ask how routing works as well. In real-time ping/post, each lead is offered to multiple buyers and sells to the winning bid. Read ping post explained and how lead networks work.
Check 7: Verticals
Ask whether the network specializes in your verticals or spreads across many. A network focused on a few verticals tends to have more buyers for those offers, landers and consent language built for those offers, and guidance that fits them. A network that covers everything may be thinner in the verticals you care about.
Running MVA or home improvement traffic? Apply and ask us any of these questions.
Apply as a publisherQuestions to ask a network
Copy this list into your first email to any network:
- Do you pay a fixed CPL or rev share?
- Do you pay on every accepted lead or only on sold leads?
- Are unsold leads paid?
- Which leads can buyers return, in what time window, and how are returns deducted?
- What are your payment terms?
- How are leads reported, and how is reporting delivered?
- Can I break results down by sub ID?
- Who writes the consent language, and who stores consent certificates?
- Can I see your traffic guidelines before I build creative?
- Which traffic sources are approved?
- How many buyers do you work with, and in which states?
- How are leads routed to buyers?
- Which verticals do you focus on?
- Is every publisher reviewed before going live?
Summit's answers
| Check | Summit Leads |
|---|---|
| Payout model | Rev share on sold leads. Unsold leads are not paid. |
| Return terms | Returns are deducted under return terms agreed during onboarding. |
| Payment terms | Agreed during onboarding. |
| Reporting | Leads are reported by tracking link. Ask during onboarding how reporting is delivered. |
| Consent and compliance | TCPA consent is captured on every lead on Summit landers, with consent certificates on leads. See the traffic guidelines. |
| Buyer demand | 40+ national buyer and supply partners, all U.S. states, real-time ping/post routing. |
| Verticals | MVA and home improvement only. |
Approved traffic sources are Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Google, native ad networks, and SEO and rank-and-rent sites. Every publisher is reviewed before going live. See how payouts work for the full payout process.
Frequently asked questions
What is a pay-per-lead network?
A company that pays affiliates for leads produced by their traffic, then sells or routes those leads to buyers. Payout models are usually a fixed CPL or rev share.
What is the most important check?
The payout model and the return terms together. They decide which leads you are paid for and how much of that you keep.
Should I choose the network with the highest CPL?
Not on that alone. A high CPL that only pays on some leads, with loose return terms, can earn less than a lower headline offer. Run all seven checks.
How does Summit answer these checks?
Rev share on sold leads, returns and payment terms agreed during onboarding, leads reported by tracking link, consent captured on Summit landers, 40+ national buyer and supply partners across all U.S. states, and MVA and home improvement only.
Related
How the two payout models compare in ping/post verticals.
What each setup requires, including consent.
Sold leads, unsold leads, returns and reporting.
What to check in a single offer before you test it.
How the program works, verticals and traffic sources.
Ask us the seven questions
Every publisher is reviewed before going live. Email us your verticals, traffic sources, states and expected volume.
Apply as a publisherOr write to team@summitleads.ai. We reply by email.
Already generating leads on your own forms? Sell your leads instead.