This guide is for lead generators who run life insurance quote forms, quizzes or calculators. It explains the lead types a life form can produce, the questions to ask, the records buyers expect and the setup for real-time delivery. Summit currently works with web leads (form fills), not calls or live transfers.
Key points
- Label every lead with the coverage the person asked about: term, permanent, final expense or mortgage protection.
- Ask for age, tobacco use, height, weight and the coverage amount. Agents price a life policy on these answers.
- Explain in your privacy policy that health answers are shared with the agents who will call.
- Validate phone numbers and remove repeat submissions before you post.
How to sell life insurance leads by lead type
The same life insurance ad can bring in people with very different needs. Buyers set filters by the type of coverage they write, so a lead is easier to sell when your form records what the person asked for.
| Lead type | What the person asked for | What the form should capture |
|---|---|---|
| Term life quote | Coverage for a set number of years | Coverage amount, term length, age, tobacco use, health |
| Permanent life | Whole life or universal life coverage | Coverage amount, age, tobacco use, health, reason for coverage |
| Final expense | A small whole life policy for end-of-life costs | Age, state, coverage amount, basic health questions. See how to sell final expense leads. |
| Mortgage protection | Coverage tied to paying off a home loan | Mortgage details the buyer asks for. Sold as its own lead type. |
| IUL | Indexed universal life coverage | Sold as its own lead type with its own buyers. See IUL leads. |
If one form serves several types, add a question near the start that routes the person to the right set of follow-up questions. For how lead types are defined across the industry, see types of leads.
Step 1: ask the questions life agents price on
A life agent cannot give a useful quote without the applicant's age and a rough idea of health. Ask these questions in a short sequence, one or two per screen:
- Coverage type and amount. A slider or a short list of ranges keeps answers consistent.
- Term length, for term quotes.
- Date of birth or age, and state.
- Tobacco or nicotine use in the last year or more.
- Height and weight, and a yes or no question on major health conditions.
- Who the coverage is for (self, spouse or both), if your buyers ask for it.
- Name, phone, email and the best time to call, last.
Do not ask for medical details buyers do not use. Long health questionnaires lower completion rates and collect sensitive data with no buyer value. Do not promise approval, a price, or coverage without a medical exam on the form or in the ad.
Step 2: write consent that fits a life lead
Show consent language directly above or beside the submit button, in readable type. It should say the person agrees to be contacted about life insurance by phone, text or email, including by automated technology, by the companies named or linked in the text, and that agreeing is not a condition of purchase.
Because life forms collect health answers, your privacy policy should say that these answers are shared with the insurance agents and companies that will contact the person. Link the policy next to the consent text.
Save a consent certificateConsent certificateA record, often produced by a third-party consent certificate provider, that shows how and when a consumer gave consent on a web form. Glossary for every lead: the exact text shown, the timestamp, the IP address and the page URL. The rule text behind this is covered in prior express written consent. The full set of records is in insurance lead consent and documentation.
Step 3: check each lead before you post it
- The phone number connects and matches the format buyers accept.
- The age falls inside the range the lead type is sold for.
- Height and weight are realistic numbers, not test entries.
- The state matches the ZIP code or address given.
- The same person has not been submitted from your forms in the past few days.
- The consent certificate exists and is linked to the lead record.
Life buyers returnReturnA buyer's request for credit on a lead that fails agreed standards, such as a disconnected number, a duplicate or a lead outside the filters. Glossary leads with wrong numbers and fake entries. Checking before you post costs less than handling the returns. See lead validation for the common checks.
Step 4: post each life lead in real time
Send each lead to the broker the moment the form is submitted. A typical integration follows these steps:
Map your fields
Match your answers (coverage type, age, tobacco, health) to the broker's field names and allowed values.
Send test leads
Confirm each test lead is accepted or rejected with a reason you can read.
Go live by 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
Buyers see a partial record, respond, and the winner receives the full lead. See how ping/post works.
Log every response
Record sold, not sold and error responses by traffic source and lead type.
Which fields, filters and delivery methods apply to your account is agreed during onboarding.
Step 5: test with a small volume
Run one traffic source and one form version first. Track how many leads sell, how many are returned, and what buyers say about contact rates. Change one thing at a time (the question order, the coverage ranges, the ad) and compare. Add volume once the numbers hold steady. Returns and payment follow the terms agreed during onboarding.
Common mistakes
- Selling every lead as "life insurance". A 75-year-old asking about funeral costs and a 30-year-old asking for a large term policy go to different buyers. Unlabeled leads sell for less or not at all.
- Quiz funnels that hide the purpose. If the person does not know they asked for a life insurance quote, the agent's call fails and the consent is open to challenge.
- Promising "no exam" or "instant approval". Your ad cannot know what a carrier will offer. Promises like these lead to complaints and returns.
- Collecting more health data than buyers use. It lowers form completion and adds data you have to protect.
- Reposting old leads as new. A life lead from last week is an aged leadAged leadA lead sold some time after it was captured rather than at the moment of submission. Glossary. Sell it under aged lead rules, if at all; see what are aged leads.
Frequently asked questions
Should a life insurance quote form ask for date of birth or an age range?
Ask what your buyers price on. Many life buyers prefer a date of birth because a one-year age difference can change the quote. Confirm with each buyer before you change the form.
Are quiz-style life insurance funnels acceptable to buyers?
They can be, if the person clearly knows they are asking for life insurance quotes and the consent text sits next to the final submit button. Funnels that hide the purpose produce leads that agents cannot reach.
How do I keep term life and final expense leads apart?
Ask for the coverage type and amount early, and route older applicants who want a small policy to a final expense form. Send each lead with a label for the coverage the person requested.
Related guides
Generating insurance leads?
Email us your insurance lines, traffic sources, how consent is captured, and daily volume. Summit currently works with web leads (form fills), not calls or live transfers.
Or write to team@summitleads.ai. We reply by email.
What happens next
- Step 1: You email us.
- Step 2: We reply by email.
Buying insurance leads instead? See insurance leads for agents.