What is ping-post lead distribution?
How ping-post works, why lead buyers and sellers use it, and how it compares with direct post in US insurance, loan and mortgage lead gen.
Ping-post is a two-step way of selling a lead. The seller first "pings" buyers with anonymous details (vertical, state, a few qualifiers). Buyers answer with a bid. The full lead, including contact details, is then "posted" only to the winning buyer. It lets many buyers compete for each lead in real time without exposing personal data to everyone.
Ping-post is the standard way leads are bought and sold in US insurance, lending and mortgage. If you send traffic to lead gen offers, or buy leads, it decides how much a lead earns and who gets it.
How does ping-post work?
A ping-post sale happens in two steps.
- The ping. When a consumer submits a form, the lead distribution system sends a ping to every buyer whose filters match. The ping holds only non-identifying data: vertical, state, ZIP code and a few qualifiers such as insurance status or loan amount. No name, phone number or email.
- The bids. Each buyer's system replies with a price, or declines.
- The post. The system picks the winning bid and posts the full lead, contact details included, to that one buyer. The buyer accepts it and the sale is recorded.
The whole exchange usually takes less than a second.
Why not just send the lead to one buyer?
That is direct post: the full lead goes to a single buyer at a price agreed in advance. It is simple, but it has limits.
| Ping-post | Direct post | |
|---|---|---|
| Buyers per lead | Many compete | One |
| Price | Set by live bids | Fixed in advance |
| Personal data shared | Only with the winner | With the buyer who receives it |
| Best for | Mixed-quality, high-volume traffic | Exclusive deals with one buyer |
Most networks use both. Ping-post finds the best price across the market. Direct post suits exclusive arrangements.
What decides the price of a lead?
Buyers bid on what the ping tells them. In auto insurance, for example, the state, whether the driver is insured today and the number of vehicles all move the price. In personal loans, the amount requested and credit profile matter most. In mortgage, purchase or refinance and loan size.
The other factor is trust. Buyers bid more on sources whose leads have converted before, and less on sources with high return rates. That is why fraud screening happens before the ping, not after the sale.
Where does fraud screening fit in?
On bnkrads, every lead passes through Pingtype's fraud tools before it is pinged to any buyer. Leads that fail the checks are blocked and never offered for sale. Buyers see fewer bad leads, and affiliates see exactly why a lead was rejected, so they can fix the source instead of guessing.
What this means for affiliates and buyers
- Affiliates get paid what the market will bear for each lead, not a flat rate set months ago.
- Buyers see the key details before they commit and only receive leads that match their filters.
- Consumers have their contact details shared with one buyer instead of many.
If you want to run traffic or buy leads through a ping-post system built for these verticals, apply as an affiliate or talk to us about buying leads.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ping-post and direct post?
With direct post, the full lead goes straight to one buyer at a fixed price. With ping-post, several buyers bid on anonymous lead data first, and only the winner receives the full lead.
Is ping-post faster than direct post?
Both happen in real time. A ping-post auction usually finishes in well under a second, so the consumer does not notice any delay.
Why do buyers prefer ping-post?
They only pay for leads that match their filters, at a price they chose, and they can see the lead's key details before they commit.
Does ping-post help affiliates earn more?
Usually yes. Because buyers compete on each lead, a good lead tends to sell at a higher price than a fixed-price direct post.
What software runs ping-post?
A lead distribution system (LDS). bnkrads runs on Pingtype, our own LDS, which also handles tracking and fraud screening.