FAQ

What is ping-post in lead generation and how does it work?

Lead Gen Infrastructure

Key Takeaways
  • In the ping step, a lead comes in through a form submission — say, someone requesting auto insurance quotes.

Ping-post is a two-step lead delivery method where a lead generator sends a partial lead record (the "ping") to multiple buyers simultaneously, buyers bid on it in real time, and the full lead details (the "post") go only to the winning buyer. It is the standard real-time routing method in insurance, finance, and legal lead generation because it lets buyers compete on price while sellers maximize revenue per lead.

How the two steps work

In the ping step, a lead comes in through a form submission — say, someone requesting auto insurance quotes. The system strips out personally identifiable information and sends only qualifying details (zip code, coverage type, age bracket) to every connected buyer. Each buyer's system checks that partial data against their own criteria — geographic filters, volume caps, vertical match — and returns a bid price within milliseconds.

In the post step, the platform selects the highest bid (or applies routing rules like round-robin or weighted distribution), then delivers the complete lead record — name, phone, email, consent documentation — to the winning buyer. The buyer pays the bid price. The entire cycle typically completes in under two seconds.

According to Boberdoo and LeadsPedia, ping-post is the dominant routing model in US insurance lead generation, handling the majority of real-time lead transactions in auto, home, health, and life verticals. Industry benchmarks from Profitise (2025) indicate that ping-post systems typically increase seller revenue per lead by 20-40% compared to static pricing because buyer competition sets the market price in real time.

What infrastructure ping-post requires

Running ping-post is not simple. It demands sub-second response times, simultaneous multi-buyer connections, bid evaluation logic, consent verification (TCPA compliance requires documented consent before the post), duplicate detection per route, and cap enforcement so buyers do not exceed their daily or monthly volume limits. PRJ-01 handles this through configurable feed routing with suppression lists, throttle caps, per-route duplicate detection, and integration-specific payload formatting across 6 delivery providers — all production-tested on 616,543+ leads. The system processes leads through 12 inbound sources and routes qualified records to monetization partners through configurable feeds and affiliate postbacks.

For operators evaluating whether to build or buy ping-post capability: rebuilding this routing layer alone is estimated at 4-6 weeks of net-new development even when starting from an existing lead management platform.

Related: How do lead aggregators work and how do I sell leads to them?

References

  1. Boberdoo (2025). "Ping-Post Documentation." Lead distribution protocol reference.
  2. Profitise (2025). "Lead Distribution Benchmarks." Insurance lead performance data.
  3. Keating, M.G. (2026). "The Compounding Execution Method: Complete Technical Documentation." Stealth Labz. Browse papers