A lead posting API is how a lead moves from the business that generated it to the business that will contact it, automatically and in seconds. Instead of emailing spreadsheets, the seller’s system sends each lead to the buyer’s system as an HTTP request, and the buyer replies straight away to say whether the lead was accepted. Ping-post adds a bidding step, so each lead can be sold to the buyer who pays the most.
Here is how posting, receiving and ping-post work, and what to get right when you connect to a new buyer or vendor.
What is the difference between posting and receiving leads?
The same lead is posted by one side and received by the other:
- Posting means sending leads out: to a buyer, a call center, a CRM or a distribution platform.
- Receiving means accepting leads in: from your own forms and landing pages, or from vendors who send you leads.
Many businesses do both. A lead generator receives leads from its forms and affiliates, then posts them to several buyers.
How does a direct post work?
In a direct post, the full lead is sent to one buyer in a single request. The buyer checks it and replies with a response such as accepted, rejected with a reason, or duplicate. Direct posts are simple and work well when you have a fixed arrangement with a buyer at an agreed price.
How does ping-post work?
Ping-post splits the sale into two steps:
- Ping: the seller sends partial, anonymous lead data, such as ZIP code, product interest and a few qualifying answers, to several buyers at once. No name, phone or email is shared.
- Bid: each buyer replies with whether they want the lead and how much they will pay.
- Post: the full lead is sent only to the winning buyer, who confirms acceptance.
This lets sellers get the best price for every lead while protecting consumer contact details from buyers who don’t win it. It also has to happen fast, because the lead is only valuable while it is fresh.
What is in a lead posting specification?
Every buyer publishes a posting specification, or spec, that tells sellers exactly how to send leads. It usually covers:
- The endpoint URL, with separate test and live addresses
- Authentication, such as an API key, username and password, or a campaign ID
- The format: JSON, XML or a standard form post
- Field names and allowed values, for example state codes, date formats and phone formats
- Required fields, including consent data such as a TrustedForm certificate URL or Jornaya LeadiD token
- The response format, and what each response code means
Why do leads get rejected?
Most rejections come from a short list of problems that a good integration catches before the post:
- A missing required field, or a value in the wrong format
- A duplicate of a lead the buyer already received
- A lead outside the buyer’s area, such as a state or ZIP code they don’t cover
- Missing or invalid consent data
- An authentication error or a changed endpoint
Validating and deduplicating leads before posting, and logging every request and response, turns these from silent losses into problems you can see and fix.
What makes a lead API integration reliable?
- One standard internal lead format, with a separate mapping for each buyer
- Validation and deduplication before any lead leaves your system
- Routing rules that send each lead to the right buyer automatically
- Retries for posts that fail because of a timeout or temporary error
- A full log of every request and response, for disputes and reporting
- Separate credentials for each source you receive leads from
What does a lead post look like?
Every buyer’s specification is different, but a direct post is usually a small JSON or form request. This simplified example shows the shape. Real field names, required values and authentication always come from the buyer’s spec.
POST https://buyer.example.com/api/leads
{
"api_key": "YOUR-KEY",
"first_name": "Jane",
"last_name": "Smith",
"phone": "5555550123",
"email": "jane@example.com",
"zip": "46201",
"product": "solar",
"trustedform_cert_url": "https://cert.trustedform.com/..."
}
Accepted: {"status": "accepted", "lead_id": "12345"}
Rejected: {"status": "rejected", "reason": "duplicate"}The response matters as much as the request. Record it against the lead, so you know straight away whether each lead was accepted, rejected or returned as a duplicate.
How do you connect a new buyer?
- Review the spec: endpoints, authentication, fields, required consent data and response codes.
- Map your fields to theirs, including formats such as phone numbers, dates and state codes.
- Agree the rules: which leads the buyer accepts by location, product or other fields, and how duplicates are defined.
- Send test posts to the buyer’s test endpoint and confirm every response type is handled, including rejections.
- Go live, then watch acceptance rates and errors closely for the first few days.
How does deduplication work?
A duplicate check compares a new lead with recent ones, usually on phone number and email address, within a time window. The window is a business decision: too short and a buyer receives the same person twice; too long and you reject people who genuinely enquire again. Buyers often run their own duplicate checks too, so a lead you consider new can still come back as a duplicate if it reached them another way first.
What should you log?
| What to log | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Every request sent, with a timestamp | Shows exactly what the buyer received, and when |
| The buyer’s response | Proves acceptance and explains each rejection |
| The lead’s source | Lets you switch off a poor source without affecting the others |
| Retry attempts | Shows whether a failed post was recovered or lost |
| The consent reference (certificate URL or token) | Supports the lead if consent is ever questioned |
Frequently asked questions
Is ping-post better than direct post?
Neither is always better. Ping-post usually earns more per lead when several buyers compete. Direct post is simpler when you have one buyer at a fixed price.
How long does it take to connect a new buyer?
It depends on the spec and how different it is from your existing buyers. With a standard internal format in place, a new buyer is mostly a new field mapping and a round of test posts.
Can I receive leads from vendors by API too?
Yes. You provide vendors with an endpoint and credentials, and their leads arrive in your system in real time, with the same validation as your own.
We build lead posting and receiving integrations, including ping-post, and offer them by monthly or annual subscription or as a permanent license. See our lead API integration services, read the lead API integration case study, or contact us with a buyer’s spec.
