How Lead Router Works

A simple explainer for non-technical folks.

The Two Sides

A lead marketplace has two sides. Affiliates generate leads. Advertisers buy them. Everything else exists to match one to the other.

The Supply Side

Affiliates

People who generate leads — running Facebook ads, Google ads, SEO sites, call centers, etc. They want to sell those leads.

The Demand Side

Advertisers

People who buy leads — insurance agents, solar installers, mortgage brokers, etc. They want qualified prospects.

The Diagram

In the middle is the Offer — a matchmaker that connects affiliate traffic to advertiser demand.

Many
Affiliates
lead sources
↓
Many
Campaigns
one per offer they promote
↓
The Matchmaker
Offer
Many campaigns feed in.
Many contracts pull out.
Many
Advertisers
lead buyers
↓
Many
Contracts
price, filters, daily caps
↓
The flow of one lead
Affiliate→Campaign→Offer→Contract→Advertiser

In Plain English

Affiliate
A company or person generating leads. Think: a Facebook media buyer running auto insurance ads.
Campaign
An affiliate's "pipe" for sending leads into a specific offer. Each campaign has a posting key (like an API password) the affiliate uses to submit leads.
Offer
The center of the system. Example: "Auto Insurance Leads – California." Many affiliates can promote it. Many advertisers can buy from it. The offer decides the rules — exclusive (one buyer per lead), multisell (sell to several buyers), or hybrid.
Contract
An advertiser's "pipe" for buying out of an offer. The contract sets the price they'll pay, the filters they want (e.g. CA only, age 25–55), and daily/weekly/monthly caps.
Advertiser
The end buyer. An insurance agency, solar company, mortgage broker — whoever consumes the leads.

A Real Example

1. Acme Media (affiliate) runs a Facebook ad for auto insurance.

2. A consumer fills out their form. Acme's campaign posts the lead into the "Auto Insurance – CA" offer.

3. The offer looks at every advertiser's contract: who wants California leads? Who has budget left today? Who pays the most?

4. Three advertisers match. The lead is sold to all three (multisell), or just the highest bidder (exclusive) — depending on the offer's rules.

5. Acme gets paid for the lead. The advertisers get a qualified prospect.