What Is A Supplier? A Breakdown of Suppliers In Lead Prosper

A Supplier in Lead Prosper is any entity that sends leads into your campaigns. Suppliers post lead data to your campaign's API endpoint, where those leads are ingested, validated, and distributed to your Buyers.

When a new Supplier is created, Lead Prosper assigns it a unique lp_supplier_id and lp_key value, and generates a dedicated set of API Specs. The Supplier uses these specs to format and submit leads correctly so they can be ingested and distributed.

Supplier API Specs

The API Specs provide everything a Supplier needs to begin posting leads. Each set of specs includes:

Campaign Fields — field names, formatting requirements, whether each field is required or optional, and a description of what the field expects.
Authentication Values — the lp_campaign_id , lp_supplier_id , and lp_key values required to authenticate the post.
Filter Rules — the campaign-level filter rules the Supplier's leads will be evaluated against.
Posting URL(s) — the endpoint(s) the Supplier will post to.
Header Details — any required headers for the API request.
Post Type — whether the campaign accepts FORM or JSON formatted posts.
Example Payloads — real example payloads built around the campaign's specific fields.
Example API Responses — sample Accepted, Duplicate, and Error responses the Supplier can use to configure their response mappings.

Depending on the campaign configuration, the API Specs may include additional sections:

Ping Post Exchange — the Campaign Fields list includes an additional column indicating whether each field is required or optional on the PING as well as the POST.
Pre-Ping Dupe Checker — if the campaign is a Direct Post Campaign with the Pre-Ping Dupe Checker enabled, the specs include instructions for using the Pre-Ping Dupe Checker, the POST URL, and a real example payload.

Supplier Configuration

Each Supplier can be configured with the following settings:

Buy Price

The price paid to the Supplier for each accepted lead.

Direct Post Campaign — set to either a Static price or Conditional Pricing based on lead attributes.
Ping Post Exchange — set to Real-Time pricing, where the buy price is determined by the Buyer's bid price adjusted for any margins and/or penalties.

Lead Caps

Volume caps that limit the number of leads a Supplier can send. Caps can be set by day, week, month, or total.

Budget Caps

Budget caps that limit the total spend on a Supplier's leads. Caps can be set by day, week, month, or total.

Ping Caps

Available only in a Ping Post Exchange. Ping Caps throttle the number of PINGs a Supplier can send into the exchange on a daily, hourly, or per-minute basis.

Notification Settings

Cap notifications can be sent to up to 5 email addresses when a cap reaches a specified threshold. Up to 3 different thresholds can be configured per Supplier. You can also set a notification to be sent if the cap has not been reached within its given time period.

Margin Override

Available only in a Ping Post Exchange. A Margin Override allows you to assign a Supplier-specific margin that differs from the Default Margin defined in the campaign settings.

Minimum Required Buyer Bid

Available only in a Ping Post Exchange. Sets a minimum bid price that a Buyer must return in order for the ping to be accepted. If the Buyer's bid falls below this amount, the ping is automatically rejected. This value is based on the exact price returned by the Buyer and does not account for margins or penalties.

Filters

Filters can be set at the Supplier level. These filters run before leads are distributed to Buyers, and any lead that fails a Supplier-level filter is rejected outright — it will not be sent to any Buyers.

Testing New Suppliers

When a new Supplier is created, it is automatically placed in Test Mode. This allows the Supplier to send test leads into the campaign to verify that all data is formatted correctly before live traffic begins.

Test leads only check whether a lead can be ingested. They are not evaluated against filters, caps, validations, or any other campaign logic.

There are two ways to send a test lead:

Supplier is in Test Mode — all leads sent through that Supplier are automatically treated as test leads.
Include lp_action=test in the post — the individual lead is treated as a test lead regardless of the Supplier's mode. This is useful when a live Supplier needs to test specific leads (such as from a new landing page or form) without affecting live traffic.

After reviewing a test lead to confirm all expected fields are present, correctly named, and properly formatted, disable Test Mode by going to the Campaign Page, clicking the Supplier's cog wheel, and selecting Disable Test Mode. The Supplier will then begin ingesting live leads for distribution to Buyers.

Supplier API Responses

The structure of the API response returned to a Supplier depends on the campaign type.

Direct Post Campaign

The default response includes:

id — the POST ID associated with the lead.
lead_id — the lp_lead_id associated with the lead.
status — the lead status: ACCEPTED , DUPLICATED , or ERROR .
code — the error code if the lead is rejected.
message — the error code message if the lead is rejected.

Ping Post Exchange

Two responses are returned — one for the PING and one for the POST.

PING Response:

ping_id — the Ping ID for the lead. This ID must be included in the subsequent POST.
status — the lead status: ACCEPTED , DUPLICATED , or ERROR .
code — the error code if the lead is rejected.
message — the error code message if the lead is rejected.
bids.bid_id — the Bid ID associated with the returned bid.
bids.payout — the bid price associated with the bid for that lead.

POST Response:

id — the POST ID associated with the lead.
lead_id — the lp_lead_id associated with the lead.
status — the lead status: ACCEPTED , DUPLICATED , or ERROR .
code — the error code if the lead is rejected.
message — the error code message if the lead is rejected.

Customizing the Supplier API Response

Several options are available to customize the data included in the Supplier API response. These settings are controlled on the Campaign Settings page.

Pass Data from Buyer API Response Back to the Supplier

When enabled, a new field is added to the Supplier API response. Each Buyer can be configured to return a unique value in that field when they win the lead. The value can be left blank or set to a Static Value, a value from the PING response (for Ping Post Buyers), a value from the POST response, a value from a Campaign Field, or an advanced value from a Campaign Field with transformers applied before it is passed back. You can add as many of these additional fields as needed.

This feature is only available on campaigns set to sell Exclusive leads.

Include Buyer Information in Supplier API Response

When enabled, the API response includes additional details about the Buyer(s) who accepted the lead and the purchase price.

This setting is not recommended when working with third-party Suppliers, as it reveals the sale price and the identity of the end Buyer.

Include All Buyers

When enabled, the API response includes all configured Buyers and their status — not just the Buyer(s) who accepted the lead.

Validation Error Details

When enabled, the API response includes additional details about validation errors when a lead is rejected by a validation integration. You can choose to include the Provider Name and/or Description, and you can limit this feature to specific Suppliers or apply it to all Suppliers in the campaign.

Supplier Portal

If your Suppliers need visibility into the performance of the leads they send into your campaigns, you can assign them an account for the Supplier Portal. The Supplier Portal is a secure, self-service dashboard that allows Suppliers to log in and view detailed lead data, performance analytics, and reporting. Through the portal, Suppliers can monitor lead outcomes, track revenue, review returns, and export data — giving them full visibility into how their traffic performs across your Lead Prosper campaigns.

Between the API Specs, configurable pricing, caps, filters, response customization, and the Supplier Portal, Lead Prosper gives you full control over how leads enter your campaigns and how much visibility your Suppliers have into their performance. Taking the time to configure each Supplier properly — starting with thorough testing before going live — ensures clean data flows to your Buyers and reduces troubleshooting down the road. If you have any questions about setting up or managing your Suppliers, don't hesitate to reach out to our support team at support@leadprosper.io.