Breaking Down The Different Buyer Types In Lead Prosper

Lead Prosper supports five buyer types, each designed for a different lead delivery workflow. This article covers how each buyer type works, when to use it, and how it behaves in both Direct Post and Ping Post campaigns.

Every buyer type except Store Lead requires its own payload configuration. Payloads can be formatted as FORM, JSON, or XML and are built using campaign fields, system fields, or computed fields to match each buyer's API specifications.

Direct Post Buyer

Direct Post buyers use a one-step delivery process: a single API request containing the full lead data is sent to the buyer.

Direct Post buyers can be configured in both Direct Post campaigns and Ping Post campaigns. When used inside a Ping Post campaign, Supplier PING requests are automatically considered accepted as long as buyer-level filters and caps pass. No data is sent to the buyer until the Supplier submits the full POST request.

When to Use a Ping Post Configuration Instead

In some cases, a buyer that is technically a Direct Post integration may require a preliminary API action before the lead can be delivered — such as requesting an authorization token or dynamic value that must be included in the POST body or headers. In these situations, the buyer can be configured as a Ping Post buyer instead, where the PING retrieves the required dynamic value and the POST delivers the full lead using that response data.

However, if the buyer only requires pre-checks that do not depend on returning dynamic values — such as duplicate checks, DNC lookups, or validation requests — these are often better handled using Buyer-level API Filters. API Filters can allow or block leads before they are sent while keeping the buyer configured as a Direct Post (single action) integration.

Ping Post Buyer

Ping Post buyers use a two-step delivery process: an initial PING request is sent before the full lead data is delivered through a POST request.

During the PING stage, limited lead information is shared — often excluding personally identifiable information (PII) — allowing buyers to pre-screen the lead and decide whether they want to purchase it. Buyers typically respond with:

• An acceptance or rejection status
• A bid price indicating how much they are willing to pay
• A unique token or ID value expected to be included in the subsequent POST request

If the buyer rejects the PING, the process ends. If accepted, the seller can decide whether to proceed with sending the full lead data.

Behavior by Campaign Type

Ping Post buyers can be configured in both Direct Post campaigns and Ping Post Exchange campaigns, though the workflow differs between the two.

Direct Post Campaign: The lead is fully ingested into Lead Prosper before any buyer PING or POST requests are made.

Ping Post Exchange Campaign: The Supplier first submits a PING to Lead Prosper, which is forwarded to eligible buyers. The buyer's response — including acceptance status and bid price — can be adjusted using campaign pricing and margin logic before being returned to the Supplier in the Supplier API response. If the Supplier chooses to sell the lead based on the returned response, they send the full lead data in the POST request, which Lead Prosper delivers to the buyer using the configured POST payload and delivery settings.

Google Sheets Buyer

Google Sheets buyers deliver leads directly into a Google Sheet in real time using Lead Prosper's native Google Sheets integration — no Zapier, webhooks, or custom scripts required.

Setup

To configure a Google Sheets buyer, connect your Google account, select the desired spreadsheet and worksheet, and map your Lead Prosper fields to the sheet columns using the visual field mapping interface. Once configured, any lead sent to this buyer will appear as a new row in the selected worksheet.

Field mappings, filters, worksheet selections, and account access can all be updated at any time.

Delivery Behavior

Google Sheets buyers are always considered "Accepted," meaning leads will be delivered unless buyer-level filters or caps prevent it.

Google Sheets buyers can be configured in both Direct Post campaigns and Ping Post campaigns. When used inside a Ping Post campaign, Supplier PING requests are automatically treated as accepted as long as buyer filters and caps pass. The lead data is only written to the Google Sheet once the Supplier submits the full POST request.

Email Buyer

Email buyers deliver lead data through a plain-text email notification sent from Lead Prosper's email servers to up to five email addresses at a time. This delivery method is commonly used for buyers or internal teams that prefer receiving leads by email rather than through an API integration.

Configuration

When configuring an Email buyer, you can customize the following using dynamic lead field values:

• "From" name
• Reply-to email address
• Subject line
• Email body

Delivery Behavior

Email buyers are always considered "Accepted," meaning leads will be delivered unless buyer-level filters or caps prevent it.

Email buyers can be configured in both Direct Post campaigns and Ping Post campaigns. When used inside a Ping Post campaign, Supplier PING requests are automatically treated as accepted as long as buyer filters and caps pass. The email is only sent once the Supplier submits the full POST request.

Limitations

Email buyers only support plain-text emails, making them best suited for lightweight notifications, lead alerts, or workflows where structured API delivery is not required.

If you need HTML-formatted emails, you can use a third-party Email Service Provider (ESP) with an API endpoint. Most ESPs support sending an API request containing lead data that triggers a pre-built HTML email template. Lead Prosper has several articles covering this type of setup that you can review here:

Store Lead Buyer

Store Lead buyers retain and organize lead data within Lead Prosper without sending it to an external destination or triggering any delivery action. The lead is stored in the system and marked as accepted.

This buyer type is useful for:

• Internal workflows
• Lead warehousing
• Testing
• Reporting
• Capturing leads without immediately distributing them

Delivery Behavior

Store Lead buyers are always considered "Accepted." Use buyer-level filters and caps to control which leads are stored.

Store Lead buyers can be configured in both Direct Post campaigns and Ping Post campaigns. When used inside a Ping Post campaign, Supplier PING requests are automatically treated as accepted as long as buyer filters and caps pass. The lead is only stored once the Supplier submits the full POST request.

If you have questions about configuring any buyer type or need help determining which buyer type is the right fit for your workflow, contact our support team at support@leadprosper.io. We're happy to help you get set up.