Lead Distro AILead Distro AI
DocsCampaignsCampaign Basics

Campaign Basics

Create and configure lead distribution campaigns in Lead Distro AI. Choose your routing method, set daily caps, map custom fields, and assign buyers with priority rules for every pipeline.

Last updated:

What is a Campaign?

A campaign is your lead distribution pipeline. It defines the vertical, how leads are routed to buyers, what fields leads carry, and what filters are applied before distribution.

Campaign Types

TypeHow It Works
Direct PostLeads are posted directly and distributed immediately to buyers.
Ping-PostSuppliers ping first to check buyer availability and bid prices, then post the full lead.

Distribution Methods

MethodBest For
Round RobinEqual distribution across buyers. Best for getting started.
WeightedProportional distribution. Assign percentages to each buyer (e.g., 60/40 split).
PriorityAlso called waterfall. Leads go to buyer #1 first, overflow to #2, etc.

Field Mapping

Each campaign has a field mapping that defines what data fields leads should carry. Default fields (first_name, last_name, phone, email) are always included. Add custom fields based on your vertical — for example, incident_date and case_type for legal, or service_type and zip_code for home services.

The AI Assistant can suggest vertical-specific fields for you during campaign setup.

Inbound Filters

Inbound filters validate leads before distribution. Use them to reject leads that don't match your criteria — for example, only accept leads from certain states, or require a specific field value.

Daily Caps

Caps are configured per buyer within a campaign, not at the campaign level. Each buyer can have their own daily cap that resets automatically at midnight. When a buyer's cap is filled, leads route to the next available buyer based on your distribution method.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between Direct Post and Ping-Post campaigns?
Direct Post is the standard flow — suppliers send the full lead immediately and Lead Distro AI distributes it to the highest-priority eligible buyer in one step. Ping-Post is two steps: the supplier pings first with partial data (phone, email, state) to check availability and pricing, then sends the full lead only if a buyer commits. Ping-Post is used in competitive verticals (legal, insurance) where buyers want to bid on each lead and suppliers want to avoid wasting bandwidth on rejected leads.
What's the difference between Round Robin, Weighted, and Priority distribution?
Round Robin rotates leads equally across all eligible buyers — best when buyers should get the same volume. Weighted assigns percentages (e.g., 60/40 split) — best when buyers have different capacity or buy at different prices. Priority (also called Waterfall) sends to buyer #1 first, overflows to #2 when #1's cap is hit, and so on — best when you want to preferentially fill your top-paying buyer before others.
Can I set daily caps at the campaign level?
No, caps are per-buyer, not per-campaign. Each buyer in a campaign has its own cap windows (daily, weekly, monthly, total) plus dollar budget caps on the same windows. This is more granular than campaign-level caps because real-world buyer budgets vary independently. The campaign as a whole only stops accepting leads when *all* buyers have hit their caps, in which case new leads receive status UNMATCHED.
What's the campaign setup wizard?
New campaigns open a step-by-step setup wizard: add suppliers, configure delivery, run a test ingestion, then activate. Campaigns start in Draft status and don't accept live traffic until you activate them. A draft campaign shows a Continue Setup banner at the top of its page. You can activate either from the wizard or directly on the campaign page when you're done.
How does Test Mode work on campaigns?
Test Mode is set per-supplier, not per-campaign. When a supplier is in Test Mode, every lead it sends gets is_test: true and flows through normal distribution to buyers but is excluded from billing, P&L reports, and Meta CAPI events. Use it to validate field mappings, webhook delivery, and buyer routing before going live. Test Mode also activates the buyer-side delivery path so you can confirm payloads land correctly in destination CRMs.
Can I duplicate a campaign?
Yes. From the campaign page menu, choose Duplicate to copy the campaign with all field mappings, inbound filters, buyer slots (with no buyers attached), and routing settings. The duplicate starts in Draft. This is the fastest way to launch a new vertical that shares structure with an existing one — for example, copying a personal injury campaign to launch a slip-and-fall campaign in a different state.
Can I schedule lead filters by day and time?
Yes. Each campaign filter (and each buyer filter) supports scheduling — set the days of the week and hour ranges when the filter is active. Use this to route leads to different buyers based on staffing hours, send leads to overnight buyers only at night, or pause certain buyers during their off-hours without disabling them entirely.

Related Articles

Direct Post vs Ping-Post
Understand the difference between Direct Post and Ping-Post campaigns in Lead Distro AI. Side-by-side comparison, when to use each, how they affect distribution, pricing, and supplier integrations.
Field Mapping
Configure the data fields each lead carries in a Lead Distro AI campaign — system fields, custom fields, vertical-specific patterns, field transforms (Phone Formatter, Date Formatter), and validation.
Inbound Filters
Use inbound filters to reject leads at the campaign level before distribution. State allowlists, custom field rules, AND/OR groups, scheduling, and FAQs for Lead Distro AI.
Daily Caps
Set per-buyer daily, weekly, monthly, and total lead caps plus dollar budget caps in Lead Distro AI. Cap reset behavior, overflow routing, and FAQs.

If you have any questions, send us an email at support@leaddistro.ai

Lead Ingest APIDirect Post vs Ping-Post