Woman on a pay per call campaign

Top 15 Pay Per Call Frequently Asked Questions

December 20, 202410 min read

Top 15 Pay Per Call Frequently Asked Questions 

Generating quality leads that convert is one of the biggest challenges for marketers, especially when you’re investing in ads that result in clicks but no sales. It’s frustrating, expensive, and often feels like a wasted effort. 

Pay-per-call marketing offers a solution connecting you directly with high-intent customers who are ready to act. In this blog, we’ll answer some of the most frequently asked questions about pay-per-call marketing to help you understand how it works, why it’s effective, and how you can start using it to achieve better results.

1. What Is Pay Per Call Marketing?

Pay-per-call marketing is a performance-based strategy where businesses pay affiliates or publishers to generate qualified phone calls. This method prioritizes direct interaction with potential customers, making it an effective way to attract high-intent leads who are more likely to convert into paying clients.

  • Example: Imagine you’re a local plumber looking to grow your business. You could partner with a publisher to run targeted ads for emergency plumbing services. When someone sees the ad and calls your business line, the publisher earns a commission if the call meets the agreed criteria, like duration or customer location.

Pay per call marketing cycle

2. How Does Pay-Per-Call Marketing Work?

Here’s how pay-per-call marketing works, step by step:

  • Advertisers Set Up Campaigns: Businesses create campaigns on pay-per-call affiliate networks, detailing requirements such as call duration, time of day, or geographic location.

  • Affiliates Choose Offers: Publishers or affiliates browse these campaigns and select the ones they want to promote.

  • Promotion Starts: Affiliates promote the offers using methods like online ads, social media, or landing pages, ensuring the phone numbers provided are unique tracking numbers.

  • Calls Are Tracked: When a customer calls using the tracking number, it’s linked to the affiliate’s campaign, allowing the advertiser to track performance.

  • Commission Is Earned: If the call meets the campaign’s criteria, such as lasting a minimum duration, the affiliate earns a commission.

3. How Do I Get Started?

Getting started with pay-per-call marketing involves setting up your campaigns with the right tools and strategies to achieve measurable results. Follow these steps to launch your first campaign:

  1. Choose a Pay-Per-Call Partner: Select a trusted network to simplify the process by connecting you with advertisers in various industries and offering tools to manage your campaigns. 

  2. Decide How to Receive Calls: Consider how incoming calls will be handled. You can route them to a centralized contact center, specific locations, or even pre-qualify leads through an answering service to streamline operations. 

  3. Define Campaign Parameters: Outline key details such as call duration requirements, hours of operation, and geographic targeting. Share any restrictions or custom requirements (e.g., IVR setup or call recording) with your network.

  4. Plan Your Promotion Strategy: Choose where to advertise, whether on Google Ads, Facebook, or native platforms. Focus on ad formats that encourage phone calls, like call-only campaigns or ad extensions.

  5. Track Performance and Optimize: Use call tracking tools like Invoca or CAKE to monitor campaign results, ensuring you’re generating high-quality leads. Analyze data to adjust your strategy and improve ROI.

4. Why Invest in Pay-Per-Call?

Pay-per-call marketing is a smart investment because it targets high-quality leads who are ready to take action. This strategy offers measurable advantages, including:

  • Higher Conversion Rates: Phone calls typically convert between 30% and 50%, compared to 1-2% for clicks.

  • Improved Lead Quality: Customers making calls are highly interested and ready to engage directly with your business.

  • Increased ROI: You only pay for calls that meet specific criteria, ensuring your budget goes toward valuable interactions.

  • Improved Customer Interaction: Calls provide a direct connection with customers, promoting trust and easing the path to a purchase.

5. What Are Pay-Per-Call Affiliate Networks? 

Pay-per-call affiliate networks connect advertisers with affiliates who help promote their services. Each affiliate gets a unique phone number to track the calls they generate. When someone calls that number and meets the advertiser’s requirements, the affiliate earns a commission, and the business gets a new lead.

These networks make it easy for advertisers to work with many affiliates at once, helping them reach more people and get high-quality calls from different sources. This setup boosts both visibility and revenue for businesses.

Example: Imagine you’re a publisher promoting a debt relief service through a pay-per-call network. The network provides you with a unique phone number for your ads, ensuring that all qualified calls are credited to you. Each call that meets the campaign criteria earns you a commission.

6. What Are The Best Pay-Per-Call Affiliate Networks & Programs?

Choosing the right affiliate network guarantees successful pay-per-call campaigns. The best networks connect advertisers with trusted publishers, provide advanced tracking tools, and offer access to high-value offers across various industries. These are the top Pay-Per-Call networks:

  • OfferVault: A centralized platform where you can browse and compare pay-per-call offers from different networks based on verticals, countries, and payouts.

  • ClickDealer: Known for its extensive experience and exclusive offers, ClickDealer supports campaigns in industries like home improvement, finance, and travel.

  • Marketcall: A fast-growing network offering a variety of pay-per-call campaigns in verticals like healthcare, legal, and insurance.

  • Aragon Advertising: An award-winning network specializing in high-quality offers with competitive commissions in key industries.

  • PALO: With nearly 15 years of expertise, PALO focuses on high-paying offers in healthcare, legal services, and financial sectors.

  • Lead Smart: A network specializing in home improvement services, particularly in the U.S., offering targeted and localized campaigns.

  • Goojibear: A dedicated click-to-call network known for reliable offers, fast payments, and campaigns across various verticals.

  • Wisdom Companies: Focused on connecting advertisers with targeted customers in industries like mortgage, credit, and education.

  • Digital Media Solutions (DMS): A premium provider offering real-time campaign insights, high-quality traffic, and excellent support for advertisers and publishers alike.

7. What Are the Benefits for Publishers?

Pay-per-call gives publishers the benefit of making extra money without changing their current business model. It complements other methods, allowing publishers to monetize both phone calls and online traffic using the same promotional channels. 

With advanced tracking and analytics tools for call traffic, publishers can optimize their campaigns just as they do for clicks. Additionally, this model provides access to high-paying offers, increasing earning potential through higher commissions.

Benefits of pay per call


8. What Industries Work Best for Pay-Per-Call Marketing?

Pay-per-call marketing works particularly well for industries where customers require personalized attention or more detailed information before making a decision. These are the best industries for Pay Per Call marketing: 

best pay per call industries

9. How Does a Call Qualify for a Commission? 

For a call to qualify for a commission in pay-per-call marketing, it must meet specific criteria set by the advertiser. These can include factors like call duration, time of day, location, and even the outcome of the call, such as a completed sale or an appointment booking.  

  • Example: Imagine you’re promoting a health insurance service. To qualify for a commission, the call might need to last at least 90 seconds and involve discussing a potential policy with a customer in the advertiser’s target area. Calls that don’t meet these conditions wouldn’t count toward your earnings.

10. What Are the Best Platforms for Pay-Per-Call Campaigns?

When promoting pay-per-call campaigns, choosing the right platform is key to reaching a relevant audience. The best platforms offer advanced targeting options and tools to optimize your ads for phone calls, ensuring high-quality leads. Here are some of the top platforms for pay-per-call advertising:

1. Google Ads

Google Ads allows you to target users actively searching for services related to your campaign. Features like call extensions and call-only campaigns display your phone number directly in search results, encouraging immediate calls.

2. Meta 

With demographic and interest-based targeting, Facebook & Instagram help you connect with audiences most likely to engage with your offers. Their algorithms make it easier to reach specific customer segments and drive call conversions.

3. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an excellent platform for B2B pay-per-call campaigns, offering precise targeting options like job title, industry, and company size. These features allow advertisers to reach decision-makers and professionals actively seeking services.

4. Native Advertising Platforms

Platforms like Taboola and Outbrain integrate ads easily into content feeds, allowing you to reach users more organically. These platforms are excellent for campaigns requiring a softer, educational approach.

11. Can Calls be Filtered? 

Yes, calls in pay-per-call campaigns can be filtered to ensure they meet quality standards and align with your campaign goals. Advertisers often set filters based on:

  • Time and Day: Calls are accepted only during business hours or specific time frames.

  • Location: Only calls from certain regions or zip codes are allowed.

  • New vs. Repeat Callers: Filters can exclude repeat callers to avoid duplicate commissions.

  • IVR Responses: Interactive voice response (IVR) systems can pre-qualify callers based on their answers to specific questions.

12. Can Calls Be Routed to Multiple Destination Phone Numbers or Locations?

Yes, calls can be routed to multiple destinations based on conditions like time of day, caller location, or customer preferences. Advertisers often use systems that automatically direct calls to the most appropriate recipient.

  • Example: Let’s say you’re promoting a national auto insurance company. If a customer calls from New York, the system might route the call to the closest regional office, while a call from California would be directed to a different branch.

13. What's the Customer Experience When Making a Pay-Per-Call? 

For customers, the experience of making a call through a pay-per-call program is almost identical to calling a business directly. Calls are automatically routed to the advertiser based on predetermined rules, such as time of day or caller location. If an IVR is used, clients go through prompts just like a typical phone menu, ensuring a smooth and efficient process.

14. What Are the Challenges in Pay-Per-Call Marketing? 

While pay-per-call marketing is highly effective, it comes with its own set of challenges, particularly for beginners. Naming the common challenges that we can find:

  • Call Quality: Not all calls result in conversions. Ensuring you attract high-intent callers requires targeted campaigns and strong ad copy. Collaborating with experienced networks like UNIK360 can help businesses focus on quality leads using proven strategies.

  • Tracking and Analytics: Without accurate tracking, it’s difficult to measure performance. Using tools like AI-powered call tracking can help analyze and optimize results.

  • Compliance Issues: Adhering to regulations and platform guidelines is crucial to avoid penalties or restrictions.

  • Partner Alignment: Working with the wrong affiliates can lead to wasted resources.It’s essential to choose partners with aligned goals and a proven track record.

  • Example: Imagine you’re running a campaign for financial services, but you notice a high percentage of calls come from unqualified leads. By using call tracking software, you can identify which ads or keywords are underperforming and adjust your strategy to focus on better opportunities.

challenges of pay per call

15. How Are Calls Tracked to Their Source?

Calls in pay-per-call campaigns are tracked using two main methods to ensure accurate attribution:

  • Unique Tracking Phone Numbers: Each publisher or campaign is assigned a dedicated phone number. When a customer dials that number, the call is linked directly to the campaign or source that generated it.

  • Dynamic Tracking Numbers: A snippet of code is added to websites or landing pages, automatically generating unique phone numbers for each visitor. This method captures important details like the referral source, campaign, and keywords that led to the call.

Grow Your Business with Pay-Per-Call Marketing and Unik360

Pay-per-call marketing is a simple and effective way for you to connect with high-intent customers and see real results. Whether you’re a business looking for better leads or a publisher wanting to boost your income, this strategy makes it easier to achieve your goals. All you need is the right network, a solid campaign, and the drive to get started.

If you’re ready to dive in, Unik360 has you covered. We offer everything you need to succeed, from high-paying campaigns to advanced tracking tools and personalized support. Join Unik360 today and take your first step toward growing your business with pay-per-call.




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