Pay per call campaign setup comes down to six decisions made before any traffic arrives: who the buyer is and what counts as a payable call, how calls will be routed, which numbers each traffic source will use, what the affiliate gets paid, which rules protect the buyer, and how you will test the whole path. Write each one down, build it in your software, place a test call, and only then send live traffic. The steps below follow that order.
Pay per call campaign setup, step by step
A campaign is one offer, aimed at one kind of caller, sold to one or more buyers. Keeping that definition tight makes everything after it easier to check.
1. Define the offer and what a payable call is
Start with the buyer's agreement. Which vertical is it, such as insurance, legal, home services or debt? What price do they pay per call? What makes a call payable: a minimum call length, a caller in a certain state, a caller who has not called before? If the buyer and the seller read this differently, disputes follow, so put the definition in writing and keep the numbers in one place.
2. Pick the countries and states you will target
Decide where callers must be located for the campaign to make sense. Many offers only work in certain states because the buyer is only licensed or staffed there. Set the targeting at campaign level so calls from outside it are not sent to the buyer.
3. Plan your routing
You have two main options. A waterfall tries buyers in a set order, which suits fixed agreements. Real-time bidding pings buyers at the same time and gives the call to the highest bid, which suits calls several buyers want. Either way, add a fall-back so a call is not lost when the first choice is closed or full. For more on the bidding model, see how real-time call bidding works.
4. Write the buyer rules
These are the rules that stop bad calls reaching a buyer:
- Hours: the times the buyer's team is available to answer.
- Daily caps: the most calls the buyer wants in a day.
- State rules: which states are in or out.
- Blocked numbers and repeat callers: numbers to exclude and callers who should not be sent twice.
- Pre-transfer check: a check run before a call is passed on, so a buyer who cannot take it is skipped.
5. Give each traffic source its own number
If every source shares one number, you cannot tell which one produced a good call. Give each source, publisher or affiliate its own tracking number so every call is tied back to where it came from. With dynamic number insertion, a website can show a different number depending on the visitor's source. Then set a payout for each affiliate, because one rate rarely fits every partner.
6. Handle recording and compliance questions
If you record calls, find out whether the places you operate in require a notice to callers. Do-not-call rules and recording rules differ by location and by type of call. This article is not legal advice; check your obligations with your own counsel before you go live.
7. Test before you send traffic
Call each tracking number yourself. Check that the call is attributed to the right source, that it reaches the right buyer, that hours and caps behave as written, and that the call shows up in your records. Fix anything that looks wrong while it costs nothing. If you are preparing a bigger launch, our guide on how to start a pay per call network covers the order of work around buyers and affiliates.
How the steps work in Insight Dial
Here is how the steps above map to the platform. See the product overview for the full picture.
- Setup: a guided setup checklist walks you through the campaign, and a test-call tool lets you place a call before going live.
- Targeting: choose the country and state targeting per campaign.
- Routing: use waterfall routing with hours, daily caps, state rules, blocked numbers, repeat-caller blocks and a pre-transfer check, or use real-time bidding, where buyers are pinged in parallel and the highest bid above your minimum wins in under a second, with a fall-back if nobody bids.
- Tracking: call tracking with dynamic number insertion shows each call and its source.
- Payouts: set per-affiliate payout rates, and give affiliates and buyers their own portals with downloadable statements (more on money features).
- Quality: calls get a grade of Good, Watch or Poor, and sources sending too many short calls can be paused automatically (quality features).
- Compliance tools: spoken recording notices where recording rules need one, and do-not-call list handling.
Pricing is pay as you go: a per-minute call rate plus a monthly price per tracking number, taken from a balance you top up. Quotes are available on request, and there is no free trial. Details are on the pricing page.
A short checklist for launch day
- The buyer's definition of a payable call is written down.
- Targeting, hours, caps and blocks match that definition.
- Each source has its own tracking number and payout rate.
- A test call has gone through the full path.
- Alerts are going to the channel your team actually watches.
- Your counsel has reviewed recording and calling rules for the places you operate in.
Ready to set up your first campaign? Create a publisher account or book a 30-minute demo and walk through your setup with us.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set up a pay per call campaign?
Define the offer and what counts as a payable call, set country and state targeting, choose waterfall or real-time bidding routing, write the buyer's rules, give each traffic source its own tracking number and payout, then test with a live call before sending traffic.
What do I need before launching a pay per call campaign?
A buyer with an agreed price and rules, tracking numbers for each traffic source, routing set up with a fall-back, payout rates for your affiliates, and a successful test call.
How long does pay per call campaign setup take?
It depends on how clear the buyer's rules are. Once those are written down, building the campaign and placing test calls is mostly a matter of working through a checklist.