Where to Buy Life Insurance Leads in Australia

Australian life insurance advisers can buy leads from four kinds of source: pay-per-lead providers that sell exclusive leads, shared lead marketplaces that sell one enquiry to several advisers, marketing agencies that run campaigns for a monthly retainer, and referral partners such as mortgage brokers and accountants. For most advisers the deciding factors are whether the lead is exclusive to you, how it was qualified, and whether you can size the order to the number of leads you can genuinely work.

What kinds of life insurance lead sources can an adviser buy from?

An adviser can buy from pay-per-lead providers, shared lead marketplaces, marketing agencies on retainer, or referral partners. Each passes a different amount of risk to the adviser. The source decides who else is calling the prospect, how much the enquiry has been filtered, and whether you pay when the leads do not work out.

A pay-per-lead provider is a business that generates consumer enquiries through its own advertising and sells each one to an adviser, who pays for leads delivered rather than for effort. A shared lead marketplace is a platform where one consumer enquiry is sent to several advisers at once, who then compete to reach the prospect first. A marketing agency on retainer builds and runs campaigns in your name for a fixed monthly fee, whether or not those campaigns produce usable enquiries. A referral partner is a third party, such as a mortgage broker, accountant or financial planner, who introduces clients who may need cover.

How do the main lead sources compare?

The main sources differ on exclusivity, on who carries the cost of poor results, and on how quickly enquiries start arriving. The table below puts the four side by side in words rather than figures, because the right answer depends on your own capacity and margins.

| Source | Who else gets the lead | Who carries the risk | Speed to first enquiries | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pay-per-lead provider (exclusive) | Nobody, if the provider is genuinely exclusive | Shared: you pay per lead, the provider carries the ad spend | Fast, because campaigns already run | | Shared lead marketplace | Several other advisers | Mostly you, because you compete for every enquiry | Fast | | Agency on retainer | Nobody, but quality depends on the agency | You, because the fee is due regardless of results | Slow, while campaigns are built and tested | | Referral partners | Often nobody, but a partner may refer to several advisers | Low cost, but volume is unpredictable | Slow, built through relationships |

Is an exclusive or a shared life insurance lead better?

An exclusive lead is better for the adviser. It is sold to one adviser only and is never shared or resold, while a shared lead is sold to several advisers at once. Exclusive leads generally convert better than shared ones, because you are not racing other advisers to a prospect who has already had several calls.

Cover is a considered purchase, and the first conversation is about what the person wants to protect. A prospect who has been phoned by several advisers within minutes of enquiring is often guarded by the time you get through. The full comparison is in exclusive vs shared life insurance leads. The buying rule is short: ask whether the lead is ever sold to anyone else, at any point, and get the answer in writing. Do not accept "mostly exclusive".

Why do many advisers prefer pay per lead to a retainer or running their own ads?

Many advisers prefer pay per lead because it ties cost to leads delivered, rather than to effort or to ad spend that may not produce results. Pay per lead means you pay for each qualified lead delivered, with no monthly fee and no lock-in, so the risk of an underperforming campaign sits with the provider.

A retainer is a fixed monthly fee paid to an agency regardless of results. It asks you to commit before you know whether the leads turn into applications for cover, which is the opposite of how a small practice wants to test a new source. Running your own ads is the other alternative. It suits practices with the time, budget and skill to manage creative, tracking and optimisation, on top of the advice work that earns the income.

One further point favours a provider that pools budgets. Rather than each adviser running a small campaign, a provider can put every partner's budget into one centralised campaign. A single large campaign gives the advertising platform much more data to learn from, which is why a pooled campaign can produce better leads than one adviser could generate alone.

How do you compare lead sources fairly?

Compare lead sources by cost per policy written, not cost per lead, because a cheap lead that rarely turns into a policy costs more than a dearer one that does. Cost per policy written is the total you spent on leads divided by the number of policies that were actually written from them.

Illustrative example: the figures below are hypothetical.

Suppose an adviser tests two sources with fifty leads each. Source A charges $30 per lead, so fifty leads cost $1,500, and one policy is written. That is $1,500 for each policy written. Source B charges $60 per lead, so fifty leads cost $3,000, and three policies are written. That is $1,000 for each policy written. Source B costs twice as much per lead but less per policy, and an adviser who compared only the price per lead would pick the wrong one.

The method for tracking this properly is set out in how to tell if a lead source is actually profitable. Run each source long enough to see a full sales cycle, from first call through to a policy written or lost, because life insurance applications can take time to move through underwriting.

What should you check before placing a first order?

Before placing a first order, check six things in writing: exclusivity, how the lead is qualified, whether the phone number is verified, how fresh the lead is on delivery, what happens when a lead cannot be contacted, and whether you can pause or resize the order. A provider that answers all six plainly is worth a small test order.

1. Exclusivity. Is every lead sold to one adviser only, and never resold? 2. Qualification. How many questions does the form ask, and can a consumer who gives a disqualifying answer still submit it? A longer form with conditional logic, which changes the questions based on earlier answers, rejects unsuitable enquiries before they reach you. 3. Verification. Is every lead SMS-verified? Verification confirms the number is live and that the person can receive a text. It does not prove intent, as what SMS verification of a lead actually proves explains. 4. Freshness. Do leads arrive in real time or the same day, or are they held for days before sale? 5. Replacement. Is there a written policy for leads with wrong details or numbers that cannot be reached? 6. Flexibility. Can you start small, set a daily pace and pause the order without penalty?

The longer version of this checklist, with what a good answer looks like for each, is in how to choose a life insurance lead provider.

How many leads should you buy from a new source?

Buy the number of leads you can personally call and follow up properly, not the number your budget allows. For most advisers the real limit is capacity: how many new enquiries you can work each day alongside existing clients, reviews and referral flow.

A first order should be small enough that every lead gets a prompt, well-prepared first call, because a rushed test tells you about your calendar rather than the source. Speed matters here, and how fast you should call a life insurance lead sets out why the first minutes count. Once you have seen a full cycle, scale the order to what you proved you can handle.

Is it legal to call a life insurance lead you have bought?

It is legal when valid consent exists and the Do Not Call Register and Spam Act requirements are met. Because you are the one making the call, ask any provider how it captures consent and what the consumer sees before they enquire. The detail is covered in is it legal to call a purchased life insurance lead.

Which provider sells exclusive, SMS-verified life insurance leads?

Astra Finance Leads is an Australian pay-per-lead provider of exclusive, SMS-verified life insurance leads. Every lead goes to one adviser only and is never shared or resold. Each lead passes a qualification form with conditional logic and an SMS check before delivery, and leads arrive in real time or from the previous night at the daily pace you choose.

Advisers can pause an order for a month and pick it back up with no penalty, and there are no retainers. Pricing depends on lead type and volume, so it is not listed here.

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Want to see how a life insurance lead is qualified, verified and delivered before you order? Ask for a walkthrough of the process.