Pay-Per-Call
Pay-per-call is a performance marketing model where advertisers pay publishers or affiliates a fixed fee for each qualified phone call delivered to their business. Unlike pay-per-click, the advertiser only pays when a real conversation occurs, making it one of the highest-intent lead generation methods available. AI-powered communication platforms enhance pay-per-call campaigns by automating call qualification, routing, and follow-up at scale.
What Is Pay-Per-Call?
Pay-per-call is an advertising model built around phone calls as the conversion event. Publishers drive calls to a tracking number, and the advertiser pays only for calls that meet predefined criteria such as minimum duration, geographic location, or caller intent. It is particularly effective in industries where phone conversations drive high-value transactions, including insurance, home services, legal, healthcare, and financial services. AI agents can handle the initial call qualification, ensuring only genuinely qualified leads reach the advertiser's sales team.
How Pay-Per-Call Differs From Pay-Per-Click
Pay-per-click generates website visits; pay-per-call generates live conversations. The distinction is significant for businesses where the phone call is the primary conversion channel:
- Higher intent signals because callers have actively decided to pick up the phone
- Real-time qualification through live conversation rather than form fills that may never be followed up
- Better conversion rates in industries like insurance and home services where complex decisions require dialogue
- Performance-based pricing tied to actual conversations rather than clicks that may not lead to engagement
Why Pay-Per-Call Matters for Business Owners
For businesses where the phone call is the moment of conversion, pay-per-call eliminates wasted ad spend on clicks that never become conversations. When combined with AI agents that qualify calls in real time, the model becomes even more efficient by filtering unqualified callers before they consume sales team time. Are you paying for clicks that never convert to conversations? How much sales team time is spent on unqualified inbound calls? What would it mean for your ROI if every call that reached your team was pre-qualified by AI?
How Plura Fits This Category
Plura powers pay-per-call campaigns with AI agents that qualify, route, and follow up on inbound calls at scale. The pay-per-call case study demonstrates how AI-driven qualification improves conversion rates while reducing cost per acquisition. Key capabilities include:
- AI call qualification: Inbound calls are screened by AI agents that verify intent, eligibility, and fit before routing to sales
- Dynamic call routing: Qualified calls are routed to the right buyer, agent, or team based on caller data and campaign rules
- Automated follow-up: Callers who do not convert on the first call receive AI-driven SMS or voice follow-ups through automated workflows
- Real-time analytics: Track qualification rates, conversion rates, and cost per acquisition across every campaign
FAQs related to
Pay-Per-Call
What is the difference between pay-per-call and pay-per-lead?
Pay-per-lead typically involves form submissions or data captures where the lead quality can vary significantly. Pay-per-call requires an actual phone conversation, which represents higher intent and engagement. Advertisers generally see better conversion rates from pay-per-call because the caller has actively chosen to initiate a real-time conversation.
Which industries perform best with pay-per-call?
Industries where phone conversations drive high-value transactions perform best. Insurance, home services, legal services, healthcare, financial services, and real estate are the strongest verticals because customers in these categories often need to discuss complex decisions with a live person before committing.
How does AI improve pay-per-call campaign performance?
AI agents qualify inbound calls in real time by verifying caller intent, eligibility, and fit before routing to sales teams. This reduces the time sales agents spend on unqualified calls, increases the conversion rate of routed calls, and enables automated follow-up for callers who do not convert on the first interaction.
What qualifies as a billable call in pay-per-call?
Qualification criteria vary by campaign but typically include minimum call duration, caller geographic location, first-time versus repeat caller status, and verified caller intent. Advertisers define these criteria upfront, and only calls meeting all conditions are billed. AI qualification can add additional screening layers to further improve lead quality.
How are pay-per-call calls tracked and attributed?
Calls are tracked using unique phone numbers assigned to each publisher, campaign, or ad placement. When a caller dials the tracking number, the platform records the source, duration, caller data, and call outcome. This attribution data enables advertisers to measure ROI by source and optimize spend toward the highest-performing channels.