I've been saying it for a little while now. Pay Per Lead is making inroads as a highly potent internet business marketing strategy. Spiralling PPC costs and (some) diminishing Adsense returns for certain niche content publishers has meant that both parties are being forced elsewhere to maximise their returns.

Pay per lead is superbly poised to win from this trend – big time. If you're a content publisher then pay close attention to this article.

Pay Per Lead advertisers win because they can CHOOSE a price to pay for a specific action – typically a prospect will download a product or fill out a free form and the content publisher (you) gets paid a fixed amount for each one. For the advertiser it means there's no risk of paying a small fortune for Adwords and seeing a ZERO return by way of sales and opt in subscribers.

No - with Pay Per Lead, advertisers can gather targeted prospects for a predetermined fee…and even for those that do not buy immediately (which will be the majority) the skilful advertiser will be able to work the backend. A profitable campaign. And for the publisher – good returns are achievable (no more scant pennies per valuable prospect you send to the advertiser) and click-through ratios are far higher because the content can be highly targeted to the offer (very difficult to achieve with Adsense). It's also possible to switch on viral campaigns (eg free eBooks & articles) with PPL which is far harder to do with Adsense. So the publisher can also enjoy a greater return on their website via PPL.

** BUT – Not All Industries Have Embraced The Pay Per Lead Concept Yet.

Unlike Adwords/Adsense, where there are advertisers in just about every niche imaginable, the availability of reliable pay per lead programs are significantly lower. There really aren't all that many about unless you know which niche markets to look at.

This is one of the biggest issues with the pay per lead concept at the moment. Even for those publishers that are itching to offer PPL – the chances are that there will not be a suitable program in their niche. Internet marketing is a prime example. At the time of writing I cannot remember more than four pay per lead offers, all of which expired very quickly. Remember – you do not want to send long term traffic to a pay per lead program unless that program stays open. That's why it's crucial to pick the right niche if you're serious about pay per lead.

** The Best Niche Just Got Better (And It's All Thanks To Pay Per Lead)

I like the real estate niche market. It's as close to a PERFECT niche as you're ever going to get. Here's why:

- BIG Numbers. In the U.S. alone almost ten million people search for “real estate” each and every month. I don't care what those who try to sell you sub-standard niches tell you… a high number of potential prospects are one of the key factors that will determine your long term success. Big numbers mean more advertisers. More competition. Bigger commissions and payouts.

- RICH Prospects. Real estate is a market that is worth trillions annually. You're dealing with people that have money and wont think twice to invest in education & information. I wish all niches were like that but they're not. It means more sales of your information products, membership sites – and a better conversion rate on your affiliate links.

- HIGH TICKET affiliate program opportunities. If you joined every real estate affiliate program out there…you would be filling out forms for days on end. Perhaps even weeks. There are just too many to mention. And many have payouts that exceed hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Don't ever consider a niche where there aren't enough quality big ticket affiliate programs.

- And Now…Pay Per Lead Opportunities. In a recent article I discussed a real estate affiliate program in the specific foreclosures niche (a sub-market of real estate). It offered $5 per free form filled out by each prospect referred. That means just ten referrals would earn you $50. It also means that with a 20% conversion rate, every thousand prospects that you get to your site nets you a thousand dollars. Remember – you can also use viral techniques such as free eBooks & articles to get your referral link to an unlimited number of targeted prospects. Real estate is one of the few niches where pay per lead seems to be breaking through – as this method becomes more popular with real estate companies we can expect a bigger choice and higher payouts.

** Another Real Estate Pay Per Lead Gem - $5 To $20 Per Lead (And All They Have To Do Is Request A “Free Valuation” On Their Property)

Real estate valuation is big business. It's a powerful sub-niche within the wider real estate market. In fact the search term “Property Value” alone brings in close to 20,000 monthly searches.

Everyone in the real estate niche wants to know what their real estate is worth. So do those who are considering purchasing real estate. Consequently, the demand for sites that offer a FREE real estate valuation service are significantly large.

Just about everyone interested in real estate would want a “quick online quote” – the best thing is there's currently a real estate company that's offering between $5 to $20 for every person that requests a free online valuation for their property. This may sound like a lot for an advertiser to dish out, but in fact the company can make thousands from just one of these prospects alone so to them the outlay is negligible. It's a little like an internet marketing advertiser paying a cent for ten targeted prospects.

There's no doubt that Pay Per Lead offers a sensational opportunity for both advertisers & content publishers alike. And as always, the first entrepreneurs to exploit the possibilities will be the ones that come away with the fattest rewards.

Good luck!