Verified Leads

Verified Leads is G2's lead generation program that connects you with high-intent software buyers. When a buyer is comparing software on one of G2's sites, a G2 advisor gets them on a short call and vets them on budget, authority, need, and timing (BANT), not a form fill or a purchased list. You then receive that buyer as a fully qualified, sales-ready lead: headcount, budget, must-haves, decision-makers, and timeline to close. Details no web form ever captures.

Basics of Verified Leads

These related articles cover optional setup:

• Verified Leads CRM integrations: Deliver leads to your sellers through a CRM integration, a webhook, or an API.
• Verified Leads Appointment Scheduling: Have an advisor schedule the pitch call or demo on your team's behalf.

How leads are qualified

Every buyer goes through a live vetting call with a G2 software advisor before you receive them as a lead.

How bidding works

G2 uses an auction to rank eligible products for each matching buyer. Your bid influences where your product ranks, but you don't need to bid to stay eligible for recommendation. You pay only for the leads G2 qualifies for you.

Here's how the auction works:

1. You submit bids for your product in a combination of Verified Leads market and primary size band. Each auction market has a minimum bid.
2. During a buyer's qualification call, G2 ranks all eligible products by their current bids.
3. The software advisor starts with the highest-ranked products and recommends up to five.

If your product is recommended, you're charged $5 more than the bid of the competitor ranked directly below you. If two bids tie, the bid submitted first ranks higher.

Advisors can also consider lower-ranked products, including products that don't bid. This happens when:

• A higher-ranked product doesn't fit the buyer for a reason outside G2's preset filters, such as budget or a product they already use.
• Fewer than five eligible products are available.

Campaign Builder

The Campaign Builder is where you set up and launch Verified Leads campaigns in your my.G2 account.

The Campaign Builder covers three workflows:

• Launch a campaign, with a smart template (the fastest way to go live) or by building a target from scratch
• Add a target to an existing campaign
• Edit a live target

To get started, go to my.G2, then navigate to Verified Leads > Campaigns and select + New Campaign.

Launch a campaign

Name your campaign, describe your audience, build your target, and check out. You can build the target with a smart template or set every filter yourself.

1. On Campaign Details, enter a campaign name, then choose Always On or a monthly budget ($500 minimum). Select Continue.

   G2 recommends Always On. A capped budget pauses your campaign when you hit it, which can cost you leads.

2. On Target Details, enter a target name and choose the product. Select Continue.

3. On Market, choose one of your recommended software markets, then select Continue.

   Each market shows a maximum lead estimate based on the last three months of market data. The market flagged Best ROI is usually the safest first choice. To use a different market, select it from Other Markets.

4. On Applications, clear any applications or features you don't offer. Everything starts selected.

   • (Optional) Expand an application to set how you offer each feature: on its own, in a suite, or through a partner.
   • (Optional) Turn on Required by Buyer to match only with buyers who need that application. Use it rarely, because it narrows your reach and you can use it twice per target.

5. Select Continue.

6. On Target Builder, choose how to build your target:

   • To use a smart template, choose Limited reach, Best value, or Maximum reach. Each shows its estimated leads per month. Select View details to see what a template includes, then select Continue with template. G2 recommends Best value for most vendors.
   • To set every filter yourself, select Build from scratch. Then complete the next step.

7. If you selected Build from scratch, complete the following screens, which take about 45 to 60 minutes. If you chose a smart template, skip to step 8.

   • Size bands: Choose at least one option in each of the three bands, or select Customize to choose individual ranges.
   • Industries: Clear any industries you don't want, or select Deselect all and choose only the ones you want.
   • Countries: Use the grouped options to set the buyer locations you accept leads from.
   • Deployment: Select Web, On-premise, or both. If your product supports on-premise, select it, or you exclude those buyers.
   • Pricing: Choose Defer to vendor or Standard pricing. Choose Defer to vendor unless you have a firm minimum-budget requirement, because Standard pricing can significantly reduce your lead volume. If you choose Standard pricing, enter a Minimum budget, select a Pricing model and Billing frequency, and optionally enter a Setup fee.

8. Review the campaign summary and lead estimate, then continue to checkout.

9. On Checkout:

   • Enter your billing information and add a payment method.
   • Enter the signer details and select I Accept. Use your official business address, because it appears on your invoices.
   • Select Create campaign, or select Save as Draft to finish later.
   Drafts appear under Draft Campaigns in the Campaign dropdown at the top of the Campaigns page.

   

Your campaign starts matching right away. G2 emails a copy of the agreement to the signer, and you can change any campaign setting after you launch.

Add a target to an existing campaign

Add a target to a running campaign, such as a second product or a new market. There's no separate checkout, because the campaign is already billed.

1. Go to Verified Leads > Campaigns in your my.G2 account, then select the campaign from the Campaign dropdown at the top of the page.
2. Select + New Target.
3. Complete Target Details, Market, Applications, and Target Builder as described in Launch a campaign. You can choose a smart template or build from scratch.
4. Review the target summary, then select Create target.

The target goes live in your existing campaign.

You can also manage targets from a campaign's Settings > Targeting tab:

• Select + Add New Target to add one.
• Select the pencil icon on a target to edit it.
• Select the three vertical dots on a target, then select Activate or Delete.

Edit a live target

1. Go to Verified Leads > Campaigns in your my.G2 account, then select the campaign from the Campaign dropdown at the top of the page.
2. Select Edit Target.
3. Scroll the page, or use the menu to jump to a section, and update the target's name, status, targeting, size bands, industries, countries, deployment, applications, or pricing. The lead and spend estimate at the top updates as you change settings.
4. Select Save changes to push your edits live, or select Save as a new draft to refine a copy without changing the live target. You can also discard unsaved changes.

Bidding

Set your bids and use G2's benchmark metrics to see how competitive you are in the auction.

Set and manage your bids

To set a bid, enter your desired bid amount for a size band. You can enter bid amounts in $5 increments, and you can update multiple bids at once.

1. In your my.G2 account, go to Verified Leads > Campaigns.
2. Find the size band you want to bid on.
3. Enter your bid amount, in $5 increments.
4. Repeat for any other size bands you want to update, then save your changes.

If you can't edit a bid for a specific size band, contact G2 to update your targeting criteria and unlock bidding for that size band.

Use the following metrics to decide how much to bid:

Monitoring leads & notifications

Monitor your Verified Leads, manage who receives lead notifications, and understand Expansion Leads (a distinct lead type with its own eligibility window) from your my.G2 account.

Monitor your leads

Use Verified Leads > Campaigns in your my.G2 account to track your campaign's lead volume, missed leads, and cost per lead. For guidance on setting your bids, see Set and manage your bids in the Bidding section above.

To view the leads you've received or purchased, including full buyer contact details, go to Verified Leads > Your Verified Leads in your my.G2 account.

Add users to receive lead notifications

To let a new user receive email notifications about your Verified Leads, an admin must grant them access to the product:

1. In your my.G2 account, select your avatar in the upper-right corner > User Management.
2. Grant the user the Admin, User, or Viewer role for Verified Leads.

Expansion Leads

Expansion Leads let you purchase qualified leads that match most, but not all, of your targeting criteria. They become available when a software buyer matches the targeting criteria of fewer than five products, and you can purchase them only within seven days of qualification with the software advisor.

The Expansion Leads page shows the lead's price and how many of the up to five available spots remain.

After you purchase an Expansion Lead:

• View its full details, including the buyer's contact information, in the Verified Leads table.
• It's emailed to all Verified Leads recipients you've set up (see Add users to receive lead notifications above).
• If you have a CRM integration enabled, it automatically populates in your CRM.
• The buyer receives your website and sales phone number, and an email notifying them that you'll call.

Billing & Refunds

Manage your billing details, access invoices, and request refunds for your Verified Leads campaign from your my.G2 account.

Update your billing information

1. In your my.G2 account, select your avatar in the upper-right corner > Payments & Billing History.
2. In the Verified Leads panel, select View details.
3. Under Verified Leads Payment Information, select Edit next to Payment Method, then update your payment method.

View and download your invoices

1. In your my.G2 account, select your avatar in the upper-right corner > Payments & Billing History.
2. In the Verified Leads panel, select View details.
3. Under Verified Leads Billing History, select Download CSV or Download PDF to download your billing history, or select a statement in the Activity column to view its details.

Request a refund

In certain cases, you may be eligible for a refund on a qualified lead. To request one, go to Verified Leads > Refunds & Support in your my.G2 account and fill out the form on the page. Refer to the Verified Leads Refund Policy and Refund Deadline sections on the same page for full eligibility details.

If no leads are eligible for a refund, the page tells you there are no current leads or the date to request a refund has passed.