Per Inquiry Advertising is where the client pays for the response generated from media after it has ran instead of paying in advance for the media.

This may sound almost too good to be true to someone who may not have the funds available to run a media schedule and take the risk of media nor performing. 

There is a lot more to Per Inquiry than just throwing a spot or infomercial at a bunch of stations and hoping they will run it on a PI basis.

A creative (spot or infomercial) needs to be done professionally.  You get what you pay for and this is not the time to hire your next door neighbor's high school kid.  You need a qualified professional who can create the spot or infomercial and ensure it will be acceptable not only to the FTC but also to the station.  We have a list of qualified professionals who know exactly what is needed for PI creatives.  Our clients have access to our production contacts if needed.

A call center is needed.  Again, this is where professional is a must.  You cannot answer the calls yourself nor hire a cut rate group.  The call center must be staffed to handle call volume, open 24/7 - even on holidays, and provide quality reporting daily.  We have call center contacts and call center consultants available to help clients determine which call center is the best fit for their needs.

The client will also need dubs (tapes) for the PI stations as well as toll free numbers to be placed on the dubs.  We go over this subject with clients when discussing PI set up with them.

Stations expect to be paid per call or per lead.  Occasionally our network of stations will accept  a campaign on a per order basis.  This is not for service creatives such as loan mod, tax help etc. but for actual products that are sold such as work out equipment, books, supplements and products such as these.

Stations are looking for creatives that will pull a response.  PI is not, ever, a place to test a spot so one can save the money on a paid test.

Stations are not looking for partnerships or other unique payment options - they are looking for creatives that pull response and timely payments each week for the results.  They also prefer to work with professionals who know and understand the PI arena and what is required to participate in per inquiry openings.


If you have a product or service that you would like to see is acceptable for our PI station network please contact us via info@omgconsultants.com