Lead test console

The test console lets you send a sample ping and post straight to a lead buyer before it takes live traffic. Nothing you send here touches bids, leads, reports or money. Every send is saved in a log.

Opening it

Open Lead buyers and click Test on a row, or open a lead buyer and click the test button on its page. Save your changes first, because the console tests the last saved version.

Running a test

1. Fill in the Sample lead. Use realistic values: some buyers reject example.com emails as disposable.
2. Keep Buyer test mode on for a safe test. Turning it off sends a live lead, and the console asks you to confirm with Send LIVE before it does.
3. Under 1 - Ping, click Build ping. You see the exact request. Edit it if you need to, then send it. A key shown as dots is a saved secret, filled in when the request is sent.
4. The result shows accepted or not accepted, the HTTP status, the response time, and the price. Fix the spec and repeat until the ping is accepted.
5. Under 2 - Post, click Build post. The Buyer bid id is filled from the last accepted ping, or you can paste one. Send it.
6. If the lead buyer has a direct post URL, a Direct post (no ping) panel appears too.

If you change the sample or test mode, click Build again.

Getting to ready

The top of the console shows Needs test until a test ping is accepted and a test post gets a normal reply. Then it shows Ready - this buyer takes live traffic. Changing the spec resets this.

Some buyers randomly accept or reject test posts. If that happens, use mark ready anyway, then Mark ready, to skip the post check.

The test log

Under Test log you see every run: time, stage, test or LIVE, HTTP status, accepted or not, price and who ran it. Use Copy latest ping + post (for the buyer) to paste the request and response into an email when a buyer asks for proof. Secrets are never included.

The Preview check

On the lead buyer form, Preview checks the spec for problems before you save. It reports "No problems found" when it is clean.

If the ping is rejected

Read the response in the log. A wrong field name, a missing required field, a bad date format or a test switch set the wrong way are the usual causes. See Lead buyers.