Matched Leads generated via the Software Recommendations Quiz get matched with vendors based on the following priority until a lead is connected with a maximum of 5 potential vendors.
First by vendors with a trustworthy profile
Then by vendors with Instant Connect Lead Targeting enabled for the segment (and a sufficient balance of lead credit to be able to accept the lead via IC)
Then by Premium Members
Then by organic reputation (HT Score/rank in the category)
1st Layer Prioritization: Vendors with a Product that has a trustworthy profile in the category
Vendors who have a trustworthy profile with at least 25-reviews
Any vendors who don't have a trustworthy profile are immediately excluded/omitted from matched leads entirely. If there are >5 potential matches with a trustworthy profile, the prioritization algorithm continues to #2 below Learn more
2nd Layer Prioritization: Instant Connect Lead Targeting + Balance to Accept
If there are more than five vendors who have a trustworthy profile, the algorithm prioritizes vendors who have Instant Connect Lead Targeting enabled for the respective segment because in doing so they have told the application that this lead is a good fit for their business.
Note: Only vendors who have a balance on their account sufficient to be able to accept the respective lead are able to get priority access. If you have IC enabled for a segment but don't have credits on your account you get passed over to the next layer of priority since you weren't able to accept the lead via Instant Connect Learn how auto top-up works
3rd Layer Prioritization: Premium Members
If there are more than five vendors with a trustworthy profile and who have instant connect lead targeting enabled for the lead's respective segment (and who have sufficient balance to be able to accept the lead), the next layer of prioritization goes to Premium Members who get first access to these leads.
4th Layer Prioritization: Organic Rank & Reputation
If there are more than five vendors who match all of the above criteria:
They have a trustworthy profile.
They have instant connect lead targeting enabled for the lead segment.
They have sufficient credit balance to accept the lead and their premium members.
The algorithm will then prioritize those companies based on the reputation and organic ranking of the product in that category based on HT Score.
FAQs
Q: How do I avoid being passed over for a matched lead because of a low balance?
A: Keep a credit card on file (ideally with a backup card too) and keep Lead Targeting on. Auto top-up then keeps your lead credit balance above $500, so you always have enough credit to accept matched leads via Instant Connect. The only exception is when you've reached your monthly Spend Cap, which you can raise anytime in Leads > Billing > Payment Preferences.