Why Vertical Selection Matters More Than Ever
In performance marketing, vertical selection is one of the highest-leverage decisions a publisher or advertiser can make. Choose the right vertical and you're riding a tailwind of consumer demand. Choose the wrong one and you're fighting for scraps in an oversupplied, underpaying market.
At PIBP Media, we've spent years optimizing campaigns across dozens of verticals. In 2024, five consistently stand out for volume, payout quality, and buyer demand. Here's our breakdown.
1. Travel
The travel industry rebounded dramatically after 2020–2022, and it hasn't looked back. Consumer travel spending is projected to exceed $1.9 trillion globally in 2024, driven by:
- Revenge travel — Consumers making up for lost trips, booking premium experiences
- Multigenerational travel — Families booking complex multi-destination itineraries that require phone assistance
- Cruise industry growth — Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian all reporting record bookings
- Business travel recovery — Corporate travel returning to 85%+ of pre-pandemic levels
What this means for lead gen: High call volumes, long call durations (4–8 minutes), and premium per-call payouts. Airline and cruise calls in particular command some of the highest CPCs in the pay-per-call ecosystem.
2. eCommerce
eCommerce lead generation isn't about individual product sales — it's about connecting high-intent shoppers with platforms, subscription services, and DTC brands that want to acquire customers at scale.
Key drivers in 2024:
- Subscription commerce growth — Meal kits, beauty boxes, software tools all fighting for subscriber acquisition
- DTC brand expansion — Brands moving off Amazon and building owned customer relationships
- Loyalty program enrollment — Major retailers paying for qualified email/phone captures
What this means for lead gen: High lead volumes, competitive CPLs, and enormous scale potential. The buyer pool for eCommerce leads is the largest of any vertical we operate in.
3. Education
Online education had a massive pandemic-era boost, but 2024 is proving the growth was structural, not temporary. Enrollment in online degree programs, bootcamps, and professional certifications continues to rise driven by:
- Career changers — Workers in declining industries seeking upskilling
- Non-traditional students — Adults 25+ returning to education for career advancement
- Workforce development programs — Employer-sponsored education benefits driving interest
- Trade school resurgence — HVAC, electrical, plumbing certification programs seeing record applications
What this means for lead gen: Education leads have high CPLs ($20–$80 per qualified inquiry), strong buyer demand from accredited institutions, and high lifetime value for the end advertiser.
4. Home Improvement
The home improvement market is in a structurally elevated state. With homeowners locked in at low mortgage rates unwilling to sell and move, they're investing in the homes they have. The Joint Center for Housing Studies estimates $485 billion will be spent on home improvements in 2024.
Top sub-verticals:
- Kitchen and bathroom remodeling — Average project value $25,000–$75,000
- Roofing and windows — High urgency, insurance-driven demand
- Solar installation — Federal tax credit extension driving surge in inquiries
- Deck and patio — Outdoor living investment continuing post-pandemic
What this means for lead gen: These are some of the highest-ticket leads in any vertical. A single roofing or solar installation lead can command $40–$120 per qualified contact.
5. HVAC
HVAC may be the most consistently high-performing vertical in all of lead generation. Why? Because air conditioning and heating failures create genuine emergencies. No one shops around for three weeks when their AC breaks in July.
Key demand drivers:
- Aging equipment — The average US HVAC system is 15+ years old, past its typical lifespan
- Climate extremes — More frequent heat waves and polar vortex events driving emergency service calls
- Energy efficiency upgrades — Inflation Reduction Act incentives driving replacement purchases
- New construction — Residential construction boom requiring new HVAC installations
What this means for lead gen: Emergency HVAC calls convert at extremely high rates. Summer and winter peak seasons produce extraordinary volume with CPCs that can reach $75+ per qualified call.
The PIBP Media Advantage Across All Five
We don't dabble. We specialize. Our campaigns in each of these verticals have been refined through years of testing, thousands of A/B experiments, and deep relationships with buyer networks in every space.
If you're an advertiser or affiliate network looking to scale in any of these verticals, let's talk.