Overview
In our previous article, we walked through manually adding a lead to test your delivery setup. Now you might be wondering: How do I test the ingestion part of the process? After all, leads won't typically come from someone clicking "Add" in your LeadExec interface; they'll come through your Lead Source via an automated web post.
Creating a lead through Postman (or a similar API testing tool) is an excellent way to simulate how leads will actually enter your system through a standard web post. This approach helps you:
Visualize exactly how lead data flows into LeadExec
Spot data formatting errors before they become problems
Verify that your Campaign criteria work as expected
Catch issues that might cause leads to be rejected or marked invalid
Understand what your lead sources will experience when they send you traffic
Let's walk through the process using Postman. Don't worry if you're new to API tools; we'll walk you through it step by step.
Why Postman?
Postman is a free, user-friendly API testing tool that lets you send HTTP requests and see responses in a clean interface. It's widely used by developers and non-developers alike, and it's perfect for this kind of testing.
If you prefer another tool (such as Insomnia, cURL, or even a browser extension), the same principles apply; just adapt the steps to your tool of choice.
Step-by-Step: Testing Lead Ingestion with Postman
Step 1: Set Up Postman
If you haven't already:
Download the Postman desktop app from postman.com and create a free user account.
Alternatively, you can use the web browser version if you prefer not to install software.
Step 2: Create a New Collection and Request
In Postman, go to the left-hand menu and click Collections.
Click Create a new collection and give it a name (e.g., "LeadExec Testing").
Within your new collection, click Add a request.
Name your request something descriptive (e.g., "Test Lead - Mortgage").
Change the HTTP method from the default
GETtoPOSTusing the dropdown next to the URL bar.
Name your Collection, then click on Add a request.
Step 3: Get Your Posting Instructions from LeadExec
Now we need the destination URL and the data format your Campaign expects.
In LeadExec, navigate to Inbound > Campaigns using the left-hand menu.
Find and select the Campaign you want to test.
In the upper toolbar, click the Posting Instructions button.
A pop-up window will appear with a full set of posting instructions, including the URL endpoint and data structure.
A quick note on endpoints:
LeadExec offers two basic ingestion URL endpoints:
v1 endpoint: Standard URL for direct posting (simpler, no additional authentication) → For more information, visit our v1 Lead Receiver Documentation page
v2 endpoint: URL that requires API authentication for increased security → Fore more information, visit our v2 Lead Receiver Documentation Page
For this test, we'll use the v1 endpoint and JSON format. You can toggle between JSON and XML in the posting instructions pop-up; choose whichever your eventual lead sources will use.
Step 4: Configure Your Postman Request
Copy the URL endpoint from the posting instructions and paste it into Postman's URL bar.
In Postman, go to the Body tab (just below the URL bar).
Select the raw radio button.
From the dropdown that appears (it usually says "Text" by default), select JSON.
Now, copy the example JSON structure from LeadExec's posting instructions and paste it into the Body text area in Postman.
Step 5: Customize Your Test Data
You'll see a JSON structure with field names and empty placeholder values.
Important fields to note:
noSellfield: This controls whether the lead will move through delivery automation.Set to
trueto prevent delivery (just test ingestion)Set to
falseto allow the lead to be processed and delivered automatically (test the full flow)
Filling in test values:
You have a couple of options:
Enter specific test values manually for each field (e.g., "John" for firstName, "555-1234" for phone).
Use Postman's dynamic variables to generate random data. For example:
{{$randomFirstName}}generates a random first name{{$randomLastName}}generates a random last name{{$randomEmail}}generates a random email address{{$randomPhoneNumber}}generates a random phone number
This is particularly useful if you'll be testing multiple times and want to avoid duplicate detection.
Critical reminder: Any fields marked as Required in your Lead Type must have values. If a required field is missing or empty, the lead will be rejected at ingestion.
Step 6: Send the Request
Once your test data is ready, click the blue Send button in Postman.
Within a few instants, you'll receive a response from the LeadExec receiver in the lower panel of Postman.
Step 7: Interpret the Response
The response will tell you what happened with your test lead:
Example of a successful ingestion:
This means your lead was successfully ingested. The LeadIdentifier is the unique identifier (UID) assigned to this lead in LeadExec; make a note of it if you want to look it up later.
Example of an invalid lead:
If you receive an error response, read it carefully. It will tell you exactly what went wrong: maybe a required field was missing, a field had the wrong data type (such as in the example screenshot), or a validation rule was triggered. This is valuable intel for fixing your setup before going live.
Reviewing Your Test Lead in LeadExec
Now that you've sent a test lead, head back to LeadExec and navigate to the All Leads view (as we covered in the previous article).
Find your newly created lead (sort by date or search for the lead ID if you noted it).
Check the Status column to confirm the lead was accepted.
Verify that all field values came through correctly, especially if you used dynamic variables, and confirm that the data format matches your expectations.
If you set noSell to false, you may want to test the automation process and review the delivery results as we discussed in Part 1.
Wrapping Up
And that's it! You now know how to send a test lead into your LeadExec account using Postman.
This simulates the real-world ingestion process and helps you catch any issues before you start receiving live traffic.
If you're using a different API testing tool, the process will be similar: create a POST request with the appropriate URL, headers (if needed), and a JSON or XML body that matches your posting instructions. Please refer to your tool's documentation if needed.
You're now ready to test with confidence. Whether you're manually adding leads or simulating real ingestion, you have the tools to verify every part of your setup.
Next Steps
Fine-tune your configuration based on any issues you discovered during testing.
Repeat the process with different lead types and scenarios until you're confident everything works.
Share the posting instructions with your lead sources when you're ready to go live.
Feel free to explore our other knowledge articles for more advanced configurations, and remember: our Customer Success Team is always here if you need help interpreting test results or troubleshooting any issues. We're excited to help you make the most of your LeadExec account!
We're excited to help you make the most of your Starter LeadExec account; we appreciate your preference, and wish you off to a great start!
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