Insurance agents who sell annuities, IULs, Medicare, infinite banking or other services, face the same challenge: how do you consistently get high-quality insurance leads and booked appointments without wasting time and money?
For years, agents have turned to buying leads… but most end up frustrated. Low contact rates, sky-high costs, and zero control over your pipeline.
So is there a better option?
Yes.
After helping hundreds of clients get qualified appointments predictably each month, in this guide, I’ll show you exactly which lead generation strategies work best specifically for insurance agents.
👉 Want to see exactly how we help agents build predictable lead systems? Watch my free masterclass training here or Schedule a call if you want us to build it for you.
Buying Leads vs. Building Your Own System
When it comes to getting insurance leads, you really only have two options:
Option 1: Buy leads
- ✅ Quick to start (just place an order).
- ❌ Expensive (you pay 10x what it costs the lead company).
- ❌ Poor contact rates (often 1 in 10 leads actually pick up).
- ❌ No control (lead providers can cut you off or raise prices).
Option 2: Generate your own leads
- ✅ Lower cost per lead (direct from the source).
✅ Higher quality (prospects book with you instead of chasing). - ✅ Full control (your asset, scalable on demand).
- ❌ Takes longer to set up (usually ~30 days if done right).
Both options come with pros and cons. The key is knowing which one fits your goals — and why many agents eventually move away from buying leads to focus on building their own system.
👉 Want a system you own? Watch my free masterclass to see how Skyline Social helps insurance agents build their own lead machines.
✅ Why Insurance Agents Prefer Generating Their Own Leads
The second option — and the one most successful insurance agents eventually choose — is to generate your own leads.
It does take a little more effort upfront. Typically, it takes about 30 days to get a system up and running (sometimes longer if you try to do it all yourself). There may also be a one-time investment to set it up properly.
But the benefits far outweigh the cons:
- Lower cost per lead. Instead of paying $200–$300 per purchased lead, you pay the true cost from ads — often $15–$40.
- Higher quality appointments. With the right funnel, prospects don’t just fill out a form. They watch a short video that explains who you are and how you can help. If they like what they see, they schedule a call with you. No chasing required.
- Predictable control. You decide how many leads you want each month. Increase your ad spend for more appointments, or pause the system when you’re busy. You own the pipeline.
- Better long-term ROI. While setup takes time, most agents save thousands per month by cutting out lead vendors and running their own marketing system.
This is why the top-performing insurance agents today are moving away from buying leads.
They know: if you don’t control your pipeline, you don’t control your business.
👉 Want to see how this works in practice? Watch my free masterclass training here.
📅 Ready to skip the guesswork and get your own lead generation system built? Schedule a call with Skyline Social here.
💻 How to build your own insurance sales funnel
The key difference between buying leads and generating your own is automation. Instead of chasing leads to work with you, you can have a sales funnel that pre-qualifies leads and gets them to book directly in your calendar.
The funnel our insurance clients use is called an “automated appointment funnel”.
Here’s how it works:
- Opt-in Page → Simple page with a compelling hook.
- Video Sales Letter (VSL) → A 5–15 min video that explains how you help and why you’re different.
- Application Form → Collect info so only serious prospects move forward.
- Calendar Booking → Prospects pick a time that works for them.
- Confirmation Page → Reinforce value, share resources, and boost show-up rates.
Think of the VSL as your best salesperson working 24/7. This is how agents get leads booking themselves — not just filling a form you have to chase.
So, once you’ve built your own system, how do you actually advertise it to generate leads?
🚀 Run Ads That Target the Right Prospects
The fastest way to generate insurance leads is by running ads. With ads, you’re paying to get in front of the exact type of people you want to work with — instead of waiting around for referrals or wasting time on cold outreach.
We’ve tested dozens of channels, and for insurance agents two consistently win:
- Meta Ads (Facebook + Instagram)
- TikTok Ads
Both can work extremely well. Some agents see better results on Meta, others on TikTok. The key is to test both and see which delivers the best cost per lead and appointment for your business.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Budget matters. The minimum starting budget we recommend is around $1,500/month, though $2,000–$3,000/month is better for faster results.
- Messaging beats targeting. With recent changes, you can’t always filter by age or income like before. That’s why your ad copy and landing page messaging need to do the heavy lifting to attract the right prospects (e.g., pre-retirees with $250K+ in assets).
- Think quality over quantity. Don’t just aim for cheap leads — focus on generating leads that actually convert into appointments and clients.
👉 Want to see how we can help you run ads that bring in qualified insurance leads? Watch my free masterclass training here.
📅 Ready to launch ads that actually deliver appointments? Schedule a call with Skyline Social here.
But ads alone won’t cut it. Sending people to your website or a generic form just creates tire-kicker leads. That’s why you need a funnel…
👨💻 Content Marketing That Compounds Over Time
Ads are great for speed, but content marketing builds long-term trust and authority. The best platform for insurance agents right now is YouTube.
Here’s why YouTube works so well:
- Evergreen exposure. Videos rank in both Google and YouTube search results, and they keep getting views long after you hit publish.
- Free traffic. Instead of paying for clicks, YouTube pushes your videos to your target audience — and even pays you once your channel grows.
- Builds trust fast. Helpful videos show prospects you understand their problems and have real solutions.
The best-performing content is simple and helpful:
- Answer questions your clients are already asking (e.g., “What’s the best annuity for retirement income?”).
- Create videos around problems your prospects are trying to solve (e.g., “How to avoid taxes on retirement income”).
- Always include a call to action in your videos, telling viewers what to do next (watch your VSL, schedule a call, etc.).
💡 Pro Tip: Agents who combine ads and content get the best results. If someone sees your ad and then finds your YouTube channel, they’ll trust you more and convert faster. Likewise, people who first discover you on YouTube are more likely to click on your ads when they see them.
👉 Want to see how we can help you grow with YouTube content? Watch my free masterclass training here.
📅 Ready to launch a content strategy that builds leads and trust at the same time? Schedule a call with Skyline Social here.
📧 Automated Follow-Up That Converts More Leads
Not every lead is going to book an appointment right away. In fact, most won’t. That’s why having an automated follow-up system is essential.
Here’s what effective follow-up looks like:
- Email nurture sequences that provide helpful tips, case studies, and reminders.
- SMS/text reminders that keep you top of mind and increase show-up rates.
- Retargeting ads so leads see you across multiple channels, not just once.
The goal isn’t to pressure prospects — it’s to stay present until they’re ready. When you do this right, leads who didn’t book on day one will come back weeks or even months later and schedule a call with you.
💡 Pro Tip: The longer you consistently follow up with leads, the more conversions you get over time. Most agents give up too soon.
👉 Want to see how we can help you set up automated follow-up that works while you sleep? Watch my free masterclass training here.
📅 Ready to put follow-up on autopilot so no lead slips through the cracks? Schedule a call with Skyline Social here.
🔄 Putting It All Together With Skyline Social
The best insurance lead generation strategy isn’t just about one channel. It’s about combining everything into a system that works together:
- 🚀 Ads bring in fast, consistent traffic.
- 🎬 Content builds long-term trust and authority.
- 💻 A VSL funnel pre-qualifies leads and books appointments automatically.
- 📧 Automated follow-up converts the leads who don’t book right away.
When all four pieces are working together, you create a predictable pipeline of leads and appointments that you fully own and control. No middlemen. No chasing. No guesswork.
That’s exactly what we help insurance agents set up at Skyline Social. And we back it with a guarantee: if you don’t start generating appointments after your campaign launches, we’ll keep working with you for free until you do.
👉 Want to see how the whole system works in action? Watch my free masterclass training here.
📅 Ready to get your own lead generation system built for you? Schedule a call with Skyline Social here.
💡 FAQs About Insurance Lead Generation
The best lead source isn’t buying lists or waiting for referrals — it’s generating your own leads through ads and content, directed into a VSL funnel. This gives you exclusive, higher-quality leads that convert into appointments instead of wasting time chasing cold contacts.
No — not most of the time. While buying leads can seem quick and easy, they’re often resold to multiple agents, overpriced, and have poor contact rates. You usually spend more time chasing them than closing them. That’s why most agents eventually move to generating their own exclusive leads instead.
Most agents start with a budget of $1,500–$3,000 per month. The key is testing until you find your average cost per lead and cost per appointment. Once you know your numbers, you can scale up with confidence, knowing exactly how much to spend to hit your client goals.
Yes — but it’s a long-term strategy. YouTube videos and other helpful content build authority and trust over time. When paired with ads, content accelerates conversions because prospects see you as credible before they ever book a call.
If you’re running ads, you can often start generating leads within days and appointments within the first few weeks. Content takes longer to build momentum, but once it does, it compounds over time and brings in free, ongoing leads.
Yes — Skyline Social specializes in helping insurance agents generate exclusive, high-quality leads through ads, content, funnels, and automation. Instead of buying overpriced, shared leads, Skyline Social helps you build your own predictable system that consistently books appointments with qualified prospects.
Most lead providers sell the same prospects to multiple agents, which leads to high costs and low conversion rates. Skyline Social is different because we don’t sell you leads — we help you create a system you own. This means you get exclusive leads, better appointments, and a marketing asset you can scale or pause anytime.
The best system is one you own and control. Skyline Social helps agents set up a complete marketing system that combines ads, YouTube content, a VSL funnel, and automated follow-up. This approach consistently delivers 10–30+ appointments per month without having to buy shared leads or cold call.
Ashley Davis (or ‘Ash’ for short) is the CEO & Founder of Skyline Social. For over 15 years, Ash has been helping business owners get high-quality leads, appointments, and clients each month. He has extensive experience working with B2B & B2C industries in finance, insurance, marketing, sales and beyond. Learn more about the author here.
