{
  "schema_version": "1.1",
  "id": "inbound-leads-cost-61-percent-less",
  "slug": "inbound-leads-cost-61-percent-less",
  "url": "https://groundedkit.com/claims/inbound-leads-cost-61-percent-less/",
  "api_url": "https://groundedkit.com/api/claims/inbound-leads-cost-61-percent-less.json",
  "claim": "Inbound leads cost 61% less than outbound leads",
  "commonly_cited_as": "\"Inbound leads cost 61% less than outbound\" (as current)",
  "verdict": "outdated",
  "verdict_definition": "Source found and quoted correctly, but old enough that the market has changed.",
  "confidence": "high",
  "rating": {
    "value": 3,
    "best": 5,
    "worst": 1
  },
  "origin": {
    "publisher": "HubSpot",
    "title": "State of Inbound Marketing (2012; earlier editions 2009-2011)",
    "year": "2012 (Jan 2012 survey)"
  },
  "quote": "the 2009 survey showed that inbound marketing dominated organizations experienced a 61% lower cost per lead",
  "method": "Self-reported surveys of marketers (2011 edition: 644 professionals; 2012 edition: 972, per an audit).",
  "drift": [
    "Date: 14+ years old",
    "Self-reported cost per lead from a vendor's audience"
  ],
  "interest": "HubSpot sells inbound-marketing software.",
  "safe_rephrasing": "HubSpot's 2009-2012 surveys of marketers reported roughly 60% lower cost per lead for inbound-dominated companies.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "HubSpot: Inbound leads cost 62% less (2011 report post)",
      "url": "https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/10172/inbound-leads-cost-62-less-than-outbound-new-data.aspx",
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "title": "ProfileTree: inbound statistics audit",
      "url": "https://profiletree.com/inbound-marketing-statistics/",
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "kind": "stat_check",
  "as_of": "2012 (Jan 2012 survey)",
  "last_checked": "2026-10-16",
  "stale": false,
  "date_reviewed": "2026-10-16",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "license_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}