Don't know much about the mechanics of lead gen and the whole field seems to filled with snake oil salesmen and seos and is generally sleazy. Looking for a good resource(s) that lays out the ins and outs, the pitfalls, overviews the networks etc...
Anyone have any suggestions?
Can't think of any great published resources off the top of my head, but here is some general advice:
1) Make contact with a real person at the networks you source your lead generation offers from (you mentioned network in your post, so I assume that is your plan). Many people just sign up for a commission junction, linkshare, etc. account and never actually talk or exchange emails with a real person. The benefit of contacting someone is that they can typically pay you more right out of the gate if you ask. Also, these network reps are used to seeing very low quality sites. So, if you have a high quality web app they will typically get excited about the opportunity to partner with you. This is obviously good for your revenue prospects. Bypassing the networks altogether and trying to go advertiser direct is even better, since you are cutting out the middle man in most cases. But, this isn't always possible with limited resources, etc.
2) Lead gen works best when it is heavily integrated and niche focused. Try to find offers that solve a problem related to why people use your web app in the first place.
3) Let the metrics be your guide. Test lots of different lead gen offers, offer placement in your app flow etc.
Feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions I can help out with. My email is in my profile.