Adfly appears to be just another URL shortener like TinyURL or Bitly to the untrained eye, but that is its genius. By utilizing it to shorten links on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter, etc you get paid in addition to shorting your URL. If you’re not familiar with URL shorteners, you just enter the link you desire to share.
For example, a long URL like mysite.net/looking-for-a-site-like-swagbucks-open-to-international-users then becomes some like adf.ly/1NIvth which is much shorter! This is great, particularly for sites like Twitter that have character limits. Of course, it’s even handier when you get rewarded for sharing a link you were going to share anyway. It does take a little getting used to because it’s easy to forget to share links using Adfly but once you’ve been doing it for a little while it’s a habit.
However, there are always risks involved when sharing links like this. Some of your Twitter followers might not care, but some Redditors may since they reject advertising. People will often share their referral links and a link without their referral code when discussing sites like Swagbucks on Reddit to give people the option as to which one they wish to use. You might also get away with doing that with Adfly. Give both forms a link. People who appreciate your information may choose to click your Adfly link. Either way, it’s something to be aware of, especially if you’re using interstitial ads.
Interstitial ads appear as full-page ads with a countdown timer before the content is presented to you. Forbes makes use of these on occasion before showing you the content you want to see. Normally they last about 5 seconds before you can click “Skip.” That’s essentially how Adfly’s interstitial ads operate as well. They pay very well so they are worth using, but if you prefer you can choose a framed banner instead. Framed banners merely show an ad at the top of the page above the content you’re linking to. They don’t pay as well, but some people favor these because they don’t make you wait. You’re going to have to test them out to discover what your audience will tolerate.
Sign Up Difficulty: Easy
Time Spent Daily: A few seconds every time you share a link
Payout Method: PayPal
Minimum Payout Threshold: Paid monthly once you’ve reached $5 or more
Points for Referrals: 20% of referral’s earnings
Tasks: Sharing links
Tip: Don’t forget to use Adfly on Twitter and Facebook when you’re sharing links.
Pros
- It’s simply a URL shortener that you may already be using.
- Only takes a few extra seconds to share a link through Adfly
- You can choose between interstitial ads (meaning you wait to get to the content) or framed ads (there’s an ad above the content)
- You can make even shorter URLs by choosing a domain like j.gs instead of adf.ly
Cons
- Interstitial ads (meaning you have to wait to see the content) can be annoying, but payout better
- You need to know a lot of people or have an audience that might click your links to earn
Conclusion
Adfly is a really easy way to earn money online because it doesn’t take a lot of extra time or energy. Of course, it helps if you have a blog, popular Twitter page, or forums you frequent. People need to click on your ads for you to earn money. But if you’re using GPT sites like Swagbucks to earn money you may have some free time already. Why not use that time to start a blog about something you’re interested in and share links with your audience? It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme, but it’s something that works well enough that lots of people are doing it.