Can you really make money watching YouTube videos? Videos with thousands of likes promise exactly that: take a viral video, share it with a special “paid” link shortener, and collect dollars from every click. I tried one of these methods myself. It didn’t just fail to pay; the shortener never even sent visitors to the page I’d linked. Here’s what happened and how to spot this kind of scheme.
The Method the Video Promised
The creator claimed to have earned money with a simple routine:
- Find a viral YouTube video.
- Shorten its link with a “paid URL shortener” (he recommended shrinkme.io), which supposedly pays you when people click.
- Share the short link on Pinterest and social media.
- Collect earnings from every click.
The video had around 20,000 likes and hundreds of comments, so it looked trustworthy.
What Happened When I Tried It
I shortened a link to one of my own sites using the recommended service and tested it. Instead of reaching my site, the short link never redirected to the URL I had shortened. Here are the screenshots from my test:
A link that never reaches its destination is useless to anyone who clicks it, and people who share it will quickly be seen as spammers.
Why These “Watch and Earn” Methods Don’t Work
- Paid link shorteners show ads before redirecting. Payouts are tiny (often fractions of a cent per click), many platforms block these links as spam, and some services don’t redirect properly at all.
- Sharing other people’s videos for profit can break copyright rules and platform terms; see posting other people’s content safely.
- “Get paid to watch YouTube” sites usually pay very little, require huge minimums before cash-out, or never pay.
- The real money in many of these videos comes from views, ad revenue and affiliate links in the creator’s own description, not from the method they teach.
Red Flags in Make-Money YouTube Videos
- Specific dollar amounts with no proof beyond a screenshot
- “No skills, no money, no work” promises
- Links to unknown sites that require sign-up before you see how they work
- Comment sections full of copy-paste praise
- Methods based on spamming links on social platforms
More warnings from my experience: scams and rip-offs in online marketing and my Buyer Click System test.
What Actually Works Instead
- Create your own content: even simple faceless videos can earn through affiliate links. See Amazon affiliate marketing on YouTube.
- Learn a real skill and offer it as a service: simple writing jobs.
- Build an email list so you own your audience: my free guide The $0 Funnel.
- Use legitimate sites: legit websites to make money online for free.
FAQ
Can you make money just watching YouTube videos?
Not in any meaningful way. Sites that pay for watching usually pay pennies, and many never pay at all.
Are paid URL shorteners legit?
Some pay small amounts, but payouts are tiny, they’re widely blocked as spam, and the one I tested didn’t even redirect.
How do I check a money-making video?
Search the method name plus “scam” or “review”, look for independent results, and test with nothing to lose before investing time or money.
