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The mechanismKeyator is one link in your bio — the links you already share. The difference is what happens on each tap: a real-time second-price auction where funded brands bid for one small, native slot. The winner pays one increment above the runner-up. You keep 80% of the cleared price, paid weekly. No promises — just the mechanism, explained.
A visitor opens keyator.ai/your-handle and taps through to one of your destinations. That tap is the moment inventory is created — one native ad slot, once.
In milliseconds, Keyator collects sealed bids from brands whose campaigns are funded and relevant to your audience and niche. Bids below the reserve floor are ignored.
The highest bid wins the slot but pays only one increment above the runner-up — never more than that brand's max, never below the floor. That amount is the cleared price.
The winning ad appears in a single, native slot. Your own links and content stay first. If no bid clears the floor, no ad shows and nothing is charged.
You keep 80% of the cleared price. Invalid or duplicate taps are filtered out before anything is billed, so brands pay for real attention and your earnings reflect real demand.
Earnings settle to your balance and pay out weekly once you clear the minimum. The split is fixed and set in-product — the auction sets the price, not a salesperson.
A second-price (Vickrey) auction is the rare mechanism where both sides can act honestly and still come out ahead.
Because the winner pays just above the runner-up, brands are free to bid their real maximum. That pushes the clearing price up to what your traffic is genuinely worth — not a rate you had to negotiate or guess.
Bidding your true value is the optimal strategy in a second-price auction — you win at one increment above the next brand, never your full max. You buy real, validated taps at a fair clearing price, with one relevant slot instead of a cluttered page.
Highest bid wins; winner pays one increment above the second-highest bid. Honest bidding is the best strategy for everyone.
The minimum a tap can clear at. It protects the value of your traffic — bids below it simply don't win.
What the tap actually sells for. You keep 80% of it; Keyator's 20% fee is charged on the brand side.
A sealed-bid auction where the highest bidder wins but pays only one increment above the second-highest bid. It lets brands bid their true value without overpaying, and it means you earn the real market-clearing price for each tap.
You keep 80% of the cleared price of each validated tap. Keyator takes a 20% fee on the brand side — there's no subscription or fee to you. Earnings pay out weekly once you clear the minimum.
If no funded, relevant bid clears the reserve floor, no ad is shown and nothing is charged. Your own links and content always come first.
No. Earnings depend on real, validated tap volume and live brand demand in your niche. We show you the mechanism honestly and never promise a figure.
Linktree hosts your links (and you pay for its premium tiers). Keyator hosts your links and pays you: brands bid live for one native slot and you keep 80% of the cleared price. See the full Keyator vs Linktree comparison.
Keyator is operated by Fini LLC (Delaware, USA). This page explains the auction mechanism; it is not financial advice and not an income guarantee.
Free for creators. Claim your handle, add your links, and let the auction do the rest.