How to earn more with these 5 underrated traffic sources

Every affiliate has their favorite traffic sources. Some rely on Facebook, others focus on TikTok or Google Ads. However, these "classic" methods may no longer bring the same results: CPMs are increasing, competition is tightening, and ROI continues to decline. Does that sound familiar?

Hi there! I’m Iryna, an affiliate manager at Resality. Over the years in this industry, I’ve seen countless funnels, creatives, and campaigns. And some of the juiciest results often come from the places nobody expects. Today, I want to share five underrated traffic sources that are often overlooked — all tested by our affiliates or our in-house team.

Let’s break down their key benefits and how you can start earning real money with them.

Our core expertise at Resality is dating, so all the insights below come from real experience in this niche.

Telegram Ads: bots, channels, and your audience on a smartphone​

My partners have been actively testing Telegram for the last few years. For some, it's direct purchases in niche channels; for others, it's entire bot networks with auto-funnels. And believe me: if the approach is right, the result is no worse than from any large platform. This is one of the few traffic sources where there's still room to maneuver: low CPM, loyal audience, almost zero moderation.

Let's start with the simplest — bots. You launch ads to a Telegram bot that simulates "live" interaction: asking questions, answering, conducting a dialogue, and at some point, directing the user to a pre-lander. This works best in tandem with auto-replies, basic logic, and geos with cheap traffic — for example, Tier-2: Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Romania, Malaysia.

Another option is direct buying in channels. This is less automated but gives full control. Look for channels where your target audience already is — for example, interest communities, humor publics, entertainment pages. The creative can be text with a banner or a native post in the channel's style.

Our smartlinks integrate perfectly into a bot or post and look native. But the main advantage is in the flexible redirect logic: the user goes not just to an offer, but to a variant that best suits their geo, OS, and conversion behavior. I have a partner with Telegram traffic who got +20% CR compared to direct offers because the system doesn't drain traffic to "dead-end" pages.

Here's why Telegram, as a channel, should not be dismissed:

• an audience with high engagement in CIS countries, Europe (France, Italy show great results), and Asia;
• low competition at the buying level — cheaper CPC and CPM;
• flexible formats: text, banners, video, reactions;
• interest-based targeting through thematic channels;
• possibility of bot integration for automation and personalization.

If you are looking for a new direction for scaling, it's worth trying at least one test campaign. Often, it's from such experiments that a new stage of growth begins.

YouTube Shorts: videos that go viral on their own​

If you've ever tried TikTok for promotion but were stopped by moderation or quick bans, pay attention to YouTube Shorts. These are short videos, up to 60 seconds, that can gather tens of thousands of views without any promotion budget. It works just as well as TikTok, but on a much more stable platform.

In this format, topics like relationships, psychology, and personal stories perform well. The content can be incredibly simple: voiceovers, stock footage, subtitles, or a text "hook" in the first 3 seconds. All of this can be done manually or generated automatically—there are plenty of tools for it today.

The most common setup looks like this: a short video → a link in the comments or description → a pre-lander/lander. Depending on the niche, you can vary the presentation—an emotional story, a provocative question, or a trending scenario.

What's the Potential Here?

• Thanks to trending audio or recognizable visual styles, the Shorts algorithm actively promotes new content, even from scratch.
• A very active audience—young people accustomed to consuming information in a fast format.
• Competition in the dating niche is still low, and conversion is stable.
• Easy to scale—you can quickly launch dozens of videos per day.

As you can see, Shorts is about traffic with minimal attention. Users click by inertia, often without finishing the description. That's why it's crucial for the landing page to be extremely fast, device-adapted, and engaging. Based on my partners' experience, direct linking to a single offer often doesn't work. We've observed that our smartlink technology, by automatically performing A/B-splits, offers a better chance of conversion, even from an inattentive click.

One of my partners, whose statistics you can see below, has already earned $4,500 using this method. You'll agree it looks like a decent additional income with minimal costs



So, YouTube Shorts is a free way to tap into organic traffic that hasn't been overheated by advertisers or algorithms yet, so hurry up and jump on this train.

Unity Ads: in-game videos that users click "just out of curiosity"​

Unity Ads is in-game mobile advertising. It looks like a short video or banner that appears between levels or when receiving bonuses. If you haven't had experience with this source yet, it's time to take a closer look.

The mechanics are simple: a short video with an intriguing teaser is shown, for example, a woman's profile with a call-to-action like "make the first move." Then the user goes to a pre-lander or landing page. In the right geo, this can convert no worse than classic social media.

I looked at the statistics and can say that this format gives the best results in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. These are countries with a large share of Android users and cheap mobile traffic.

They have a low attention threshold but a very high level of engagement. They click out of curiosity, and this gives a high CTR at a low CPC.

Technically, you can work in two ways:

• via DSP (if you have direct access or work through a network);
• through affiliate networks that already have integration with Unity Ads.

Anyway, the main thing is the right creative. If you hit the audience's interests, the conversion will pleasantly surprise you.

Unity Ads is effective if you work smartly:

• high CTR due to interactive in-game format;
• mobile audience covers millions of active users;
• flexible formats – video, banners, native integration;
• ability to target by interests, like in social networks;
• ads naturally fit into the gaming environment.

And here it will sound like an advertising insert again, but, frankly, a smartlink fits perfectly. You only have a few seconds to capture the user's attention, and it's obvious that the most relevant offer by geo, device, and OS will be very appropriate for maximum CR to lead.

Threads by Instagram: low on ads, high on engagement​

Threads emerged not long ago but has already managed to gather a rather active audience. The Instagram integration works especially well here: users shift organically, trust is high, and there's almost no competition among affiliates.

You create an account for a fan page or a niche—for example, a profile from the perspective of "a girl who tells stories," or a thematic page with tips/stories. Then, you create posts that look like regular discussions. For instance: "Who has tried online dating—does it work?" or "I met him on..." All of this leads the user to a pre-lander via a link in the bio or in the comments.

To get into recommendations, you use relevant tags, engage with trending topics, and simply comment. This method works especially well for an audience aged 18–30, who are already used to Instagram and perceive personal stories as part of daily communication.

Advantages of This Approach:

• The Threads audience actively communicates, often clicks on links, and interacts with content.
• Most partners are not yet working with this platform, so the cost of acquisition is lower.
• The personalized post format looks natural and builds trust.
• Instagram integration allows you to leverage collected interests and reach.
• Content is easy to create manually or adapt from other platforms.

Threads is a fresh, not yet spammed environment. It's a source with no significant investment, looking like a great place for organic traffic. But remember, the audience there isn't very accustomed to advertising, and you don't have good targeting options, so choose the best solutions for monetizing this type of traffic. I've seen "whales" drive great volumes from X (formerly Twitter), and it seems obvious to me that Threads shouldn't be written off. Act now!

PWA Apps: web apps that bypass blocks​

Imagine this: a user lands on a website, gets a "add to home screen" prompt, and in just a second – it's like there's a new app on their phone. But it's not a real app from Google Play. It's a PWA – a lightweight web application that looks "native" but works directly from the browser. And the best part – no checks or moderation.

This is an ideal option for my partners who want to bypass typical store restrictions and avoid dependency on App Store or Google policies. The user clicks and is already in the "app."

In this setup, it works like this: the PWA is styled as a hypothetical "dating app" or a communication platform, and after the first interaction, it leads the user to a smartlink. This allows for a unnoticeable increase in time on page, CTR, and conversion – especially on Android devices.

Looking at our internal statistics, we can highlight the following geos where this approach works best – Tier-1 and Tier-2. In the USA, Canada, the UK, and Romania, PWAs show good stability and returns.

So here's why the format is so appealing:

• No need to go through moderation on Google Play or the App Store – you have full control over the launch.
• The user installs the "app" in two clicks, without unnecessary permissions or waiting.
• Fast loading reduces bounce rates in the first seconds.
• Push notifications allow you to re-engage users and re-monetize (better ROI for the advertiser, higher payouts, better EPC, more $$$).
• You can use the same PWA for different offers, only changing the link in the backend.

In my opinion, PWA is a great tool, but it requires precise routing. Here's a real-life example: since our smartlink allows you to change the logic after PWA installation – change the offer, change the redirect after a step, add a pre-lander, or replace the offer page or funnel without restarting the entire flow – you can scale even when traffic starts getting filtered. Direct-linking doesn't offer this. While everyone else ignores this method, my partner has already earned $32,000 by running our smartlink through FB ads to a PWA. Yes, there are sometimes difficulties with accounts and moderation, but "the result is there." Feel free to look at their achievements.



Perhaps I haven't revealed anything groundbreaking here, but often we don't see what's right under our noses. Telegram, Unity Ads, Threads, YouTube Shorts, and PWA are not magic buttons. These are tools that are currently "off the radar" for the mass market. And that means lower bids, greater flexibility, and a real chance to be first in.

If you feel that classic sources are no longer yielding ROI, it's time to move on. New formats are always a risk, but also always a chance to break ahead. Test, adapt, scale – and don't be afraid to try what others haven't yet.

Join Resality, and I'll optimize your traffic with a top-notch setup.

And be sure to share your thoughts and results in the comments; I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have.