The short version: No purchase required. Ship one qualifying video and you get a free lifetime license + free access to every app I ever release. You also get a personal link that pays you 50% of every sale it drives—forever, on real purchases—plus cash bonuses when a video takes off. I hand-pick creators, so reach out before you film.
What you get
A guaranteed floor for showing up, uncapped upside if the video works
Free lifetime license
Just for shipping one qualifying video. Yours to keep whether or not the video ever takes off. No purchase needed to join.
50% of every sale
You get a personal Gumroad affiliate link. Every purchase it drives pays you half—automatically, forever. Paid on real sales, not clicks or views, so there's nothing to game and nothing to chase down.
Every future app, free
Ship a qualifying video and you're auto-enrolled in every app I release from here on out, at no cost. I ship a lot.
Reach bonuses
If your video takes off, so does your payout. Cash bonuses on top of affiliate earnings when you hit view milestones (see below).
Four steps
From "hey" to getting paid
Apply
Email me your channel, roughly who your audience is, and a one-line idea for the video. I review every applicant personally—no big application form.
Get your license & link
If it's a fit, I send you a free lifetime license, your personal 50% affiliate link, a discount code for your audience, and a short press kit (demo footage, ready-made angles, a prebuilt profile).
Make an honest video
Show ControllerKeys actually doing something useful for your audience. Say what you really think—an honest review beats a hype reel every time. Put your link in the description and disclose the partnership.
Get paid
Gumroad pays out your 50% on every sale automatically. Hit a view milestone and I send the bonus on top. That's it.
Reach milestones
Verified YouTube views on the video, on top of your affiliate earnings
| Milestone | Bonus |
|---|---|
| 5,000 views | $25 |
| 25,000 views | $75 |
| 100,000 views | $200 |
Milestones are cumulative per video and paid once each. YouTube is weighted because that's where a Mac tool actually gets discovered and keeps getting found—but if you're strong on another platform, tell me and we'll figure out fair terms.
What counts as a qualifying video
Low bar, honestly—but a few things have to be true
- It genuinely features ControllerKeys running—not a one-line mention.
- It names the app and puts your affiliate link in the description.
- It's public and stays up for at least 30 days.
- It discloses the partnership (a simple "#ad" / "I'm a ControllerKeys affiliate" is fine—and required).
- The views are real. Bought or bot views void the bonuses.
Full details, payouts, verification, and the fine print live in the Creator Program Terms.
FAQ
Do I have to buy it first?
No. The whole point is you don't. Get in, get a free license, then decide if it's worth making a video about.
How much can I actually make?
50% of each sale is about $8, and you keep earning on that link as long as it drives purchases. A video that lands with the right audience can pay for itself many times over, plus the milestone bonuses.
What should the video be about?
Whatever fits your audience—using a controller for Anki flashcards, running your Mac from the couch, OBS scene-switching, accessibility/alternative input, emulation. I'll send angle ideas and a prebuilt profile to make it easy.
Why invite-only?
So I can send real people a real deal instead of a form letter, and keep the program honest. If you make videos for an audience that would like this, you're the kind of person I'm looking for.
Do you tell me what to say?
No. Honest is the whole ask. If something's clunky, say so on camera—that's more convincing than a scripted rave, and it helps me fix the app.
How do payouts work?
Affiliate earnings go through Gumroad automatically. Milestone bonuses I send directly once views are verified (a quick analytics screenshot). U.S. creators earning over $600/yr get standard tax paperwork.