Answer engine optimisation: getting a brand mentioned and recommended in the answers of AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini, the way SEO gets a page into search results.

How do I pay someone for getting my brand into ChatGPT answers?

Set a fixed bounty for a citation event in a ViralPayouts program. When you verify that a partner's published, disclosed content made an AI assistant name your brand, report the event with the partner's code. The partner is paid that bounty once for that piece of content.

Is paying for content allowed?

Yes, if the relationship is disclosed and the pay does not depend on what the content says. The US FTC requires a clear disclosure of paid relationships and bans paying only for positive reviews. Pay for verified, disclosed citations, never for praise.

Does ViralPayouts check the citations automatically?

Not yet. Today you check the AI answers yourself or with a tracking tool and report each citation you confirm. Automatic citation checks are planned.

Pay partners when AI answers recommend you, not before

An AEO bounty is a fixed amount you pay a partner when content they published gets your brand named in an AI answer. AI assistants recommend the brands that independent pages, lists, videos and threads mention. The people who write those pages can be paid for results instead of retainers.

On ViralPayouts you set a bounty for a citation event, partners publish disclosed content, and you report each citation you verify. The partner is paid the bounty, the partner who recruited them can earn an override on it, and you pay ViralPayouts 3.5% of what you pay partners, with no monthly fee.

Retainer:: $0.
Paid per:: Citation.
Same citation paid:: Once.
Monthly subscription:: $0.

Of the 535 affiliate tools we checked, 58 (10.8%) list an MCP server for AI agents, and 65 (12.1%) offer two-tier commissions on every plan.

Source: ViralPayouts research: 535 affiliate tools checked against their own pages, 12 October 2026

Updated 15 October 2026 · Who writes ViralPayouts

How to run AEO bounties on ViralPayouts today

Built on features that already exist: app-event bounties, program terms and the recruiter override.

1. Set the bounty

In your program's rules, add a fixed bounty for an event you name, for example ai_citation.

2. Say what counts

In your program terms: which assistants and questions count, that the content must disclose the relationship, and that pay never depends on what the content says.

3. Partners publish

Partners write the comparison, the tutorial, the review or the thread answer, on their own site or channel, with the disclosure.

4. Report what you verify

When an AI answer names you and cites their content, send the event with their code. The same content is paid once.

The event your server, or your AI agent through our MCP server, sends:

POST /api/v1/events
{ "id": "evt_cite_42", "type": "event", "event": "ai_citation",
  "event_id": "https://example-blog.com/best-invoicing-tools",
  "ref_code": "alex" }

Signed like every event: API docs · MCP server

Why bounties beat an AEO retainer

Retainer against bounty
	Agency retainer	AEO bounty on ViralPayouts
You pay	Every month, for the work	Only for a citation you verified
Who does it	One agency	Any number of partners, each in their own niche
Growth	More budget, more hours	Partners recruit partners; set the override as a share of the commission or a fixed amount and recruiters earn it on each bounty
Disclosure	Often none on placed content	Required by the program terms

Rules that keep it honest

AI assistants learn from what independent people write. Paid content that hides what it is damages the brand that paid for it.

Disclosed, always

Every piece says the author is paid or earns from the brand. Reddit and other platforms remove covert marketing, and the FTC requires disclosure in the US.

Pay for the result, not the opinion

The bounty is for a verified citation. It never depends on the content being positive.

Real people, real accounts

One person, one partner account. No made-up personas, reviews or "consensus".

Questions people ask

What is AEO?: Answer engine optimisation: getting a brand mentioned and recommended in the answers of AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini, the way SEO gets a page into search results.
How do I pay someone for getting my brand into ChatGPT answers?: Set a fixed bounty for a citation event in a ViralPayouts program. When you verify that a partner's published, disclosed content made an AI assistant name your brand, report the event with the partner's code. The partner is paid that bounty once for that piece of content.
Is paying for content allowed?: Yes, if the relationship is disclosed and the pay does not depend on what the content says. The US FTC requires a clear disclosure of paid relationships and bans paying only for positive reviews. Pay for verified, disclosed citations, never for praise.
Does ViralPayouts check the citations automatically?: Not yet. Today you check the AI answers yourself or with a tracking tool and report each citation you confirm. Automatic citation checks are planned.