How Ads Work

Overview

Ads on AIDIRECTORY let AI tool companies promote their products to our audience.

Here's how the full lifecycle works from start to finish.

Ad Types

We offer six ad placements, each designed for different levels of visibility:

Volume discounts apply when you book for longer periods - up to 30% off. For current pricing, visit our Advertise page.

Step 1: Purchase

When you visit our Advertise page, you pick the ad types you want, choose your dates on the calendar, and head to Stripe checkout. You need to be logged in to purchase an ad.

Step 2: Submit Ad Details

After payment, you land on a success page where you fill in your ad details:

• Company name - the name that appears on the ad.
• Website URL - where people go when they click.
• Description - a short pitch for your product.
• Button label - the call-to-action text (e.g. "Try Free", "Learn More").

We automatically grab your website's favicon to display alongside the ad.

Step 3: Review

Once you submit your details, the ad goes into Pending review status. Our team reviews every ad to make sure it meets our quality standards.

We typically review ads within minutes. We check that:

• The company is legitimate.
• The website loads and works.
• The description is accurate and appropriate.
• The ad meets our platform guidelines.

Step 4: Approval or Rejection

After review, one of two things happens:

If approved: Your ad goes live immediately (or on your scheduled start date if it's in the future). You'll receive an approval email.

If rejected: The ad won't go live. You'll receive an email explaining the reason for rejection. You can contact support to discuss a refund.

Step 5: Ad Goes Live

Approved ads are displayed on our site during their booked dates. We select which ad to show based on:

1. Type match - ads booked for a specific placement appear there first.
2. "Everywhere" fallback - if no specific ad exists for a placement, an "Everywhere" ad fills the slot.
3. Rotation - when multiple ads compete for the same slot, they rotate automatically.

Auto-Renewal

You can opt into auto-renewal during checkout so your ad continues running without interruption.

How to enable it

On the Advertise page, check the Auto-renew checkbox before completing your purchase. Your payment method will be saved securely via Stripe for future charges.

How it works

When your ad expires, the system automatically:

1. Charges your saved payment method for the same amount as your original purchase.
2. Extends your ad for the same duration (e.g. if you originally booked 7 days, it renews for another 7 days).
3. Sends you a confirmation email with the new end date.

Since the ad content stays the same, renewed ads don't require a new admin review — they continue displaying seamlessly.

How to cancel

You can turn off auto-renewal at any time from the My Ads section in your dashboard. Use the toggle switch next to any ad that has auto-renewal enabled. This works even after the ad has expired, as long as the renewal hasn't been processed yet by our daily cron job.

What happens if payment fails

If your saved payment method can't be charged (expired card, insufficient funds, etc.):

• Auto-renewal is automatically disabled for that ad.
• You receive an email explaining the failure.
• The ad expires normally.
• You can always purchase a new ad slot manually from the Advertise page.

Email Notifications

Our system sends the following email notifications throughout the ad lifecycle:

1. Payment received - confirms your payment and lets you know your ad is being reviewed.
2. Ad approved - your ad has been approved and will go live on schedule.
3. Ad rejected - includes the reason and instructions for contacting support about a refund.
4. Ad expiring - sent 3 days before your ad ends. If auto-renewal is enabled, it confirms your ad will renew automatically. Otherwise, it prompts you to renew manually.
5. Ad expired - confirms your ad campaign has ended.
6. Ad renewed - sent when auto-renewal succeeds, includes the new end date.
7. Renewal failed - sent when auto-renewal payment fails, explains that auto-renewal has been disabled.

Your Dashboard

You can track all your ads from the My Ads section in your dashboard. There you can see:

• Ad name and website.
• Ad type (which placement).
• Review status (Pending, Approved, or Rejected).
• Schedule status (Scheduled, Active, or Expired).
• Auto-renewal status (with a toggle to enable/disable).
• Rejection reason (if applicable).

Summary

The ad flow is: Purchase → Submit details → We review it → Approved or Rejected → Goes live → Expiry notifications are sent → Auto-renews (if enabled). The entire process is designed to be fast and transparent.