Operation Bob

If you want to know about GPT sites, why not go to the authority? In this case, it’s Drew from MrGPT.com. He was kind enough to grant an interview and answer some common and some not-so-common questions about GPT sites and the GPT industry.

When and how did you first get involved with GPT sites?
I first got involved in GPT sites three to four years ago. I’m not quite sure how I remember joining one, but the first one I joined was TreasureTrooper. I was completely amazed when my first check showed up. Eventually I found some better GPT sites and started making more money from them.

What are the advantages of doing GPT offers compared to other make money opportunities?
One huge advantage to GPT offers is that just about anyone can do them. There’s no risky investments, no credit-card needed, etc. There are tons of free offers and anyone can do them.

On the flip-side, there are many other opportunities to make money online that do require a bit more of risk, however, they are more profitable then GPT offers.

What are the disadvantages?
The disadvantages to GPT offers is that there is so many GPT sites out there that will scam you. Although most are known, there are tons that continue to open up. On top of this, there are many frauders out there that continue to supply fake information when completing offers.

On top of the frauders, the sites that give the GPT site owners their offers continue to

Many GPT sites have the exact same layout and navigation. Why is that?
I have found that most GPT sites are ran through a get paid to script called “Shiftcode”. You can make your own layout, or pay them a $99.95 charge for them to create your own “custom” template.

Unfortunately, it’s not custom at all. It’s a simple pre-made layout that they continue to re-use. They modify the colors, sizes, etc. to your liking and call that your “custom layout”. This is why you may see many GPT sites that look the same.

What’s your opinion of ShiftCode GPT sites?
There’s so many of them out there, it’s crazy. When I come across a new GPT site I can immediately spot if it’s a Shiftcode site. Since there are so many low-quality Shiftcode sites out there, my opinion and thoughts of sites using this script aren’t the most positive.

What should you look for when considering a GPT site to join?
I don’t really participate in GPT sites now (other then getting monthly checks for referral earnings), but if I were to join another, I would look for the following:
- Reputation of the site owner.
- Search the “<site name> scam” in Google to see if others have had bad experiences.
- Then of course, the basic stuff like payout, minimum cashout, amount of offers, etc.

The first thing I do before anything is check if the site is a scam. Why waste time on searching for payout dates, amount of offers, etc. if the site is just a scam.

Some sites have offers like voting for the best of two soft drinks and get a TV. That sounds too good to be true. How do those offers work?
You are simply selling your information to them. They don’t care if you like Coke or Pepsi better. They want that second page that has your name, address, and phone number. Once you agree to those terms, you are agreeing that they can now market whatever they’d like to you.

Don’t worry though, I’ve rarely ever received anything sent to my physical mail address from offers I’ve completed. You’ll most likely just receive emails (which is why you register a new one just for GPT sites).

Is it dishonest to sign up for trial offers when I have no intentions of continuing with the product or service?
Yes, it’s completely dishonest to complete a trail offer if you have no intention of continuing with the product or service. This is why a lot of affiliate networks are pulling their incentive offers, and the companies supplying these offers are now adding “No Cash Incentive Sites Allowed” to their description.

However, if you go into things with an open mind and you really are interested in the trial offer or product, then it’s completely fine to try it out. If you don’t like it, you can cancel the service or product. It becomes dishonest when you go in with the mindset of canceling the trial offer as soon as it credits.

There seem to be more an more offers that require a cell phone number. What’s that all about?
You’re completely right. This seems to be the new big thing with affiliate networks. Unfortunately, if you don’t read the fine print, you will be charged a monthly subscription fee, and you may not even know. Here’s an example of the fine print in the popular “Bid4Prizes” cell phone submits:

You can join Bid4Prizes to guess for prizes via text as a premium subscriber at $9.99/mo. Your subscription automatically renews if not cancelled.

It seems like there are new GPT sites popping up everyday. Is this a matter of meeting the demand, or is the market getting over-saturated?
It is getting way over-saturated. There are so many new sites opening up with owners expecting to be rolling around in money within the first month. They think that being a GPT owner will make them rich and they can quit their day job. This is rarely ever the case, and some of the biggest GPT site owners today still have a day job.

How do you see GPT sites evolving over the next few years? Increasing, thinning out, disappearing, changing services, etc?
It’s very hard to say, because everything can change so quickly. However, in my opinion, I think that a lot of GPT sites will begin to disappear, but new ones will continue to come and go.

I also think that there will eventually be less incentivized offers for site owners. There are still many frauders today.

Other than GPT sites, what do you do to make money online?
In the past year, I’ve really tried to get away from the GPT sites. It’s great for some money, but by no means is it reliable for longterm income. Everything can completely change in one day.

So instead of GPT sites, I now own a network of websites which I earn money through advertisements, Google Adsense, etc.

On top of webmastering, I also do a lot of bum marketing. If you aren’t familiar with bum marketing, it’s basically writing articles about certain topics and receiving search engine traffic to your article page. In the bottom of each article you write, I leave a link to a Clickbank product that’s related to the article I wrote about. I make commission each time someone purchases the item or service through my link.

Last, but not least, I do a lot of PPC marketing. Basically, it’s paying for advertisements for targeted keywords. The page you are taken to when you click on the advertisement is an offer from an affiliate network. I receive commission every time someone purchases or the signs up for the product or service. Best of all, I only pay about $0.10 per click.

I’m so happy I’ve ventured away from GPT sites. Although it is still a great source of money, it’s just not steady or reliable. Plus, now I’m making more money online then I’ve ever made.

Thanks for the interview Bob. You have a great blog and it has amazing potential! I can’t wait to see the new posts and reading your valuable information!