Adsly vs What a Story

Side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right tool.

Adsly is the zero-commission marketplace where creators list sponsorships and brands find authentic partnerships directly.

Last updated: April 13, 2026

What a Story logo

What a Story

What a Story creates high-impact SaaS explainer videos that drive sales and captivate your audience.

Last updated: March 1, 2026

Visual Comparison

Adsly

Adsly screenshot

What a Story

What a Story screenshot

Feature Comparison

Adsly

Zero-Commission Marketplace

This is the headline feature disrupting the sponsorship industry. Adsly operates on a transparent subscription model for creators, taking absolutely no cut from the deals you secure. Unlike agencies or other platforms that claim 20-40% of your hard-earned revenue, Adsly ensures you retain 100% of your sponsorship income. This direct-to-brand model empowers creators to maximize their earnings and build sustainable businesses without hidden costs eating into their profits, making it a financially superior choice for serious monetization.

SEO-Optimized & Customizable Listings

Every sponsorship listing you create on Adsly is a powerful, standalone lead generation page. These pages are built to be SEO-friendly, complete with a valuable dofollow backlink to your platform, driving organic discovery from search engines. You have full control to showcase your audience demographics, engagement metrics, and sponsorship options. This feature turns your listing into a persistent, high-converting asset that works for you 24/7, attracting brands long after you've posted it.

Direct Deal Inbox & Analytics

Adsly facilitates seamless, direct communication between creators and brands through a built-in inbox, eliminating the need for scattered emails or DMs. For creators, the platform includes integrated analytics to track vital performance metrics. On the free plan, you can see listing views, while the Pro plan unlocks data on clicks and deeper engagement, providing crucial insights to optimize your offerings and prove your value to potential sponsors.

To maintain a high-trust marketplace, every listing on Adsly is manually reviewed to ensure authenticity, filtering out spam and fake traffic. For creators wanting maximum visibility, the "Featured Listings" option (available with the Pro plan) provides a premium boost. Featured listings are highlighted on the Adsly homepage, appear at the top of search results, and receive a special badge, dramatically increasing exposure to brands actively browsing for opportunities.

What a Story

SaaS-Specialized Video Production

What a Story operates with a deep, ingrained understanding of the SaaS landscape. They don't just make generic videos; they architect content that speaks the language of SaaS buyers, investors, and end-users. Their team is adept at translating complex functionalities, unique value propositions, and technical jargon into clear, compelling, and human-centric narratives that resonate with a highly targeted audience, ensuring the video aligns perfectly with sales funnels and conversion goals.

The "Three Steps to the Moon" Process

Forget chaotic, endless revisions. What a Story employs a refined, three-phase operational system designed for maximum efficiency and client alignment. It starts with a strategic deep-dive to craft a goal-oriented plan, moves into collaborative script and storyboard development with a dedicated Creative Director, and culminates in a transparent production phase with unlimited feedback loops. This streamlined, user-friendly process ensures predictability, quality, and a final product that perfectly matches vision.

Unlimited Revisions & Dedicated Support

They eliminate the fear of "final draft" lock-in. What a Story's commitment includes unlimited revisions and ongoing support throughout the project lifecycle. This client-centric model empowers you to iterate and perfect the video alongside their experts, ensuring every frame meets your standards. You get a true partnership with clear, quick communication, not a rigid vendor relationship, making the entire experience seamless and stress-free.

Integrated Video Marketing Perks

Your investment buys more than just a video file. What a Story bundles exclusive video marketing strategy and perks into their service. This means you benefit from their expertise in distribution, platform optimization, and performance analysis to ensure your high-impact video doesn't just sit online but actively works to reach the right audience, generate leads, and drive measurable business growth from day one.

Use Cases

Adsly

Monetizing a Growing Tech Newsletter

A developer running a niche newsletter on AI tools can use Adsly to list sponsorship slots for their weekly digest. They can set a flat weekly or monthly rate, showcase their open rates and subscriber demographics (e.g., 10k senior developers), and receive direct inquiries from relevant SaaS companies. This turns their curated content into a predictable revenue stream without relying on ad networks, keeping all earnings and fostering direct partnerships with brands their audience trusts.

Securing Sponsors for an Indie SaaS Podcast

The host of a bootstrapped SaaS podcast can list their show on Adsly, detailing listener download numbers and niche focus (e.g., B2B marketing tools). They can offer pre-roll, mid-roll, or integrated sponsorship packages. Brands targeting entrepreneurs can discover the podcast, review the stats, and message the host directly through Adsly to negotiate a deal, resulting in authentic sponsorship that feels like a natural part of the show rather than a intrusive ad.

Finding Authentic Brand Partnerships for a Community

A founder managing a paid Discord community for designers can use Adsly to offer partnership opportunities. Instead of generic ads, they can list options for brand takeovers, dedicated workshop sponsorships, or logo placements. Brands seeking to engage deeply with this creative audience can find the listing, verify its quality, and propose custom collaboration deals directly, leading to more valuable and integrated partnerships than traditional advertising.

Sourcing Affordable, Targeted Advertising for a DTC Brand

A direct-to-consumer eco-brand can browse Adsly to find sponsorship opportunities within sustainability-focused newsletters, blogs, and social media accounts. They can filter by category and audience, review real traffic data, and contact creators directly to negotiate rates. This allows them to bypass expensive, broad-reach ad platforms like Facebook Ads, achieving a much higher ROI by placing their message in front of a pre-qualified, engaged niche audience.

What a Story

Launching a New SaaS Product

Cut through launch clutter with a flagship explainer or product overview video. What a Story crafts foundational content that instantly communicates your product's core problem-solution fit to early adopters, press, and investors, driving initial sign-ups and establishing clear market positioning from the very start.

Boosting Product Adoption & Reducing Churn

Create detailed product walkthroughs and educational course videos. These assets onboard new users effectively, showcase advanced features to existing customers, and inspire deeper product engagement. By clarifying UI and value, these videos reduce support tickets and increase customer lifetime value.

Driving Paid Social Media Campaigns

Fuel scalable growth with a pipeline of high-conversion social media ad videos. What a Story produces consistent, short-form vertical content designed for platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. These ads are crafted to stop thumbs, communicate value in seconds, and directly lower customer acquisition costs.

Amplifying Event & Brand Presence

Maximize event ROI with professional event recap videos or create a powerful brand film to elevate company authority. Whether it's for a webinar, conference, or corporate channel, these videos extend the life of your event, humanize your brand for talent acquisition, and grow your industry influence.

Overview

About Adsly

Forget the old agency playbook. The creator economy is exploding, and Adsly is the direct monetization marketplace built for this new reality. This platform is a game-changer for creators, indie founders, and builders who are tired of giving up massive revenue shares to middlemen or navigating opaque sponsorship networks. Adsly cuts out the complexity, connecting you directly with brands that want to invest in your authentic, engaged audience. Whether you run a niche tech newsletter, a growing SaaS tool, a podcast, or a dedicated community, Adsly provides the tools to transform your audience into a sustainable, controlled revenue stream. The core value proposition is stark and powerful: you keep 100% of your sponsorship deals. No commissions. No hidden fees. Just a transparent platform where you list your sponsorship opportunities, set your own terms and pricing, and get discovered by brands actively searching for partnerships. For brands, it's an alert to the inefficiency of traditional ad networks; Adsly offers direct access to vetted, niche audiences at a fraction of the cost, ensuring higher ROI and authentic alignment. In a landscape where direct connection and ownership are paramount, Adsly is the essential infrastructure for modern audience monetization.

About What a Story

In the digital gold rush, attention is the new currency, and What a Story is your premier mint. This isn't just another video production agency; it's a specialized growth engine for SaaS and tech companies drowning in a sea of sameness. They've cracked the code on converting complex product narratives into magnetic, results-driven visual stories. With a laser focus on the SaaS ecosystem, they've produced over 1,200 videos for more than 650 clients, who have collectively raised over $1 billion. Their core mission is audaciously simple: to use video not just as a marketing tool, but as a direct revenue driver, boasting proven outcomes like 3x MRR growth within three months for their partners. They offer an end-to-end, headache-free process that bundles elite video production with strategic video marketing expertise, designed specifically for founders and product leaders who need to cut through the noise, explain their value instantly, and accelerate customer acquisition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Adsly FAQ

How does Adsly make money if it doesn't take commissions?

Adsly operates on a simple software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscription model for creators who want advanced features. The core platform is free to use with basic listing capabilities. For creators needing unlimited listings, full analytics, and premium visibility through featured placements, Adsly offers a Pro plan for a flat monthly fee. This aligns our success with yours; we grow when you choose to upgrade your tools, not by skimming your revenue.

What kind of audience size do I need to get started?

There is no minimum audience size requirement to list on Adsly. The platform is designed for creators at all stages, from those just starting to build their community to those with established, large followings. The key is having an engaged and defined audience. Brands on Adsly are looking for authentic connections and niche targeting, which can often be more valuable than raw, unengaged follower counts.

Can I list multiple types of sponsorship on one platform?

Absolutely. Adsly is built for flexibility. For a single platform (like your podcast or newsletter), you can create multiple "opportunities." This means you can list a pre-roll ad slot, a dedicated sponsor for a segment, and a flat-rate monthly branding package all under one listing. This allows you to create multiple revenue streams and cater to brands with different budgets and campaign goals.

How are brands and creators verified on the platform?

To ensure a high-quality marketplace, every single sponsorship listing submitted to Adsly undergoes a manual review process by our team. We check for authenticity, reasonable audience claims, and legitimate platforms to filter out spam, fake traffic, or fraudulent offers. This verification step protects both brands and creators, fostering a trusted environment where genuine deals can be made.

What a Story FAQ

How much does it cost to create a video with What a Story?

Project pricing is tailored and ranges from $2,500 to $25,000. The final cost depends on factors like video complexity, length, style (e.g., animation vs. live-action), and deadline urgency. They encourage a direct consultation to provide a precise, transparent quote based on your specific goals and requirements, ensuring no surprises.

What is your typical video production process?

They follow a refined, efficient 3-step framework called "Three Steps to the Moon." It begins with a strategic consultation to define goals, followed by collaborative script and storyboard development with a dedicated Creative Director, and ends with the production phase where you can provide unlimited feedback. This process is designed to be systematic for their team and user-friendly for yours.

Do you work with companies outside the SaaS industry?

While their sweet spot and proven expertise are overwhelmingly in the SaaS and tech product space, as evidenced by their 650+ SaaS clients, they cater to a wide array of businesses. Their core strength is simplifying complex offerings, making them a potent partner for any B2B or tech-adjacent company needing to explain a sophisticated product or service.

What kind of results can I expect from your videos?

What a Story is results-obsessed, with case studies highlighting tangible outcomes. While results vary, they have documented client successes including a 50% increase in conversion rates, generating $42,000 in sales within a month organically, and increasing client MRR by $30,000. They focus on creating videos that are direct contributors to sales and growth metrics.

Alternatives

Adsly Alternatives

Adsly is a direct sponsorship marketplace, a category revolutionizing how creators and indie founders monetize their engaged audiences. It cuts out the traditional agency middleman, allowing you to list your newsletter, podcast, or community for brands to discover and sponsor directly. Users explore alternatives for various reasons, from budget constraints and specific feature needs like advanced analytics or integration capabilities to seeking a platform that better aligns with their niche or growth stage. The quest often centers on finding the right balance between control, visibility, and operational simplicity. When evaluating options, prioritize platforms that offer transparent pricing without hidden commissions, provide genuine exposure to relevant brands, and give you full autonomy over your deals and data. The goal is to find a tool that amplifies your revenue potential without adding unnecessary complexity.

What a Story Alternatives

What a Story is a premier video production and creative agency, specializing in high-impact explainer videos, product demos, and corporate films. It operates in the competitive video marketing and production category, helping businesses from startups to Fortune 500 companies communicate their message and drive growth through professional storytelling. Users often explore alternatives for several key reasons. Budget constraints can lead them to seek more affordable solutions, while others might need a different feature set, such as a self-service platform or a specific animation style. Some businesses may also look for agencies with niche expertise in their particular industry or require a faster, more templatized production process to match their agile marketing cycles. When evaluating alternatives, focus on the core value you need. Prioritize agencies or platforms with a proven track record in your specific video format and industry. Assess their production workflow for transparency and efficiency, and ensure their creative style aligns with your brand identity. Ultimately, the right choice balances quality, expertise, and cost to meet your strategic goals.

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