Hi
I think you can place your referral link in your signature. Just make sure to place it in a clear and honest way, maybe post a twitter and post your link there?
And remember not to spam your posts with your ref link in signature everywhere, or you will got banned and have all your posts deleted, hence no use in spreading your ref link.
No one will use your referral link for free, so at least you're paying. You have to post in services because really, this doesn't belong anywhere else. You also have to PM the recipients with the referral link, as it is not allowed to share referral links on the forum.
I don't think so. People will use a ref link if they first found and entered the site and registered (though it is very rare here) and he/she will not get anything, hence OP wouldn't be paying anything. However, PM-ing ref links to users aren't allowed here either, unless they request you to send it.