How to brief, review and pay creators
A short guide to running a creator program that gets better every month. Seven steps, ten minutes.
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Seven steps
1. Decide what a video is worth
Before you invite anyone, set your rates. Most programs combine a small fee per video with a rate per 1,000 views, and add a bonus when a video crosses a view threshold. The fee makes every post worth making. The view rate shares the upside.
Write the rates into one contract and use the same contract for everyone in the campaign. Creators talk to each other, and a program where everyone knows the deal is easier to run.
2. Find creators who already post
Follower counts matter less than habit. Someone who posts five times a week to 2,000 followers will usually do more for you than someone who posts once a month to 200,000. Look for people who already make the kind of video you want, in the format you want.
3. Brief with ideas, not scripts
A brief is a hook, a format and a reference video. It fits on one screen. Creators can use it as it is, remix it or ignore it and post their own take.
Publish several briefs at a time and watch which ones get picked. The popular ones tell you what to write next.
4. Review quickly
If you review drafts before they go out, do it the same day. A creator who waits three days for feedback has moved on to something else. Keep notes short and specific: what to change, not how you would have made it.
5. Count every video
Ask creators to connect their accounts so views, likes and comments arrive without anyone sending screenshots. When the same video goes out on several platforms, count it once, for the platform where it did best.
6. Pay on the same day every month
Nothing keeps creators posting like being paid on time. Pick a payout day and keep it. Show each creator which videos a payout covers and how the amount was worked out, before the money lands.
7. Turn results into the next briefs
Each week, find the videos that broke out. Look at the hook, the first two seconds and the format. Write what they share into new briefs and retire the ideas nobody picks. This loop is the whole job.
- Cost per 1,000 views, for the campaign and for each creator
- Views by platform
- The videos that brought most of the views
- This period against the one before
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for the first 30 days.
Put it to work
The playbook, built in. Friendzone runs the loop for you.
Steps 1 to 3
Rates, creators and briefs in one place.
Set what a video pays, invite creators with one contract and publish briefs they can pick up in a minute.
- One contract per creator
- Briefs with a hook, a format and a reference
- The agent drafts the next round
Steps 4 to 7
Counted, paid and measured for you.
Views arrive from connected accounts, earnings add up through the month and the videos that broke out are easy to find.
- Views on four platforms
- A payout with every video listed
- Results by week and by platform
What people say
Less admin. More videos that work.
“Friendzone made our UGC better at Rezi. Creators know what to post, we can see which videos work, and paying everyone at the end of the month takes minutes, not days.”
Jacob Jacquet
CEO, Rezi
Briefs went out in ten minutes.
No more spreadsheets for views.
Ran three brands from one login.
How many creators should I start with?
Five to ten is enough to see which ideas travel. Add more once you know what a good brief looks like for your product.
Should I approve videos before they go out?
It is up to you. If you do, review the same day and keep notes short, or creators lose momentum.
What should a video pay?
Most programs combine a small fee per video with a rate per 1,000 views and a bonus at a view threshold. A campaign might pay $10 a video plus $1 per 1,000 views.
How often should I publish new briefs?
Weekly works well. Retire the briefs nobody picks and write more like the ones that keep getting used.
Ready to launch your first campaign?
Set your rates, invite your creators and publish your first briefs. It is free for 30 days.