The pain
“The dog’s reaction video did 400,000 views and we paid the creator $150. We have no idea how many boxes it sold, and the creator has not posted about us since.”
Why it happens for pet brands
The pet is the hook, and food, treats and litter are bought every month, often on subscription, so one attributed order can become a long customer. Order values are modest, $65 for pet care in LoyaltyLion’s June 2023 figures citing Dynamic Yield (LoyaltyLion); Amazon pays affiliates 3 % on Pet Products and 0 % on pet prescription medications (Amazon Associates). The flat fee buys one post. It does not buy the second post, and it tells the brand nothing about which creator’s audience actually bought. Creators also see what the rest of the category offers: of 233 pet brands with a public program on Trybe, 157 pay a share of sales, median and most common rate 15 % (our count from TrybeDaily’s brand pages, checked 31 Oct 2026).
The fix
Give every creator a code and pay on what it does: a share of each first order and a piece of the renewals, so the creator keeps posting. Then run the reaction video as a Meta ad and pay a share of the spend, because a pet reaction clip is ad creative that does not get old fast. A small per-video base pays for the filming.
Example. A fresh-food brand with a $65 first box pays $40 per approved video, 12 % of the first order and $5 per renewal for six months through the creator’s code, and 10 % of ad spend. A creator’s mealtime video brings 30 first orders, $234. Eighteen customers stay six months, $450 more. The brand runs the video as a Meta ad with $3,000 behind it, $300 in ad spend share. Example numbers, not a benchmark.
Which pay model fits
- Per video plus commission with a recurring piece for food, treats and litter on subscription.
- Commission only for seeding to many small pet accounts with codes.
- Samples sized for the animal, in every deal.
- Hourly for a batch of pet-reaction clips from one creator with a camera-friendly animal.
How HourlyUGC runs it
A pet campaign on HourlyUGC ships samples, pays a per-video or hourly base, and adds commission: 1 to 50 % of each order or $1 to $500 per order, or 1 to 30 % of the Meta ad spend behind the video. The brand launches Meta Partnership Ads with the creators’ videos from inside HourlyUGC; sales are counted by Meta or by HourlyUGC through a connected Shopify store or its pixel, last touch within 7 days, with creator links and codes, so the 400,000-view video comes with an order count. Campaigns can be open, by application (with or without an intro video) or invite only, so the brand picks who films before a sample ships. Pup Labs, Growth Team: “It broke our previous performance ceiling. Same product, same offer, same audience. The only thing that changed was creative volume.”
What to watch for
Pet food is regulated. The FDA says claims that establish an intent to cure, treat, prevent or mitigate disease, or to affect structure or function beyond food purposes, indicate a new animal drug that needs approval; it reviews claims such as urinary tract health and hairball control (FDA). AAFCO’s model regulations define the label, including the nutritional adequacy statement, and terms such as human grade follow AAFCO guidelines (AAFCO). A creator saying a treat “fixed my dog’s joints” is a drug claim on the brand’s behalf. Free product for the pet is a material connection for the creator (FTC).
Next step: start a campaign on HourlyUGC.