A bonus is performance pay in steps. Instead of a percentage of everything, the creator gets a lump sum when a result crosses a line. The line can be sales (100 orders through the code), views (250,000 on the post), or a brand-side outcome (the video becomes the top ad of the month). Bonuses sit on top of a flat fee, an hourly rate or a commission.
Bonuses are simpler to explain than percentages and easier for a brand to budget, because the maximum is known. They are also lumpier: a creator at 99 orders earns nothing extra, and at 100 earns the full bonus.
Example. A brand pays $150 per video plus a $250 bonus if the creator’s code reaches 50 orders in 60 days, and a further $500 at 150 orders. One creator reaches 62 orders and earns $400 in total. Another reaches 48 and earns $150. Under a 15 % commission on a $40 AOV instead, the first creator would have earned $150 plus $372, and the second $150 plus $288. Example numbers, not a benchmark.
When brands use it. The pain this answers: “We paid an influencer a flat fee for one post and got nothing.” Bonuses fit brands that want to reward outliers without paying a percentage on every order, and brands whose tracking is good enough to count to a threshold but not to pay on every sale. They also fit launches, where a brand wants a burst of effort in a fixed window.
The creator’s view. A bonus is worth whatever the chance of reaching it is, so a creator should ask how many past creators reached the threshold. Thresholds should be measurable from numbers the creator can see, with a stated end date and a stated payout date. A deal with a large bonus and a small base is a lottery ticket; a deal with a fair base and a bonus is an incentive.