Commission-based UGC pays the creator for what the video does, not for existing. Here “commission” always covers both kinds of share:
- Ad spend share. The creator gets a percentage of the ad spend behind their video. The more the brand spends on the video as an ad, the more the creator earns.
- Sales share. The creator gets a percentage of each order their video brings, or a fixed dollar amount per order.
Affiliate programs mean sales only. Here ad spend counts too, because the video’s job is usually to be the ad.
Example. A creator’s video is on 15 % of sales and 10 % of ad spend. In a month the creator’s code brings 20 orders of $50, so $150. The brand also runs the video as a Meta ad with $2,000 behind it, so $200. Total $350. Example numbers, not a benchmark.
When brands use it. The pain this answers: “We paid $300 a video and nine out of ten never beat our control.” With commission the brand stops paying for the nine. The creator is paid when the video spends or sells, which is a strong reason to make the one that wins. It needs a count the brand trusts (links, codes, or spend per video) and margin to share. Public programs cluster at 10 to 15 % of sales: across 5,372 public programs on Trybe paying a share of sales, the median is 12 % and the most common rate 10 % (our count from TrybeDaily’s brand pages, checked 31 Oct 2026).
The creator’s view. Upside with risk. A video that lands can beat any flat fee; one that does not pays nothing. Ask for the tracked numbers, the attribution rule, and the payout timing. A commission is a material connection, so the post carries a clear disclosure such as “ad” or “paid link” (FTC).
On HourlyUGC. Commission-based campaigns have no base pay. The creator earns a share of the sales they bring, 1 to 50 % of each order or $1 to $500 per order, or a share of the ad spend behind their video, 1 to 30 % on Meta. 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. A per-video or hourly base can sit underneath. Next step: start a campaign on HourlyUGC.