The rate gets the attention; the payout terms decide when the money arrives. Five parts:
- Trigger: approval of a video, the end of a session, an order being placed, or an order surviving the return window.
- Delay: immediately, net 30, or after a lock period for returns.
- Schedule: on demand, weekly, or once a month on a set day. Shopify’s affiliate program posts commissions to the affiliate’s balance once a month, on the 22nd, for the previous month (Shopify); HubSpot pays its recurring commission monthly (HubSpot).
- Minimum: a threshold below which the balance rolls over.
- Method and fees: bank transfer, PayPal, platform balance, and who covers the transfer cost.
Example. A creator’s code brings 40 orders in March. The deal pays 15 % on net orders after a 30-day return window, monthly on the 15th. Four orders are returned in April. The March commission, on 36 orders, is paid on 15 May. A creator on a per-video deal with the same brand was paid on approval, two days after upload. Example terms.
When brands use it. The pain this answers: “Chasing invoices, files and usage rights eats my team.” Brands write payout terms to match their own cash and return cycles. Commission on net orders needs a lock period; flat fees do not. Platforms often hold funds so neither side waits on the other: HourlyUGC‘s guide describes hourly funds held when the offer is sent and released when the session is marked done, and per-video pay only for what the brand approves (HourlyUGC).
The creator’s view. Ask the five questions before starting. A high rate paid quarterly after a 60-day lock, with a $100 minimum, is a slow deal. Ask too whether refunds and chargebacks are clawed back from future payouts, and whether the brand shows the order list behind each payout.
On HourlyUGC. Per video pays for each approved video; hourly funds are held when the offer is sent and released when the session is marked done (HourlyUGC).