Tiers are the opposite of a cap: the more a creator sells, the higher the rate. A typical ladder is 10 % on the first 50 orders in a month, 15 % from 51 to 150, and 20 % above that. Two questions define a ladder: whether the higher rate applies to all orders once a tier is reached or only to orders above the line, and whether the count resets each month.
Tiers also describe rates that differ by group rather than by volume. Agencies publish ladders of this kind: one Trybe partner agency’s is never under 10 %, 15 % for its core creators and 20 % for the top ones, plus $5 per approved video (Phil Kiel, X, 29 Oct 2026). Amazon’s program sets different rates by product category rather than by creator (Amazon).
Example. A brand’s ladder pays 10 % up to 50 orders, 15 % above, on orders above the line only, resetting monthly. A creator brings 80 orders of $40. The first 50 pay $200 and the next 30 pay $180, so $380. If the higher rate applied to all 80 orders once the tier was reached, it would be $480. 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.” Tiers pay the one that did. Tiers reward the creators who matter without raising the rate for everyone. They fit brands with many affiliates and a few top performers, and they give a public program a private top rate without separate deals.
The creator’s view. Read the ladder for the two questions above, since “20 % at tier three” can mean very different money. Tiers that reset monthly favour creators who post steadily; tiers that accumulate favour those who build over time. A creator near a threshold at month end has an incentive the brand designed on purpose.