How to Run a Performance-Based
Influencer Campaign

A performance-based campaign flips the payment model. Instead of paying a creator upfront just to post, you pay them a commission on every actual sale they drive. Each creator gets a unique trackable link — when someone buys through it, the sale is recorded and the creator earns their cut, a percentage of the sale or a flat amount per order that you set.

Flat-fee model: you pay ₹20,000, and you hope it sells.
Commission model: you pay, say, 10% per sale. If a creator drives ₹2,00,000 in sales, they earn ₹20,000 — and you keep ₹1,80,000. If they drive nothing, you pay nothing. The risk shifts off your shoulders.

1. Zero wasted spend.You never pay for a post that didn't perform. Your marketing budget converts directly into revenue — the single biggest reason cash-conscious D2C brands love the model.

2. Incentives are finally aligned. In a flat-fee deal, the creator gets paid whether they put in real effort or not. In a commission model the creator wins when you win — motivated to create persuasive content, share their link repeatedly, and actually sell.

3. It scales without risk. 5 creators? 50? 500? With flat fees, scaling multiplies your upfront risk. With commissions you can onboard hundreds of creators with almost no downside — each a self-motivated mini salesforce, and you only pay the ones who deliver.

4. You get real data. Every sale is tracked to a specific creator and link, so you learn exactly who your best performers are — and can invest more in them next time.

The commission model shines when you have something to sell online and a way to track it. It's ideal for:

• D2C brands with a Shopify store
• Fashion, beauty, skincare, wellness and supplement brands
• Packaged food, beverage and specialty product brands
• Any e-commerce business with clear, repeatable products

A Commission Campaign works just like an Open Campaign — with one powerful addition: it connects to your store and tracks sales automatically.

1. Connect your Shopify store. This is what makes sales tracking, link generation, and commission calculation automatic — no manual spreadsheets.

2. Set your commission terms. Choose the rate (e.g. 2% of every sale, or a flat amount per conversion) and the products in the campaign. Most Indian D2C brands land between 8–20% depending on category and margin — be generous enough to motivate, sustainable enough for your margins.

3. Find the right creators (or let them come to you). Use AI-powered Smart Search and save favourites to your Squad, or set Campaign Filters and let creators who fit request to join. Prioritise high engagement and a buying audience over raw follower count.

4. Approve creators and let them pick products. Each accepted creator selects a product and receives their own unique trackable link to share anywhere — Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, link-in-bio.

5. Help creators promote with AutoMe.Creators can auto-reply to "where can I buy this?" comments, send instant Auto DMs with their purchase link, and share carousel messages — more touchpoints, more clicks, more sales.

6. Track every sale in one dashboard. Every purchase is automatically attributed to the right creator and link. Clicks, conversions, and revenue per creator roll up into a single analytics dashboard.

7. Pay automatically. Commissions are calculated and paid through smart payment integration after a standard hold period that protects against returns — transparent for creators, reliable for you.

A common challenge: creators promote best when they've actually usedthe product — but a Commission Campaign drives sales through links and doesn't include shipping product to creators. The fix is a two-step sequence:

1. Seed the product using an Individual Proposalwith the Product Delivery provision on — sending your product to a handful of chosen creators so they can genuinely try it and create authentic content.

2. Convert to commission by inviting those same creators (and many more) into a Commission Campaign, where they now earn on every sale their content drives. You get authentic, experience-based content and a performance-based sales engine.

• Pick products that sell themselves.Commission campaigns amplify demand; they don't manufacture it. Lead with proven bestsellers.
• Set a fair, motivating rate.Too low and creators won't bother — model your margins and be generous with hero products.
• Give creators assets. Share product shots, talking points, and offers via Group Chat so creators can hit the ground running.
• Recruit for conversion, not vanity. Engaged, trusted micro-creators with buying audiences beat distant mega-influencers almost every time.
• Double down on winners. Use dashboard data to find top creators, then build deeper, ongoing partnerships.