🤝 Retainer campaigns let you hire a creator on an ongoing monthly basis to consistently produce and post content for your brand — so you get a steady stream of TikTok or Instagram videos without having to launch a new campaign every time. Here's a walkthrough of the 3-step campaign creation flow.

🚀 Where to Start

There are two quick ways to kick off a Retainer campaign:

From your dashboard — click the Create campaign button in the top-right corner of your Home page.
From the Campaigns menu — hover over Campaigns in the top navigation and select Retainer campaigns. From the My retainer campaigns page, click Create campaign in the top-right corner.

📋 Step 1: Campaign Info

This is where you set the foundation of your retainer.

Business type — pick what best describes your brand (eCommerce, Software/App, Local Business, or Other).
Campaign objective — select Retainer creators (from $100 / per month) to hire a creator on a recurring basis.
Content type — choose where you want the creator to post: TikTok, TikTok Shop, Instagram, or TikTok + Instagram.

Content brief — describe your product, messaging, content style, and any campaign requirements. The more detail you give, the better your content will be (up to 10,000 characters). Short on time? Click Use AI to generate to draft one for you. ✨
Cover image — upload a PNG, JPG, or JPEG (up to 50MB) that best illustrates your product or service. This is what creators will see.
References (optional) — add links that give your creator ideas and inspiration.
Campaign name — an internal name only you can see, for organization.

📓 Note: Be specific in your brief! Your creator will base their entire month of content on this, so the clearer you are, the better the videos. 😉

Hit Next when you're ready to continue.

👥 Step 2: Creator Parameters

Here's where you define how often you want content and how much you're willing to pay.

Content frequency — how often (on average) you want the creator to create and post:
- Once a day — 30 videos/month
- Twice a day — 60 videos/month
- Once every 2 days — 15 videos/month
- Once every 3 days — 10 videos/month
Monthly salary (offer) — 🔥 make an offer to your creator. The minimum is $300/month, and the creator can counter-offer if they feel the rate isn't sufficient.
Pre-posting content approval — check this box if you want to approve each video before the creator posts it. Leave it unchecked if you trust the creator to post on their own.
Brand or trade name — select an existing brand or add a new one.
Is shipping required? — choose Yes, required if you need to send a physical product, or No shipping needed if your product is digital or the creator already has it. You'll work out delivery details with the creator via chat.

⚠️ Important: If you enable pre-posting approval, content will be auto-approved within 24 hours if you don't respond in time — so make sure you can commit to reviewing regularly!

🌟 Pro tip: Your subscription officially starts when the creator confirms they've received your product (if shipping is required), or immediately if no shipping is needed.

Hit Next to continue.

💰 Step 3: Campaign Summary & Payment

The final step gives you a full recap of your campaign and the estimated total budget (which includes an 8% platform fee).

Then choose your payment method:

My Wallet — pay from your JoinBrands balance.
Promo Wallet — use any promotional credits you've earned.
Another payment method — pay by Credit or Debit Card (a 3.5% card processing fee applies).

When you're ready, hit Create campaign. Your retainer campaign is live and you can start inviting Creators.

📨 Inviting Your Creators

⚠️ Important: Retainer campaigns are invite-only — they are not visible on the marketplace, so creators can't apply on their own. You'll need to send offers directly to the creators you want to work with.

Once your campaign is live, head to your campaign page and click the big Find creators button.

On the Find creators page, you'll see creator cards with all the key info — followers, average views, price, level, ratings, and interest tags. Use the filters at the top to narrow your search, or toggle on:

AI match — surfaces the creators best suited to your campaign brief.
Only favorites — shows only creators you've previously favorited.

Hover over a creator's card to see the Send offer and Pitch video buttons.

🌟 Pro tip: Watch the Pitch video before sending an offer — it's a quick way to get a feel for the creator's style and personality before committing.

When you click Send offer, your retainer offer is sent to the creator in chat. They have 3 days to accept or counter — otherwise, the offer expires.

📓 Note: You can invite multiple creators at the same time. Just click Invite more creators from an existing chat, or head back to Find creators and repeat the process.

💬 Managing the Retainer in Chat

Once your creator accepts the offer, everything happens directly in chat — shipping, content approvals, pauses, and tips.

📦 Shipping (if required)

If your campaign requires shipping, you'll see the creator's address as soon as they accept. Send the product, click Confirm shipping, and add the tracking number when you have it. Once the creator confirms Product received, your monthly subscription officially starts! 🎉

✅ Content Approvals & Pauses

If you enabled Pre-posting content approval, each video will pop up in chat for your review — hit Approve to greenlight it, or send it back for revision.

Your creator can also request a pause (for example, if they're sick or traveling). You can Accept or Reject the request directly in chat.

⚠️ Important: If content isn't delivered on time for a given day, the creator won't be able to upload retroactively and won't be paid for that day.

🌟 Pro tip: Love what your creator is delivering? Hit the Send a tip button at the top of the chat to reward them — it's a great way to build a long-term relationship. 💖