10. How to run Retainers on Euka

10.1 Why Use a Retainer

A Retainer is a recurring creator partnership where you work with a fixed group of creators over time, instead of running one-off paid collaborations.

Retainers are used when predictability matters more than randomness.

Retainers help you:

• Guarantee a steady flow of content from selected creators

• Reduce volatility compared to single paid posts

• Build a feedback loop to test, iterate, and scale winning content

• Avoid restarting creator sourcing for every campaign

If your product COG is high, Retainers are especially important. Instead of paying upfront for a single post, you ensure creators commit to X videos per period, spreading risk across multiple uploads and improving ROI.

Retainers are commonly used when:

• You’re launching a new TikTok Shop or new product and need guaranteed volume fast

• You already know which creators convert and want to lock them in

• You want repeatable testing (hooks, CTAs, formats) instead of one-off results

• You need reliable content for ads, promotions, or key sales periods

10.2 How to Pick the Right Creators

Most brands start Retainers with creators who have already proven performance, including:

• Top performers from free sample collaborations

• Creators with strong historical GMV on your product category

• Target creators from TTAM lists or internal research

Best practice:

• Prioritize post rate consistency over one-time viral GMV

• Select creators who already understand your product and audience

• Start small (5–10 creators) and expand after validating results

Retainers work best with creators who can iterate, not just post once.

10.3 Step-by-Step: Set Up a Retainer

You can preview the creator-facing retainer page on the right at any time before sharing the link.

Step 1 – Set up the basics:

1. First Period — Set a start and end date for your first period. Start with a trial period as an interview process to evaluate creator fit. You can add more periods later for long-term collaboration.

1. Creator Selection — Choose Invite Only (you send invites; creators accept via link) or Open Application (any creator can apply via the link). Invite Only is recommended if you have specific creators in mind or want tighter control over who joins.

2. Products — Select All products from store or choose up to 10 specific SKUs. Use specific products for high-COG items or launches where you need focused promotion.

3. Contact Information — Choose where retainer notifications go.

This ensures you control when, who, and what gets posted—especially important for high-COG products to guarantee enough videos are delivered.

Step 2 – Invite Creators & Set Pricing

Invite creators and set their deliverables. You can skip this step and invite creators later in the dashboard.

• Click + Invite Creator to search by handle and add specific creators directly.

• Set custom pricing and video deliverables per creator at this stage, or configure them after the retainer is created.

Step 3 – Customize Retainer Page

• Name your Retainer clearly (e.g., “Feb Weekly Retainer – Core Creators”)

• Optional: banner image

• Add posting expectations, deadlines, and dos/don’ts

• Attach a Creative Brief (existing or auto-generated)

This communicates all requirements in one place, so creators can start without confusion.

Step 4 – Launch

After launching your retainer, there are two ways to bring creators in:

• Copy link: Share your retainer link directly with creators you've already identified. They accept and join via the link.

• Start an agent: Scale outreach automatically.

10.4 What Happens Next

Once your retainer is live, Euka handles the tracking automatically — videos are assigned to the correct period as creators post, and Spark Codes are captured for ad use and boosting.

From the dashboard:

• Details — real-time snapshot of creators, videos submitted, total earnings, and top content. Invite more creators or copy your link from here.

• Applications — manage creators across five stages: Applied, Offered, Accepted, Declined, and Rejected. Edit offers or use GMV (30d) to decide who to move forward.

• Periods — per-creator breakdown of task completion, views, GMV, and payment. Expand individual videos and disqualify any that don't meet requirements.

• Submissions — full log of every video posted, sortable by revenue, views, and post date. Export as CSV for reporting.

• Add Period — extend the retainer into a new cycle, each with its own deliverables, videos, and payments.

No manual tracking, predictable content cadence, and everything in one place.

10.5 Steps to Pay Creators (Retainers)

1. Go to Retainers dashboard → Periods tab → Click "Pay Creators"

   

2. Expand the period and select creators via checkboxes

3. Click “Add to Cart” and confirm in the modal

   

4. Switch to the Payouts tab

   

5. Click “Pay Out Creators”, and select pending payments

   

6. Choose payment method:

   1. Pay via Euka: Card (5% fee)

   2. ACH (free, 3–5 day settlement)

10.6 How Creators Receive Payment

• Creators enter their PayPal ID when they accept the retainer offer
  → They can update it in settings anytime

• Once the brand completes payment (usually by card via Stripe):

  • Funds are instantly available in the creator’s account

  • Creator gets an email notification

  • Creator logs in, views balance, and clicks “Withdraw”

  • Money transfers to their PayPal account

  • PayPal sends a payout notification email