Pay-Per-View Brand Deal

A pay-per-view brand deal pays the creator per 1,000 verified Reel views instead of a flat fee. The brand sets a CPM, a view floor, and a view ceiling; the creator delivers content; the Branded Content API reports verified views back to both parties; payment trues up to actual performance.

PPV deals replaced flat-fee structures for performance-focused brands in 2025-2026 because Reel performance is bimodal — a creator's median Reel might do 80K views, but the standard deviation is huge. Brands stopped wanting to pay $3,000 flat for a Reel that flopped at 12K views, and creators stopped accepting $3,000 flat when their Reel hit 800K.

How the deal is structured

• Base CPM: $5-15 lifestyle, $15-30 mid-niche, $25-50 finance/B2B. Same niches as a flat CPM deal.
• View floor: Minimum payment regardless of views. Typically pegged at 60-70% of the creator's trailing-6 median reach × CPM. Protects the creator from a bad-luck flop.
• View ceiling: Maximum payment regardless of views. Brands cap to prevent runaway viral budget overruns. Negotiate the ceiling up — without one, a viral Reel can 5x the contract value.
• Measurement window: Typically 28 or 60 days after publish. Views after that don't count.
• View definition: Always specify 3-second plays or the Branded Content API's "video_views" field. Avoid "impressions" — Story impressions inflate the count without meaning purchase intent.

When PPV is better than flat fee

• You have an inconsistent view distribution and don't want to under-deliver.
• The brand has historically pushed CPMs down — PPV reframes the conversation around CPM.
• You believe the content will outperform your median (e.g., a topic you've tested in organics).

When flat fee is better

• You're launching a new niche; reach is hard to predict.
• The brand caps the ceiling tightly — you cap your upside without removing your downside.

For the API reporting layer, see Branded Content API.