Performance Payouts

Performance payouts automate the payment process by releasing funds to creators when their tracked content meets defined criteria. Instead of manually reviewing metrics and approving each payment, you set rules once and Stormy handles the rest.

How performance payouts work

Performance payouts sit on top of two other CreatorPay features:

1. Post tracking provides the real-time metrics
2. Bonus structures define what extra amounts are earned

Performance payouts add the automation layer: when should payments actually be released, and should they require approval?

Here's the flow:

Post goes live
    ↓
Post tracking monitors metrics
    ↓
Evaluation window closes (e.g., 14 days)
    ↓
Bonus structure calculates amounts
    ↓
Payout rule checks conditions
    ↓
Auto-approve or queue for review
    ↓
Stripe processes payment
    ↓
Creator receives funds

Linking to post tracking

Performance payouts require active post tracking. When a creator publishes content:

1. The post is added to monitoring (automatically if the creator is in an active campaign, or manually)
2. Stormy collects metrics at regular intervals
3. At the evaluation time defined in the bonus structure, the final metrics are snapshotted
4. These metrics drive the payout calculation

Payout rules

Payout rules define the conditions under which payments are automatically released. You configure rules at the campaign level.

Creating a payout rule

1. Go to your campaign's Payments tab
2. Click Payout Rules
3. Click New Rule
4. Configure the rule (see options below)

Rule conditions

Each rule has a trigger condition that must be met before the payout is released:

Condition	Description
Deliverables complete	All invoice deliverables have been verified as posted
Evaluation window closed	The bonus evaluation period has ended
Minimum metric met	A specific metric has crossed a threshold (e.g., 10K views minimum)
Content approved	You've manually approved the content quality
All of the above	Combine multiple conditions -- all must be satisfied

Rule actions

When conditions are met, the rule takes one of these actions:

Action	Description
Auto-release base payment	Release the invoice base amount without manual approval
Auto-release base + bonus	Release the full amount including any earned bonuses
Queue for approval	Calculate the total and notify you for manual review
Release base, queue bonus	Auto-release the base fee but require approval for bonus amounts

Example rules

Standard campaign rule:

Conditions: Deliverables complete AND evaluation window closed
Action: Auto-release base + bonus

Conservative campaign rule:

Conditions: Deliverables complete AND content approved
Action: Release base, queue bonus for review

Performance-only rule:

Conditions: Minimum 10,000 views met AND evaluation window closed
Action: Auto-release base + bonus

Approval workflows

Even with automated payouts, you stay in control. Here's how the approval workflow operates:

Automatic approval

When a payout rule's action is "auto-release," payments process without your intervention. You'll receive a notification when a payout is triggered, and you can cancel it within a 24-hour grace period before Stripe processes the transfer.

Manual approval

When payouts are queued for approval:

1. You receive a notification (in-app and email)
2. Go to CreatorPay > Pending Approvals
3. Review the payout details: creator, campaign, metrics, calculated amounts
4. Click Approve to release or Reject with a reason

Bulk approval

For campaigns with many creators:

1. Go to CreatorPay > Pending Approvals
2. Filter by campaign
3. Review the summary table showing all pending payouts
4. Select multiple payouts and click Approve Selected

Payout scheduling

Control when approved payouts are actually processed:

Schedule	Description
Immediate	Process as soon as approved (or auto-approved)
Weekly	Batch all approved payouts and process every Monday
Bi-weekly	Process every other Monday
Monthly	Process on the 1st of each month
Manual	You trigger the batch processing yourself

Configure the schedule under CreatorPay > Settings > Payout Schedule.

Payout history

Every payout is permanently recorded with full context:

• Creator -- Who was paid
• Campaign -- Which campaign the payment is associated with
• Invoice -- The originating invoice
• Base amount -- The guaranteed flat fee
• Bonus amount -- Performance-based bonus earned
• Total -- Final payment amount
• Metrics snapshot -- The exact metrics at evaluation time
• Rule -- Which payout rule triggered the payment
• Status -- Processing, completed, or failed
• Stripe transaction ID -- For reconciliation with your Stripe dashboard
• Timestamp -- When the payout was initiated and completed

Viewing history

Access payout history from multiple places:

• CreatorPay > Payout History -- All payouts across all campaigns
• Campaign > Payments -- Payouts for a specific campaign
• Creator profile > Payments -- All payouts to a specific creator

Exporting payout data

Export payout records for accounting:

1. Go to CreatorPay > Payout History
2. Set your date range and filters
3. Click Export CSV or Export PDF

The export includes all fields listed above, plus creator payment details (masked) and Stripe references.

Handling failed payouts

Occasionally a payout may fail due to:

• Creator's Stripe Connect account is incomplete
• Bank account details are invalid
• Insufficient funds in your Stripe balance
• Stripe flagging the transaction for review

When a payout fails:

1. Stormy marks it as Failed and notifies you
2. The amount returns to the pending balance
3. You can retry after resolving the issue
4. The creator is notified that their payout is delayed

Budget controls

Protect your campaign budget with these safeguards:

• Campaign payout cap -- Maximum total payouts across all creators in a campaign
• Creator payout cap -- Maximum total payouts to a single creator
• Monthly spend limit -- Global limit across all campaigns for the billing period
• Approval threshold -- Auto-approve payouts below a certain amount, require manual approval above it

Configure budget controls under CreatorPay > Settings > Budget Controls.

When any limit is reached, all further auto-releases in that scope switch to manual approval. You'll receive an alert so you can decide whether to increase the limit or keep payouts paused.