A retainer holds a creator’s pay until they hit a delivery target each period (for example, 10 videos a week). Hitting the target releases the held pay automatically. Use it to reward consistency rather than one-off posts. There’s no extra fee. Pay is your campaign’s normal per-video payout: the retainer only controls when it’s released.

​
Setting up a retainer

In Campaign Settings, open the Retainer card and turn it on. You’ll set:

Target

How many videos per period (for example, 10).

Per

Week or month: the window the target resets on.

Starts

The date and time the first period begins, shown in your timezone.

If short

Your preferred outcome when a period ends below target: pre-selected for you when you confirm the decision (see below).

​
How a creator gets paid

1

They post as usual

As each video is approved and goes live, its pay is held. The creator sees a clear “held, pending” state on their earnings, so there’s no surprise about when they’ll be paid.
2

They hit the target

When the creator reaches the target for the period, their held pay is released automatically.
3

It settles on your schedule

Released pay then settles on your campaign’s normal payout schedule, not instantly. The next period starts fresh.

​
If a creator falls short

When a period ends below the target, nothing happens automatically: the delivered videos stay held, and the decision is yours. We notify you (in-app and by email) that a cycle is waiting, and it lights up on your campaign’s Payments tab in the Retainer periods grid: creators down the side, periods across the top, one cell per period showing progress like 8/10. A period waiting on you shows an amber Decide cell. You choose one of three outcomes: The If short preference you set on the retainer is pre-selected when you confirm, so the common case is one click, but pay never moves until you confirm.

​
Deciding a shortfall, step by step

1

Open the campaign's Payments tab

Go to your campaign → Payments → Retainer periods. Each cell in the grid is one creator’s period; a period that ended below target shows an amber Decide cell with their progress (say, 8/10) and how many videos are held.
2

Click the cell and pick the outcome

Click the amber cell and choose Pay what they did, Roll over, or Forfeit: your campaign’s “if short” preference is listed first, then confirm. Paying is final; a rollover or forfeit can be undone later from the same cell (until the pay has actually released).
3

Done: settlement takes it from here

Released videos settle on your campaign’s normal payout schedule. A rolled-over creator keeps earning toward the combined target; a forfeited cycle stays held until you say otherwise.
You don’t have to wait for the period to end: you can open Retainer periods any time and release a creator’s held cycle early.

​
Example

Target 10 videos per week:
  • Week 1: the creator posts 10. Their pay releases automatically and settles on your schedule.
  • Week 2: they post 6. At the end of the week you’re notified, and you choose Roll over. The 6 carry into week 3.
  • Week 3: they post 4 more (6 + 4 = 10). The combined target is hit, and everything releases automatically, including the 6 from week 2.
A retainer never changes how much a creator earns, only when it pays out. The amount still comes from your campaign’s payout structure.

​
FAQ

No. Pay is your campaign’s existing per-video rate. The retainer only gates when it releases.
Once they hit the target, or once you release a short cycle: on your campaign’s payout schedule, not instantly.
The videos stay held and the cycle keeps waiting under Needs your decision: pay never moves, in either direction, without you. Don’t leave creators hanging: decide promptly, and the New Wave team also keeps an eye on cycles that sit undecided for days.
Yes. Each campaign sets its own target, period, and “if short” preference.
Reach out to your NewWave contact to adjust a retainer on a live campaign.