The short answer
We check every clip before a payout is final. A clip only earns after 2,000 views, goes through a 10 day review with a screen recording of its analytics, and is paid per 1,000 verified views up to a cap. Suspicious clips stay unpaid until we’ve gone through the clipper’s analytics.
Any time money is paid per view, someone will try to fake views. Clipping is no different. If an agency can’t tell you how it catches botted views, assume part of your budget is paying for them.
Here’s exactly what happens between a clip going live and a clipper getting paid on a ClippedIn campaign. New to clipping? Start with What Is a Clipping Agency?
What happens between posting and payout?
- Post and submit. A clipper posts their edit on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube, then submits it to the campaign, usually within about 30 minutes of posting.
- Earn after 2,000 views. A clip only starts earning once it passes 2,000 views. Posts that never reach real people never touch the budget.
- The 10 day check. Before any payout is final, the clip goes through a 10 day review window. The clipper sends us a screen recording of that clip’s analytics, and views and engagement are checked over the whole period, not at one moment.
- Payout, up to the cap. Approved clips are paid per 1,000 verified views, up to the campaign’s per clip cap, usually $100 to $300.
What do we check on every clip?
The brief. Does the clip follow the guidelines? Right audio, right hashtags, right content. A clip that breaks the brief doesn’t get paid, however many views it has.
The engagement pattern. Real views come with real behavior: likes, comments, shares and saves that grow with the view count. A clip with a huge view count and almost no engagement, or views that jump overnight while nothing else moves, gets flagged.
Where the audience is. For campaigns aimed at specific markets, we check the clipper’s own analytics to confirm who actually watched.
Duplicates and reuploads. The same edit posted across several accounts, or a clip lifted from another campaign, doesn’t count twice.
The account. A page with a long history in its niche is very different from an account created last week with sudden numbers.
What happens when something looks off?
We don’t guess. If a clip or account looks suspicious, the clip stays unpaid until we’ve gone through the clipper’s analytics. In some cases our moderators get the clipper on a live call and go through the account’s insights screen by screen before any decision is made.
On one recent campaign, more than 600 clips were held as pending while we waited on analytics. They stayed live and kept collecting views for the client, but none of them were paid until they were verified.
When do we pull back pay?
Verification cuts both ways. We only pull back pay from a clip if it breaks the brief or the guidelines. Clips made to brief and paid fairly stay paid.
That consistency is why strong clippers keep choosing our campaigns, and strong clippers are what get you real views in the first place.
Frequently asked questions
How do you catch fake views?
We look at whether likes, comments, shares and saves grow with the view count. A clip with a huge view count and almost no engagement, or views that jump overnight while nothing else moves, gets flagged.
How long does the check take?
Before any payout is final, each clip goes through a 10 day review window. Views and engagement are checked over the whole period, not at one moment.
What happens to a suspicious clip?
It stays unpaid until we’ve gone through the clipper’s analytics. In some cases our moderators get the clipper on a live call and go through the account’s insights screen by screen.
When does a clip start earning?
Once it passes 2,000 views. Approved clips are paid per 1,000 verified views, up to the campaign’s per clip cap, usually $100 to $300.
Can pay be taken back?
Only if a clip breaks the brief or the guidelines. Clips made to brief and paid fairly stay paid.
What should you ask any agency?
- How long is the check before a payout is final?
- What happens to a clip that looks botted? Is it paid first and questioned later, or held until it’s verified?
- Do you look at the clipper’s own analytics, or only the public view count?
- Is there a cap per clip?
- What’s the rule for pulling back pay, and who decides?
Across all our campaigns, approved clips have passed 100 million verified views. Verified is the word that matters. Book a call and we’ll walk you through how we’d run QC on your campaign.