TL;DR: Start by defining what you want your program to achieve — more revenue, more content, or both. Then build a tier structure that drives creators toward those goals. Your tiers only work if creators can actually move through them. The most common mistake is setting thresholds that look good on paper but that most creators never reach. Design your tiers as a funnel — an easy entry point, milestones that reward progress along the way, and top tiers that feel earned but not impossible. If new creators join and never make it past the first level, the rest of your incentive structure doesn't matter.

Use this guide to plan how you want to structure your creator program's tiers, rewards, and milestones before setting them up in LoudCrowd.

Tiered incentives let you create performance-based levels within your creator program. Creators move up (or down) tiers based on the results they drive — like revenue generated or content posted. Each tier can offer different rewards and commission rates, motivating creators to stay active and grow.

Think of it like a loyalty program for your creators: the more they contribute, the better their perks.

A note on e-commerce platforms: All of the features described in this guide are fully supported on Shopify. If your brand runs on a custom e-commerce setup, some reward fulfillment options (like auto-generated discount codes or product-scoped discounts) may require additional configuration or workarounds. Your LoudCrowd team will flag anything that applies to your specific setup.

A tier is a level within your program. Each tier has:

Milestones are individual goals that creators work toward to unlock a specific reward. There are two types:

This is how often the system reviews creator performance and reassigns tiers. Options:

The following metrics can be used for tier qualification and milestone goals:

For tier qualification, you can set goals based on Posts and/or Revenue. When both are set, a creator must meet both to qualify.

For milestone tasks, you can use any of the five metrics above.

When a task or milestone uses the Posts deliverable, you can optionally scope it to a specific platform or content type. To set this up, go to Programs > Tiers > select a tier > Add monthly activity reward (or Add milestone reward), choose Approved Posts as the deliverable, and a Platform dropdown will appear below.

**Note:** The Content Type dropdown only appears when Instagram is selected as the platform. TikTok does not support content type filtering — selecting TikTok counts all TikTok posts. Changing the deliverable type away from Posts automatically clears any platform or content type selection.

When no filter is set, all posts across all platforms count (the default). You can combine platform and content type — for example, "Post 2 Instagram Reels this month."

This is especially useful for brands that value content types differently (e.g., Reels have broader organic reach than Stories) or want to incentivize activity on a specific platform.

What creators see: When a task has platform or content type filtering, the Creator Hub task card and progress bar reflect the filter automatically. A task set to "5 Instagram Stories" shows creators "Make 5 Instagram Stories to earn" and tracks progress as "3 of 5 Instagram Stories." The tier summary in the brand app also reflects the configuration — for example, "10 Instagram Stories" or "5 TikTok posts."

Note: Platform and content type filtering only applies to the Posts deliverable. Revenue, Sales, New Customers, and Impressions goals always count across all platforms.

Each tier can include multiple rewards across these categories:

Each incentive tier can be linked to a commission tier, which controls the creator's affiliate commission rate. When a creator moves to a new tier, their commission rate updates automatically.

Commission tiers support:

Creators in manual tiers are not affected by automatic evaluation — they stay put unless you move them.

Core KPI: Revenue + content (hybrid). The brand wants creators posting consistently AND driving sales.

What the data showed:

Evaluation period: Quarterly (3 months)

Milestones that bridge the gap between tiers:

Monthly tasks:

Platform-specific tasks (optional): If the brand values Reels and TikTok content more than other post types, they can create separate tasks scoped by platform or content type:

This lets brands reward higher-effort content types at a premium rate without changing the overall tier structure.

Why this works: Silver is easy to enter, so new creators feel included immediately. Milestones give Silver creators small wins on the path to Gold. Platinum is exclusive (max 10 spots) — it's a status, not just a payout. Monthly tasks keep Gold and Platinum creators engaged between evaluation periods.

Core KPI: Revenue. The brand's creators are strong sellers — the goal is to reward top earners and push the middle tier to sell more.

What the data showed:

Evaluation period: Monthly

Milestones that bridge the gap:

Monthly tasks:

Why this works: Starter has no qualification barrier — everyone's in from day one. The commission jump from 8% → 12% → 18% is the primary motivator. Milestones keep Starter creators engaged while they build toward Pro qualification. Elite is capped at 10, creating real competition and status.

Core KPI: Content volume and brand awareness. Most creators are micro-influencers — they post often but revenue is secondary.

What the data showed:

Evaluation period: Monthly

Milestones that bridge the gap:

Monthly tasks:

Why this works: For a content-first program, the incentives lean into posting and impressions rather than revenue pressure. Community is ultra-low barrier. Milestones celebrate content consistency, not just sales. Ambassador is manual/invite-only — the brand hand-picks top creators and they're never demoted, which builds loyalty.

Work through these with your LoudCrowd team before building your tiers.

Start with the behavior you want

Build progression that feels achievable

Use milestones to bridge the gap

Differentiate tiers beyond just money

Platform & content type goals

Special rules

Once you've filled out the worksheet above, share it with your LoudCrowd team and we'll set everything up in the platform together.