Joining as a creator: invitations, applications, and retainer offers

Creators open the seller's campaign link or find an opportunity in the creator app, sign in, read the campaign details, and complete its joining steps. Seeing a campaign or receiving a link does not itself enroll the creator.

Public, private, and application-based campaigns

For a campaign that permits immediate joining, completing the required join flow makes the creator a participant. In an application-based campaign, submitting the application puts it into review; pending or under review is not approval. The pending view can show an awaiting-review message instead of the approved participant's content/progress controls.

An invite-only/private campaign restricts joining to allowed creators. A private retainer can also use a personalized offer. A creator without access may not see reward amounts or a join button, even if they have the URL. The seller should check the creator's linked TikTok identity and invitation or offer instead of assuming that sharing the link overrides privacy.

Private access and application approval are separate settings. An invitation can make someone eligible to apply without automatically approving the application.

Requirements before joining

Depending on the campaign, creators may need to verify TikTok, add a phone number, complete payment setup, or connect/join Discord. The campaign guides them to the missing step. Campaign terms appear in the joining flow; a brand's required community usage-rights terms can also require acceptance.

A required phone number and consent to receive SMS reminders are different things. Similarly, linking Discord does not automatically approve a campaign application. See Discord connections and Messages and reminders.

An ended campaign can remain readable for its participants even though its new-join action is disabled. See Results after a campaign ends.

What a creator sees in a retainer

A retainer specifies an agreed amount for required deliverables. The creator sees the offer applicable to them, which may be a personalized amount and post count. Do not compare only the public headline when investigating a creator's negotiated deal.

When negotiation is enabled, the creator can use the campaign's negotiation panel to review and respond to offers. An offer or counteroffer is not yet an accepted agreement. Read the latest state and accepted amount/deliverables on the campaign page. A negotiation message in chat links to that page; the message is a snapshot, not a substitute for checking the current deal.

To respond to a brand's offer:

1. Open the campaign and its negotiation panel. Review the latest offer and conversation history, including the amount and required deliverables.
2. Choose Accept, Counter, or Decline when those actions are available. Accepting or declining has a confirmation step.
3. For a counteroffer, enter the proposed total amount, optionally propose a different deliverable count, and add a message explaining the proposal. Submit it and wait for the brand's response.
4. Return to the campaign to check the resulting agreement. Sending a counteroffer alone does not accept the previous offer or establish a new agreed amount.

The deliverable label follows the retainer's content, such as videos or LIVEs. Use the period being negotiated; a previous accepted period is not automatic acceptance of a new offer. Available actions depend on the current negotiation state, so a creator waiting for the other party may not have the same controls as one receiving a new offer.

Completing the agreed post count is still subject to content eligibility and any other configured requirements, such as a GMV minimum. Additional posts do not automatically multiply the retainer's total payment. See Retainer requirements and negotiations.

Fixed, recurring, and dynamic retainers

Fixed retainers use a shared campaign window. Recurring retainers repeat on the configured weekly or monthly schedule, with progress and rewards evaluated in the relevant period.

Dynamic retainers use an individual deal window. The accepted agreement determines the eligible deal, and the first qualifying post anchors the delivery period. Creators should not assume every participant has the same deadline, or that posts from before the accepted deal fulfill a new deal. The page can offer Start next period when the creator is eligible to renew; negotiation-enabled renewals require the applicable next agreement.

Starting another period does not carry the previous period's deliverables forward as newly completed work. The exact acceptance, first-post, expiry, and renewal rules are in Dynamic retainer periods.

Help a creator who cannot join

Check the signed-in account and verified handle, private invitation or personalized offer, application state, missing join requirements, and whether new participation is still open. These are different from a participant simply revisiting an ended campaign. Approving participation also does not manually assign a contest tier or pay a reward.