Dynamic retainers reference: deal dates, first posts, deadlines, and renewal

A dynamic retainer is a retainer with a separate deal and posting window for each creator. Its period follows that creator's agreement and qualifying posts, rather than a single weekly/monthly calendar shared by everyone.

Dynamic does not mean “pay indefinitely for every video,” “accept every old video,” or “automatically accept whatever rate a creator asks for.” Each period still has deliverables, an agreed/default payment, product eligibility, and a finite duration when configured.

Configure the dynamic offer

In the retainer schedule, select Dynamic, enter the duration in days, and set an optional maximum number of periods. The duration starts from the creator's first qualifying post in the active deal window. A blank maximum period count represents unlimited renewal in the configuration, not a promise to pay for unlimited posts in one period.

Set the required content count, total payment, selected content types, campaign products, any campaign-wide GMV floor, and any personalized creator offer. Configure application approval and negotiation separately. The retainer builder uses cash rewards.

Use Retainers and negotiations for the offer/counteroffer workflow and Campaign settings for access requirements.

Four different dates or events

With negotiation on, acceptance records the deal. With negotiation off, approved participation can establish the initial deal without a negotiated counteroffer. Merely writing “accepted” in ordinary chat is not the negotiation acceptance action.

Worked example with timestamps

Assume a deal for five qualifying videos and $250, with a ten-day duration and three grace days. All times in this example use the same timezone.

1. September 1 at noon: the creator's deal is accepted.
2. A video from September 1 at 10 AM predates the deal and does not qualify for it.
3. September 3 at 2 PM: the first qualifying video is posted. This anchors the ten-day duration.
4. The posting cutoff is the anchor plus ten days: September 13 at 2 PM in this example without a timezone-offset change. This is an elapsed-duration window, unlike a fixed campaign's end-of-calendar-day deadline.
5. With grace-period posting off, a September 14 post is outside the posting window. Metrics on the timely posts can still settle during the remaining grace window.
6. With grace-period posting on, the three grace days extend eligible posting through the anchor plus thirteen days instead.

The creator still needs all five qualifying posts and any configured GMV floor. Time passing, joining, or submitting one link does not earn the full $250 by itself. Consult the displayed period/deadline and payment controls for the actual campaign.

Why the first-post date can change

Cruva uses the earliest qualifying post in the deal's range, not the first post it happened to discover. TikTok can surface content later, and the creator can manually add a previously missing link.

If a September 2 qualifying post appears after the September 3 post, September 2 can become the anchor. That can move the deadline earlier and put a previously displayed later post outside the window. An ineligible pre-deal post should not become the anchor just because it was uploaded manually.

Before the first qualifying post is available, some deadline/expiry/reminder calculations use the deal date as a fallback. Do not promise a creator that waiting indefinitely to make the first post will keep their initial deal open forever.

How content is assigned when there are several deals

Content is assigned using its actual posting time. A post belongs to the applicable active deal range and must also fit that period's first-post-based duration. Once the next deal begins, its posts do not keep adding to the earlier deal merely because the earlier campaign screen is open.

Posts before the first deal or after a period's posting deadline without another applicable deal are outside a valid window. Those gaps are intentional. A late post does not automatically move into a future paid period, and resubmitting the same link later does not change its posting timestamp.

The ordinary only count posts after joining switch is not the rule that opens dynamic deals. Dynamic eligibility uses deal timing, so the ordinary same-calendar-day join allowance is not a reason to count a post from before a deal was accepted.

Renewal with negotiation enabled

The next period is another agreement. The creator can start the next negotiation after the previous period is fulfilled or its window has expired. Brand and creator then take turns offering, counteroffering, accepting, or declining.

Until a new deal is accepted, a negotiation under review does not authorize another paid period. Cruva does not create an accepted negotiated deal simply because another post appeared. Review the accepted amount and required count for the new period; do not assume the previous negotiated amount automatically applies.

Expiry permits the next negotiation; it does not mean an unfulfilled previous deal was earned or paid. Check reward eligibility separately, including the GMV floor when configured.

Renewal with negotiation disabled

For non-negotiated dynamic campaigns, processing can open a subsequent period after the previous duration-plus-grace window expires and later content is available. There is no new counteroffer to accept in this mode. The campaign's configured period limit is intended to stop further renewal.

This is different from starting a new period after every post or automatically renewing immediately when the creator reaches the required count. Check the actual period history and applicable settings. If content appears beyond a configured maximum, ask support to inspect the period assignment rather than assuming an extra payable agreement exists.

A post made during grace while grace-period posting is off may count for neither period: it is late for the previous period and too early for the next one. This can explain a missing post even though the campaign itself still appears active.

Manual submission and error messages

The creator can submit a missing TikTok video/photo link from the campaign content section. Cruva checks its real timestamp and ownership, then assigns it against existing deal windows. Manual submission does not invent an accepted negotiated period or bypass products and dates.

• No active deal/period for this creator: inspect approval and accepted negotiations for that period.
• Video falls outside any active deal window: compare the post with the deal date, first-post anchor, duration, grace-posting switch, and next deal date.
• Previous period is not yet fulfilled or expired: a new negotiation is being attempted before the prior cycle permits it.
• It is not your turn: the last offer/action came from the same party; the other party needs to respond.

When tags or metrics are not available yet, a valid submitted post can appear provisionally. It may later be disqualified for a product mismatch. See Manual content tracking.

Reminders and payments across periods

Use individual SMS or Cruva chat DM reminders for personal deadlines. A shared group announcement cannot express every creator's separate deadline as one personal countdown. Reminder logic uses the active deal and first-post anchor when available, with the deal date as fallback.

Use the period selector and negotiation history to reconcile requirements, progress, and payments. A paid first period does not mean period two is paid. A failed or expired period does not automatically erase earlier earned payments. A payment may also be recorded but held pending Stripe setup; see Payout states.