Three real ways to run a clipping campaign. Each one has a real downside — including ours.
There's no universally "best" model — there's a tradeoff between cost, your time, and quality control, and each approach lands differently on that tradeoff. An open marketplace is cheapest and fastest to start but puts the review work on you. A managed agency costs more but takes the review and fraud-checking off your plate. Building in-house gives you the most control but only pays off at real scale.
| Open marketplace | Managed agency (Bounty) | In-house | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup time | Minutes — fund a bounty and go | One day from signed brief to live | Weeks to months to build the operation |
| Who writes the brief | You | We do, from what you send us | You |
| Submission review | Varies by platform — some review, some don't | Every submission reviewed before payout | Whatever you build |
| Fraud & view verification | Varies — check before you fund | Checked before a cent moves | Whatever you build |
| Your ongoing time | High — you review every submission | Low — you approve, we run it | Highest — it becomes a real team function |
| Cost structure | No management fee, pay per view | Pay per verified view, plus a fee agreed on the call | Fixed cost regardless of volume |
| Best for | Brands with the bandwidth to run it themselves | Brands who want the reach without running review | A small number of brands at real scale |
Right if you have someone on your team who can write a real brief and actually review submissions. If you don't, an unreviewed campaign is where fraud and off-brand content slip through.
Right if you want the reach without becoming a full-time reviewer. You're paying for the management, not just the clips — that's a real cost, not a hidden one.
Right if you're running enough volume that the fixed cost of building a team and tooling pays for itself. For most brands, that threshold is higher than it looks.
An open marketplace, upfront — there's no management fee built in. But factor in your own time cost: writing the brief, reviewing submissions, and catching fraud is work someone still has to do.
Depends on what your time is worth and whether you have the bandwidth to review submissions and catch fraud yourself. If you don't, the management is the product, not overhead.
Mainly at a scale where the ongoing volume justifies the fixed cost of building and staffing it — which is a small number of brands. For everyone else, the setup cost outweighs what you'd save on fees.
A managed agency, since submissions are reviewed before payout. Open marketplaces vary — some verify, some don't — so check before you fund a bounty there.
No pitch deck, no commitment — just a 30-minute call about which model actually fits.
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