Porter Road, creator engine
Creators who cook the box on camera
Ten creators cooking Porter Road boxes on camera, seven videos each per week, judged on cost per 1,000 views.
- creators live by week six
- 10
- creator videos a month at the full roster
- 303
- weeks from the first creator to the full roster
- 5
The butcher picks the cuts. I just cook.
A creator opens The Perfectly Imperfect Bundle on camera: 10 lbs of pasture raised beef and pork, $7.50 per lb, cuts chosen by the butchers.
Illustrative postContents
Part 1 of 15
Summary
| Roster | Ten creators live in six weeks | Two creators go live each week, from 0 to 10 (Proposed). Losers are replaced early. |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Home cooks and grill people | People who already cook on camera: Family Bundle dinners, Pork Porterhouse on the grill, Grilling Heroes Box. |
| Production | Seven videos per creator per week | At ten creators that is 303 creator videos monthly, enough to test one variable at a time. |
| Pay | Three bands, $300 to $800 fee | Caps run from $600 to $1,500 by band. Monthly ceiling at the top cap for all ten: $15,000, bonuses excluded. |
| Bonus | $50 flat past 100,000 views | One bonus per creator per month, organic views only. Cap bonuses are $300, $500 and $700 by band. |
| Compliance | Claims sheet from the brand's own words | Creators quote only Porter Road's wording on hormones, antibiotics and pasture. Anything else goes back before posting. |
| Category rule | Food: no health outcome claims | Taste, texture, price and cooking only. Sourcing claims use the site's literal words. |
| Goal | $1 per 1,000 views | The simulator starts at $5.74. It needs 4.2% of videos to go viral, or a median of 21,711 views. |
| Report | Every Monday, one page | Views, cost per 1,000 views, winning hooks and the formats we killed early. |
| Decision | Approve the first two creators | You approve the claims sheet and the first two creators. I run the briefs, edits and reports from there. |
Part 1 of 15, continued
The program in numbers
- Creators live at full roster
- 10
- Proposed
- Videos per creator per week
- 7
- Proposed
- Creator videos a month
- 303
- Calculated
- Base pay per creator
- $1,000
- Proposed
- Bonus past 100,000 views
- $50
- Proposed
- Bonus at the top cap of the highest band
- $700
- Calculated
- Program cost a month, bonuses included
- $10,050
- Calculated
- Views a month at the assumptions
- 1.8M
- Calculated
- Cost per 1,000 views
- $5.74
- Calculated
- Target cost per 1,000 views
- $1
- Proposed
Part 2 of 15
Track record
Former COO of Tabs. I built its creator program to 100M monthly social impressions, and the paid ad engine alongside it. The numbers below come from videos that program produced.
At Tabs I ran the creator program and the paid engine beside it. Here the loop is the same: brief, shoot, change one variable, kill losers early, pay for results. The product changes to Porter Road boxes and cuts. I have never run a meat or food-delivery program, so the first weeks are test weeks.
- monthly social impressions at Tabs
- 100M+
- views on one reel
- 17.7M
- views on one video
- 8M
- views on one video
- 6.5M
Part 3 of 15
Why now
10,476
reviews shown on the page
Porter Road already shows 10,476 reviews. That is proof a creator can point to, and a source of hooks to test.
Published15%
off every subscription order
Save 15% on every order when you subscribe. A creator video can end on that offer, already in the brand's own words.
Published$125+
free shipping on a la carte orders
A la carte orders of $125+ ship free, and subscriptions ship free every 2, 4, or 8 weeks. Easy line for a video to end on.
Published
Part 4 of 15
Principles
One variable per test
Each video changes one thing: the hook, the cut or the ending. Ten creators at seven videos each give 303 videos monthly, enough to read what wins.
Pay the base, reward the breakout
Fees by band, plus a $50 flat bonus past 100,000 views. Nobody earns more for saying more than the claims sheet allows.
One number to protect
Cost per 1,000 views against a $1 target. The simulator starts at $5.74, so the first job is finding what moves it.
One channel, in writing
Briefs, claim questions, drafts and reports live in one team workspace, so a Porter Road lead can answer in minutes, not meetings.
Part 4 of 15, continued
One channel for everything
#briefs
Briefs, drafts, reviews and the weekly numbers
MarcusMon 8:30 AM
This week's brief: open a Build Your Own Box on camera, say which cuts you picked, end on the Subscribe & Save offer. One hook per video, please.
TessaMon 11:20 AM
Can I say our beef is grass-fed? My box has dry aged steaks.
Not for the whole shop. Say dry aged for beef. Grass-fed only on the Hickory Nut Gap cuts that are named grass-fed, by name.
Report botAppMon 9:00 AM
Weekly report ready: videos posted, views, cost per 1,000 views against the $1 target, top hook, and the formats flagged to kill.
MarcusWed 11:15 AM
Draft back, Tessa. The line about it being healthier has to go. Keep the sear and the price per lb. Please reshoot the first three seconds.
Report botAppFri 4:00 PM
Dario's Pork Porterhouse video passed 100,000 views, organic only. The $50 flat bonus is queued for review against the claims sheet.
MarcusThu 2:10 PM
Quick check, Dario: is the Pork Porterhouse in your shot the one listed at $22.00? Confirm before you post.
Yes, $22.00. Filmed on the grill, price said once, no health lines.
The messages illustrate the working channel, with invented people: briefs go out on Monday, claims questions get an answer the same day, and nothing posts without the check.
Part 5 of 15
Formats
Brief 01
Build Your Own Box unboxing
“I picked every cut in this box. Here's what I chose.”
Overhead shot of the box opening one cut at a time, price on screen, end on the Subscribe & Save line.
Brief 02
Dry aged steak in the skillet
“This is what dry aged steak looks like in a hot skillet.”
Close on the sear in a hot pan, hands only, sizzle sound, slice at the end. No claims beyond dry aged.
Brief 03
Smash burger night
“Smash burgers from dry aged ground beef. Watch this.”
Side view of the smash on a flat top, one take, ending on the first bite with the pack on the counter.
Brief 04
Grill for a crowd
“The Pork Porterhouse is the cut I grill for a crowd.”
Backyard grill, guests in the background, show the cut raw then done, say the name and $22.00 once.
Brief 05
Family Bundle dinner
“This Family Bundle feeds my whole table. Here's what's inside.”
Lay the bundle out on a counter, name each item, say $215.00, finish with one dinner plated.
Every product line in a video comes off the claims sheet word for word, for example “No hormones No antibiotics Pasture-raised”, “Save 15% on every order when you subscribe.”, “All of our beef is dry aged for maximum flavor!”. Product names are said as printed.
Part 6 of 15
Recruiting
Four sources in
Customers already filming meat
Buyers who post their own cooking videos with delivered boxes. They know the cuts and need little product briefing.
Home cook and grill channels
Creators who cook dinner on camera every week: skillet, burger and grill. They fit the cuts Porter Road sells.
Family and meal-planning creators
Parents who film weeknight dinners for a table. They fit the Family Bundle and the subscription offer.
Affiliate or ambassador page
No affiliate or ambassador page was found on the site, so there is no existing program to inherit. Recruiting starts from zero, outside any page.
Five filters, fewer each step
1Cooks on camera
Real cooking in the last ten posts, not talking heads.
2Clean claims record
No health outcome claims in past food posts.
3Real audience
Comments from real viewers, not copy-paste emojis.
4Reads a brief
Sends a hook idea back before filming the first video.
5Fits the box
Cooks fresh meat at home and can film a Porter Road box.
Part 7 of 15
Who we want
Weeknight family cook
Cooks for a full table and wants one box that covers the dinners.
Likely product: Family Bundle
Backyard griller
Films fire, tongs and friends. The cut is the star of the shot.
Likely product: Grilling Heroes Box
Burger obsessive
Tests smash, thickness and blends on a flat top, take after take.
Likely product: Hickory Nut Gap 100% Grass-Fed Smash Burger Blend
Budget meal prepper
Shows the price per lb and what 10 lbs turns into on the stove.
Likely product: The Perfectly Imperfect Bundle
Gift giver
Films a gift reveal and the reaction of whoever opens it.
Likely product: Digital Gift Card
Steak night couple
Dinner for two, one skillet, one cut, one sauce.
Likely product: Petite Picanha
Left off, every time
Never: creators who make health or cure claims, who put the meat against other brands by name, who post cooking they did not film themselves, or who skip the claims sheet. Category rule: for food, only the brand's own wording on hormones, antibiotics and pasture.
Part 8 of 15
First twenty
- Skillet-first home cooks who film dinner weekly
- Backyard grillers with a recurring Sunday cook
- Smash burger testers who compare blends
- Parents who plate weeknight dinners for a family table
- Meal-prep creators who show price per pound
- Couples who film steak night at home
- Butcher-counter regulars who explain cuts
- Slow cooker and set-it-and-forget-it cooks
- Pulled pork and barbecue hobbyists
- Brunch creators who cook bacon and eggs
- Gift-box creators who film reveals
- Charcuterie board builders
- Small-kitchen cooks showing a freezer stock-up
- Holiday hosts who plan a ham dinner
- Outdoor cooks with charcoal and wood chunks
- Subscription-box reviewers who film unboxings
- Cooking teachers who explain one cut per video
- Budget grocery creators who compare cost per pound
- Home cooks tasting dry aged beef for the first time
- Home cooks curious about pasture-raised food
Part 9 of 15
Claims sheet
Approved, word for word
Quoted exactly as the brand publishes it.
“No hormones No antibiotics Pasture-raised”
On-screen text and voiceover in any format
“Save 15% on every order when you subscribe.”
Ending line of the Build Your Own Box unboxing
“All of our beef is dry aged for maximum flavor!”
Steak and burger formats, said about beef only
“Free of antibiotics, hormones, and GMOs.”
Voiceover on any cut, read as the brand's own line
“You get 10 lbs of pasture raised beef and pork.”
The Perfectly Imperfect Bundle unboxing
“Choose Your Delivery Every 2, 4, or 8 Weeks, Cancel Anytime.”
Subscription close of any box video
Never said
Each one with the reason it stays out.
Eating this meat makes you healthier
Health outcome. Only the brand's own sourcing wording is allowed.
Better than any grocery store meat
Comparison the site does not make and cannot be backed up.
Everything in the shop is grass-fed
The site names grass-fed only on the Hickory Nut Gap cuts.
Free shipping on every order, everywhere
Free shipping depends on the state tier and on $125+ for a la carte orders.
It always ships in a few days
The site has warned of shipping delays, and Sitka Seafood Market items may take up to 10 business days.
It's organic
The site never says organic. It says pasture-raised.
To confirm with the brand
Held until someone on the brand side signs off.
Free shipping nationwide
The site says to check the map for the tier in each state. Confirm the wording before any video uses it.
Current beef prices
The site announced a beef price increase. Check the product page on the day you film.
Part 10 of 15
Pay
Starter
$300–600
a month, by band
Starter: a creator proving they can cook on camera and hit the brief on time.
Bonus at the cap: $300
Standard
$500–1,000
a month, by band
Standard: a steady poster who already moves views on food content and takes feedback fast.
Bonus at the cap: $500
Premium
$800–1,500
a month, by band
Premium: a creator with a real food audience whose videos we expect to reach past the base.
Bonus at the cap: $700
Under 100,000 views
$0
The base pay covers the work.
100,000 views
+$50 flat
Whatever the band.
1,000,000 views
Top-up to your cap
Bonus = band cap − base pay.
- One bonus per creator per month, however many videos break through.
- The bonus is judged per video: a video that passes 100,000 views earns $50 flat.
- Organic views only: boosts and views from the brand's own ads do not count.
- No bonus on a video that broke the claims sheet or the category rule, even if it went far.
Starter: $600 cap − $300 fee = $300 bonus; Standard: $1,000 cap − $500 fee = $500 bonus; Premium: $1,500 cap − $800 fee = $700 bonus.
The bonus pays for reach after the work is done, never instead of it. One bonus per creator per calendar month keeps it an incentive and keeps the program cost predictable.
Part 11 of 15
Simulator
At ten creators the program lands near 1.8M views for $10,050, or $5.74 per 1,000 views. To reach $1, 4.2% of videos go viral or the median video hits 21,711 views.
Program facts
Porter Road creator engine, per month
- Monthly cost
- $10,050
- Base pay
- $10,000
- Est. bonuses
- $50
- Videos / month
- 303
- Est. views / month
- 1.8M
- Cost per 1,000 views
- $5.74
Above the $1 target at these inputs.
To hit $1, the roster needs about 10.1M views a month. That means about 4.2% of videos going viral, or a median near 22K views per video. That is why the day-90 gate exists: keep the accounts that clear it, replace the rest.
Proposed, not measured. Views = videos × median, breakouts at 10× the median, viral at 750K. Bonus: +$50 for a viral video, one per creator per month.
Part 11 of 15, continued
What moves the result
| If the median is | Views / month | Monthly cost | Cost / 1K | Hits target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 750 | 1.4M | $10,050 | $6.96 | No |
| 1,500 | 1.8M | $10,050 | $5.74 | No |
| 3,000 | 2.4M | $10,050 | $4.24 | No |
| If the viral share is | Views / month | Monthly cost | Cost / 1K | Hits target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.3% | 1.2M | $10,000 | $8.44 | No |
| 0.5% | 1.8M | $10,050 | $5.74 | No |
| 1% | 2.9M | $10,150 | $3.52 | No |
The math. Videos a month = 10 creators × 7 a week × 52 ÷ 12 = 303. Views per video = (1 − 4% − 0.5%) × 1,500 + 4% × 10 × 1,500 + 0.5% × 750,000 = 5,782.5; 303 videos × 5,782.5 = 1.8M views a month. Cost = 10 × $1,000 = $10,000 base + 1 bonus × $50 = $10,050. Cost per 1,000 views = $10,050 ÷ 1.8M × 1,000 = $5.74 against a $1.00 target. To hit the target, either 4.2% of videos go viral or the median video reaches 21,711 views, other inputs held.
Move the sliders and the label recalculates. The result is only as good as the guesses behind it, so the median views, the share of breakouts and the share of viral videos are marked as Assumptions until the first month of posts replaces them.
Part 12 of 15
Phases
| Item | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creators live | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Videos a week | 0 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 56 | 70 |
| Base pay a month | $0 | $2,000 | $4,000 | $6,000 | $8,000 | $10,000 |
Warm-up
Claims sheet and first two creators
The brand approves the claims sheet. Two creators go live first, on the Starter band, with one brief and the Build Your Own Box format.
Month 1
Ramp to ten creators
Two more creators every week up to 10 (Proposed). Seven videos per creator per week. Losers killed early, hook library started.
Month 2
Ten creators, 303 videos
Ten creators posting 303 creator videos monthly. One variable per test. First bonuses at $50 flat for videos past 100,000 views.
Month 3
Keep what moves the number
Cut formats that miss the $1 target. Move strong creators to higher bands and replace the weakest.
Quarter end
Read the program
Compare actual cost per 1,000 views with the simulator's $5.74. Decide which formats go to paid and which cuts get more creators.
Monthly ceiling
$15,000, bonuses excluded
All ten creators at the top cap is the most the base can cost. Bonuses sit on top and are paid only on organic breakouts.
$15,000 Monthly ceiling, all 10 creators at the top cap, bonuses excluded Proposed
The roster grows by two creators a week, so hook performance can be read week over week instead of by anecdote.
Part 13 of 15
Weekly report
Every Monday: videos posted, views, cost per 1,000 views against the $1 target, which hooks won on Porter Road cuts, and which formats we killed.
Creator engine, last 4 weeks
Target $1 per 1,000 organic views Illustrative
- Creators reporting
- 5
- Posts last week
- 32
- Avg cost per 1,000 views
- $8.94
- Bonuses owed
- $0
- Keep / Watch / Replace
- 1 / 1 / 3
| Creator | Band | Format | Posts | Median | Best | Cost / 1K | Bonus | Flags | Call |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creator A | Starter | Build Your Own Box unboxing | 7 | 2.1K | 25K | $3.37 | $0 | None | Keep |
| Creator B | Standard | Dry aged steak in the skillet | 7 | 1.4K | 8.4K | $9.83 | $0 | Claim check | Replace |
| Creator C | Premium | Smash burger night | 6 | 1.8K | 54K | $7.94 | $0 | None | Watch |
| Creator D | Starter | Grill for a crowd | 5 | 900 | 3.6K | $12.99 | $0 | Over cap? | Replace |
| Creator E | Standard | Family Bundle dinner | 7 | 1.2K | 11K | $10.59 | $0 | Release missing | Replace |
| All creators | not applicable | not applicable | 32 | 1.5K | 54K | $8.94 | $0 | not applicable | not applicable |
Illustrative rows with invented creators, coherent with the pay bands above. Keep means the cost per 1,000 views is at or under the program average, Watch is up to half again over it, and Replace is anything higher.
Part 14 of 15
Organic to paid
From organic to paid
Pick the winners
Videos that clear the $1 target on organic views go on a shortlist, with the hook and format noted in the report.
Ask for rights
The creator agrees in writing to let Porter Road run the video as an ad, with their handle on it.
Test as an ad
The video runs against the brand's own best ad. One variable changes: the ending or the first three seconds.
Scale or retire
If it holds cost, it gets more budget and a second creator copies the hook. If not, it is retired.
From the video to the checkout
- Boxes: end on Build Your Own Box and the Subscribe & Save offer.
- A la carte: end on free shipping for orders of $125+.
- Gifts: send the Digital Gift Card video to the gift card page.
- Curated boxes: point to Curated Boxes with delivery every 2, 4, or 8 weeks, cancel anytime.
- Single cuts: link the exact product page, like Pork Porterhouse, shown in the video.
Part 15 of 15
Category rules
Food rules for Porter Road creators
Meat is food, and food has plain rules. The brand's words are the ceiling for sourcing. Taste, texture and technique are open to creators.
Sourcing: the site's words only
Hormones, antibiotics and pasture are said exactly as the site writes them: No hormones No antibiotics Pasture-raised. Nothing added.
No health outcomes
No claim that the meat makes anyone healthier, stronger or leaner. The subject is taste, texture, how to cook the cut and what it costs.
Prices exactly as shown
Quote a price as the product page shows it, like $22.00 for the Pork Porterhouse. The site has announced a beef price increase, so check on the day you film.
Shipping: check your state
Free shipping depends on the state tier and on $125+ for a la carte orders. Say check your state, not free everywhere.
Handle meat safely on camera
Keep raw and cooked apart and wash hands. For the Whole Boneless Ham, show thawing in the refrigerator 3 days before serving, as the site advises.
Disclose the partnership
Every post carries the platform's paid partnership label and a clear disclosure. A creator who hides it is out of the program.
The brand’s legal team sets the final rules. This is the operating floor I’d start from, not legal advice.