6 Best Practices for Creator Programs: A Study of 50+ Creator Programs

Creator Programs are, to put it lightly, kind of our thing. We think about them, read about them, sometimes dream about them, and most importantly, help publishers and game developers implement and launch them on a daily basis. 

Having built creator programs and advised numerous publishers on how a program will drive growth for their game, we’ve amassed expertise in the space that we want to share with studios that are considering implementing their own Support-a-Creator program.

After studying 50 of the most successful creator programs across the gaming, fashion, and beauty industries, we’ve pinpointed six best practices that make the best programs so successful. These practices boost engagement, retention, and revenue, making them essential for any creator program. 

Missing out on a well-implemented creator program means missing out on higher player engagement, stronger community bonds, and, ultimately, greater game success.

1. Make your creator program performance-based

Revenue sharing with content creators is the foundation and most consequential piece of all successful Support-a-Creator programs. Without it, you’re unable to develop a properly aligned incentive structure with content creators and, therefore, won’t be able to see their enormous impact on player spending, engagement, and retention.

The creator programs for Fortnite and Supercell games, such as Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, are preeminent examples of performance-based creator programs.

These programs have seen creators drive tremendous amounts of revenue through their creator codes. Ninja, at his peak in Fortnite, made $5 million in one month as a result of his community using his creator code, which means Fortnite made many more times that in revenue directly tied to Ninja. Similarly, in 2020, Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen reported that there had been 70 million Creator Boost purchases made by 23 million players. 

While these two programs have assigned a flat revenue share (5%) to all SKUs, newer creator programs choose to make the revenue share more dynamic to better fit monetization goals. For the revenue share to be considered dynamic, publishers dial it in with: 

• Creator tiers, e.g., more dedicated creators earn more per purchase, 

• SKU, e.g., creators earn more on battle pass purchases versus currency packs

• In-game events, e.g., creators receive a higher revenue share at the start of a season

• Platform, e.g., creators earn a higher revenue share for webshop purchases via in-app purchases where the Apple/Google fees are still at play

Don’t bury this growth driver deep in your game's UI. 

Players who support content creators play more, spend more, and retain longer than players who don’t, so you should want as many players as possible to support and interact with the content creators who promote your game. 

What does this mean for your game? 

Well, it’s pretty simple: Make it easy for players to enter their favorite content creator’s code. Whether it’s in-game settings or during checkout, it should be intuitive for players. Bonus points if there is some period of code permanence (e.g., codes stay attributed in a player’s account for 7 days, 30 days, or permanently). 

You should also build positive reinforcement into the creator support UI. When players support content creators, give them a positive indicator like Ninja Kiwi's creator code UI, as shown below. 

3. Encourage Deeper Engagement Between Players and Content Creators

Promoting direct interactions between players and content creators strengthens community bonds and enhances in-game engagement and retention.

You’re probably wondering: How do I get players to interact with content creators and, in effect, become more engaged players?

This can be done in a number of ways, but one high-level way is by integrating content made by creators into your game. Supercell does this through their “Video Inbox,” which is an in-game video feed populated by creators in their program. Creators can upload their videos or share a live stream via the Video Inbox system and, as a result, reach millions of viewers. Supercell gets engaging content that helps players level up; the creators receive exposure and possibly new followers. Win, win.

4. Leverage the IP and Brand of Creators in the Program

Game devs should consider leveraging the IP of creators in their program by building custom creator SKUs – the sales of which drive incremental revenue and give players another way to interact with content creators in the game.

These SKUs can be one-off items like custom skins, avatars, or emotes that evoke the creator’s brand (e.g., Fornite’s Icon Series) or curated bundles featuring the creator’s favorite in-game items.

Publishers should make these custom items/packs attractive from a value perspective and available for a specific time to 1) give the creator a clear and easy message to share with their audience and 2) so players are incentivized to buy the item in addition to (not instead of) what they typically by to enhance their game experience. 

Scopely very regularly works with creators in their program to put together custom creator bundles. These bundles feature a combination of existing in-game items (emote, skin, and currency), cutting down on engineering time while still giving the creator and their audience a unique limited-time offer.

5. Make creator engagement and retention a priority 

This is no surprise, but a creator program will fail if creators aren’t actively engaged with the game and its community. And so, marketing teams should focus on building a program that keeps creators interested and coming back for more.

Here are four tactics that marketers are using to build successful creator programs: 

Creator Tiers & New Benefits: A tiered system motivates creators to stay active and produce more content, aiming for higher tiers and better benefits. 

Example: MY.GAMES excels in this by clearly listing out Rush Royale Creator Program tiers and benefits and the requirements that creators must meet to advance tiers.

Program Activations/Community Events: Creator programs should have at least one monthly activation, especially if game updates are less frequent. Giving creators something to rally behind and develop content around drives engagement and retention.

Example: Activations can be anything from sales competitions between content creators, larger community competitions, giving bonus items to players who support content creators, or giveaways that creators facilitate within their respective communities.

Exclusive Creator Community: Build a mini-community within your game’s larger player community where creators can exclusively connect and learn from each other. Studios that help facilitate collaboration and connection between content creators give them a reason to keep playing and remain engaged.

Ninja Kiwi does an excellent job of this. Their program's creators, like Tewtity, Sabre, and others, are pillars of the creator and player community and are active within the game’s Discord. 

Creator Education: Help the creators in your program develop professionally. Whether you provide resources that level up their content creator or detailed performance data on how their creator code is performing, it's in everyone's best interest that the individuals in your program grow.

Example: Supercell has built the "Creator Academy", an educational resource that aims to develop the content creation and life skills of smaller creators in the program. From dealing with creator burnout to perfecting software settings, the academy resources are developed by more tenured Supercell content creators.

6. Have an Inclusive Program

Last but not least, it’s best to have an inclusive program, which means welcoming creators with channels of all sizes from different parts of the world and different types of content. Inclusivity leads to a broader reach and more innovative content, ultimately benefiting the entire program and game.

For example, Ninja Kiwi considers UGC map makers part of its creator community, which gives them a way to generate income from the maps they make. Supercell also takes an inclusive stance by welcoming meme creators, community leaders, and other non-traditional content creators to the program.

Putting these best practices into action

Creator programs are not just a trend but a pivotal strategy for driving engagement and revenue in games. By implementing these best practices, studios can build robust and successful creator programs. 

If you want to start building your creator program with the most advanced tools and a short go-to-market timeline, contact the Nexus team!