> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.referly.so/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Social metrics or manual review

> Choose how content reward submissions qualify in Referly: automatic social metrics like views and likes, or manual review of proof. Learn both options.

Every content reward [campaign](/docs/help-center/gamify/content-rewards/campaigns) needs a way to decide whether a submission qualifies and how much it's worth. In the **Criteria** section you choose between two approaches: **Social Metrics**, where the reward is based on the real views or likes a post earns, and **Manual Submission**, where you review the proof yourself and decide.

<Note>
  Whichever you pick, you always have the final say — no submission is ever paid without you [approving it](/docs/help-center/gamify/content-rewards/submissions). Social metrics work out the reward *amount*; they don't approve the post on their own.
</Note>

## Social metrics

With social metrics, the reward is tied to how a post actually performs. You set it up in three parts.

### The platform and metric

Pick the **platform** the post lives on — **YouTube**, **Instagram**, **TikTok**, **X / Twitter**, or **LinkedIn** — and the **metric** that counts: **Views** or **Likes**. Most platforms support both; LinkedIn supports likes only (shown there as **Reactions**).

### How the reward is worked out

You have a few ways to price it:

* **A flat fee per post** — turn on **Pay a flat fee per post** to reward a set amount for each qualifying post, with no minimum to hit. Good for simply paying creators to post.
* **A threshold** — leave the flat fee off to require the post to reach a minimum first: *if their post hits a number of views (or likes), reward them a set amount.* This rewards posts that actually get traction.
* **Pay more for more** — turn on **Reward extra performance** to keep paying as a post grows: for every extra chunk of views or likes, add a bit more, up to a cap you set. A post that keeps performing keeps earning.

### How the numbers are checked

So the metrics are trustworthy, affiliates connect and verify the account they'll post from before they can submit to a social campaign. Referly then reads that specific post's views or likes from the connected account and keeps them up to date over time — which is what lets a reward grow after approval when you've turned on extra performance. If you ever need the latest figures on a submission, you can refresh them (roughly once a day per post).

## Manual submission

With manual submission, there's no automatic metric — the affiliate sends you proof and you decide. By default they get an open text field to describe what they did, and you can also require:

* **At least one image** — for a screenshot of the post or its stats.
* **At least one link** — the URL of the post. You can cap how many links they add and limit them to certain sites (for example, only `x.com`).

For the reward, you choose:

* **Flat rate** — a fixed amount paid on approval, the same for every accepted submission.
* **Custom amount** — you set the exact amount when you approve each submission. You give affiliates a label to show on the campaign card (like *Earn up to \$100* or *Get a free hoodie*), and decide the real figure case by case.

## Which should you use?

* Use **social metrics** when you want to reward reach and let performance set the price automatically — pay-per-view style campaigns, or paying for posts that clear a bar.
* Use **manual submission** when the content lives somewhere you can't measure automatically, when "proof" is a screenshot or a link, or when you want to judge each entry and set its reward yourself.

## Related

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Create a campaign" icon="plus" href="/docs/help-center/gamify/content-rewards/campaigns" arrow>
    Set up the campaign these criteria belong to.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Review submissions" icon="clipboard-check" href="/docs/help-center/gamify/content-rewards/submissions" arrow>
    Approve or reject submissions and set custom amounts.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Content rewards overview" icon="circle-info" href="/docs/help-center/gamify/content-rewards/overview" arrow>
    How content rewards work from start to finish.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Social connections" icon="share-nodes" href="/docs/help-center/settings/portal/social-connections" arrow>
    How affiliates connect the accounts social campaigns measure.
  </Card>
</Columns>
