Each feature on Posted serves a different purpose. Understanding the differences helps you pick the right approach — or combine them for maximum results.
Quick Overview
Contests Creators compete by posting content and driving views. You set a prize pool, and winners are determined by performance. Best for big brand moments and attracting larger creators.
Deals Creators submit videos with a bid (their price). You review each submission, negotiate if needed, and only pay for what you approve. Best for full control and ad-ready content.
Autopilot Campaigns You set one daily Performance Budget. Creators submit content, AI checks it against your brief, and Posted tests the most promising videos as paid ads and scales the winners. Creators earn a share of the ad spend. Best for performance, testing at scale, and driving traffic or app installs.
You can start for free, but you do need to upload funds into your wallet to launch a campaign (minimum $50).
Side-by-Side
Contests | Deals | Autopilot Campaigns | |
You pay | A prize pool (from $5,000), charged at launch | The price you agree per approved video | A daily Performance Budget (min. $70/day) |
Creators earn | Prizes based on leaderboard rank | Their bid | A share of the ad spend on their video (10% commission) |
Approval | Posted team reviews the contest | You approve every video | Automatic, AI checks against your brief |
Measured by | Organic views | Your judgement | Paid ad results (clicks, CTR, CPC) |
Paid boosting included | No | No | Yes, the most promising approved videos are tested as ads |
Best for | Big brand moments, reach | Control, ad-ready UGC | Performance, traffic, app installs |
Content ownership | You own winning content + ad codes | You own approved content + ad codes | No, content stays with the creators |
Contests
How it works: You create a contest with a prize pool (starting from $5,000). Creators submit content and post it to their social channels. The leaderboard ranks submissions by views, and top performers win prizes.
You should use Contests when:
You want a big brand moment with high visibility
You're looking to attract larger, more established creators
You already know a content format that works and want to scale it
You want massive organic reach across many creator profiles
You're comfortable with a fixed budget upfront
Key characteristics:
Prize pool is paid upfront
Leaderboard ranks creators by performance
All content is posted organically on creator profiles
You own all winning content and the ad codes (Spark Ads for TikTok, Instagram ad codes for Instagram)
Great for generating buzz and testing formats at scale
Deals
How it works: You post a brief and creators submit custom videos along with their bid (what they want to be paid). You review each submission, approve or deny it, request revisions, or negotiate the price. You only pay for content you love.
You should use Deals when:
You want full control over what you pay and what you approve
You need ad-ready UGC with predictable costs
You want to negotiate directly with creators
You prefer manual review over automated approval
You're building a library of high-quality content for paid ads
Key characteristics:
No upfront commitment — pay only when you approve
Full approval control with ability to request revisions
Negotiate pricing with individual creators
Best for building relationships with top creators
You own all approved content and the ad codes (Spark Ads for TikTok, Instagram ad codes for Instagram)
Autopilot Campaigns
How it works: You set a daily Performance Budget. Creators submit content, AI automatically reviews it against your brief, and Posted tests the most promising approved videos as paid ads on TikTok or Instagram. The best performers get more budget automatically. Creators earn a share of the ad spend on their videos.
You should use Autopilot when:
You want to pay for real ad performance, not flat fees or views
You want to drive website traffic or app installs
You want to test many creatives and angles in one campaign
You want winners scaled automatically, without managing ads yourself
You're comfortable letting AI handle approvals based on your brief
Key characteristics:
One daily Performance Budget, split between testing, winners and creator commission
The most promising approved videos are tested as paid ads
Spend shifts automatically to the best performers
Track impressions, views, clicks, CTR and CPC
Pause new submissions or the whole campaign at any time, block creators, or remove single videos from boosting
Content stays with the creators: no ownership or usage rights (use Deals for content you own)
Choosing the Right Feature
Choose Contests if:
You have a budget of $5,000+ and want a big brand push
You want to attract larger creators who thrive in competition
You're scaling a proven content format
Organic reach across many profiles is a priority
Choose Deals if:
You want maximum control over every piece of content
Predictable pricing and manual approval matter most
You're building ad-ready content with specific requirements
You prefer negotiating and building creator relationships
Choose Autopilot if:
You want results you can measure — clicks, traffic, installs
You want to test lots of creatives and scale the winners
You'd rather pay for performance than per video
You're comfortable writing a clear brief and letting Autopilot handle the rest
Combining Features
You don't have to choose just one. Many brands run multiple features in parallel:
Autopilot + Deals: Use Autopilot to discover which hooks and creators perform, then use Deals to produce high-quality, controlled versions of your winning formats that you own, with full usage rights
Contests + Deals: Run a Contest for a big brand moment, then use Deals to continue working with top-performing creators afterward
All three: Test and scale with Autopilot, refine with Deals, and create buzz with Contests
Think of each feature as a different tool. The best results often come from using them together.
What Happened to CPM Deals?
CPM deals have been replaced by Autopilot campaigns. You can no longer launch new CPM deals, but CPM deals that are already active stay active until you pause them. Once paused, a CPM deal can't be resumed.
Still Not Sure?
If you're not sure which feature is right for your goals, book a strategy call with our team. We'll help you figure out the best approach for your brand.