Step 1 — the value of a result
A first order on a ₹1,299 product at 40% margin with one repeat order expected is worth about ₹1,000 over the year. Write it down per product; everything else is a fraction of it.
Step 2 — the cost per counted result
On a per-result platform this is the reward plus the fee, per creator: a ₹150 reward is ₹172.50 per counted order. On a per-post deal, divide the fee by the results the creator's link counted — which is why the link matters even when you pay a flat fee.
Step 3 — net the reversals
Returned orders and rejected applications come off. Judge creators on net results after the return window, not on the day-one spike.
Step 4 — decide per creator
Cost under value: rebook, invite to a private campaign with a better reward. Cost near value: brief differently (the placement, not the creator, is often the problem — a bio link converting while stories do not). Cost over value: let the automatic reward stop spending there.
What to ignore
Impressions, reach, engagement rate. They are the platform's numbers about attention, not yours about results. Use them to choose whom to try, never to decide whom to pay.