# How sets work (/docs/brands/videos/how-sets-work)
A set is one piece of content posted to up to four platforms. Learn how Bloss builds sets automatically, when you pair by hand, and the three reasons a set doesn't qualify for pay.
A set is one piece of content a creator posted to up to four platforms — Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook. Bloss pays per set, not per post: a creator who posts the same video on three platforms earns for one set, priced by your rules.
Some screens, such as a creator's **Videos** tab and the base pay settings, call a set a **pair**, and so does the [Campaign API](/docs/developers/concepts#pairs-sets). It's the same thing.
## Why sets [#why-sets]
Most creators cross-post. If Bloss paid every post separately, a creator would earn three times for one idea by uploading it three times. Grouping the posts into a set lets you decide how cross-posting is rewarded:
- **One rate per pair** — the set earns one base amount however many platforms it's on.
- **A rate per platform** — each platform in the set pays its own amount, added up.
You choose this in Settings › Rules › Base pay. See [Base pay rules](/docs/brands/settings/base-pay-rules).
## From post to paid set [#from-post-to-paid-set]
### Sync finds the posts [#sync-finds-the-posts]
Each night, Bloss pulls in new posts and fresh view counts for every **Active** and **Trial** creator. See [Syncing](/docs/brands/videos/syncing).
### Pairing groups them into sets [#pairing-groups-them-into-sets]
Bloss groups each creator's unpaired posts into sets — automatically, or by hand when you need to. A post that matches nothing becomes a **set of one**. That's normal: it wasn't cross-posted.
### The set joins a payout cycle [#the-set-joins-a-payout-cycle]
Every new set belongs to a payout cycle. It's priced with that cycle's rules.
### Bloss judges and prices it [#bloss-judges-and-prices-it]
Bloss checks whether the set **qualifies** under your rules, then works out its base pay and bonus. This repeats after every sync while the cycle is unpaid, so pay follows the latest views.
## Automatic pairing [#automatic-pairing]
Bloss pairs posts automatically during the nightly sync, and whenever you click **Run Full Sync** or **Auto-Pair All Videos** on **Payouts & Cycles**.
### What counts as a match [#what-counts-as-a-match]
Two posts by the same creator, on different platforms, are grouped when they went up close together and either:
- have the **same length**, or
- (if no length match is found) have a **near-identical thumbnail**.
If several posts match, the closest length wins, then the closest posting time. Posts that should be one set but weren't matched can always be [paired by hand](#manual-pairing).
### The order Bloss matches in [#the-order-bloss-matches-in]
1. Each Instagram post is matched with its best TikTok, YouTube and Facebook post.
2. Leftover TikTok posts are matched with leftover YouTube posts.
3. Everything still unmatched becomes a set of one.
Automatic pairing only puts a Facebook post in a set that has an Instagram
post. A creator who posts the same video to TikTok and Facebook only gets two
sets of one — pair them by hand if they belong together.
### Which posts are considered [#which-posts-are-considered]
Auto-pairing runs once for each **unpaid** payout cycle. For each one, it looks at the creator's posts that:
- aren't in a set yet,
- aren't marked [irrelevant](/docs/brands/videos/irrelevant-videos), and
- were posted during that cycle, or during the cycle before it if that one isn't paid yet.
A new set is kept only if at least one of its posts went up inside the cycle. Reaching one cycle back is what lets a post from the last evening of one cycle pair with its cross-post on the first morning of the next.
What this means for you:
- **No cycle, no sets.** If no unpaid cycle covers the dates a creator posted, those posts stay unpaired and show under **No Cycle** on the creator's **Videos** tab. Create the cycle and pair again. See [Payout cycles](/docs/brands/payouts/pay-cycles).
- **Paid cycles are left alone.** Pairing never reaches into a paid cycle.
- **Existing sets aren't rebuilt.** Auto-pairing only groups posts that aren't in a set. If it got one wrong, fix it by hand.
## Manual pairing [#manual-pairing]
Pair by hand when automatic pairing can't know two posts belong together — for example, the creator trimmed the TikTok version, or posted it two days later. You can:
- pick posts and create a new set,
- add a post to an existing set,
- drag a post from one set to another, or out of its set,
- unpair a set back into separate posts.
See [Pairing videos](/docs/brands/videos/pairing-videos).
## When a set qualifies [#when-a-set-qualifies]
A set **qualifies** when it passes your brand's base pay rules. Only a qualifying set earns anything — base pay **and** bonus use the same test, so a set that doesn't qualify pays $0.
There are exactly three reasons a set doesn't qualify.
### 1. It has no posts [#1-it-has-no-posts]
Every post in the set has been marked irrelevant or removed, so there's nothing left to pay for.
**Fix:** restore the posts if they were marked by mistake. See [Irrelevant videos](/docs/brands/videos/irrelevant-videos).
### 2. A required platform is missing [#2-a-required-platform-is-missing]
This only applies when you pay **One rate per pair** and require **Every connected platform**. The set must then include a post on every platform the creator has connected on their profile. Miss one, and the set pays $0.
- "Connected" means the platforms on that creator's own profile. A creator with no YouTube account is never penalized for missing YouTube.
- With **At least one platform**, a set only needs one post on a connected platform.
- With **A rate per platform**, nothing is required: a missing platform adds $0.
Where you'll see it: the set shows **$0 — missing** on the creator's **Videos** tab, with the missing platforms in the tooltip, and **needs TikTok** (for example) in the Video Vault's **Sets** view.
**Fix:** if the creator did post on that platform, the post probably wasn't paired in — [pair it](/docs/brands/videos/pairing-videos) into the set. If the creator no longer uses a platform, remove it from their profile's **Connections**. If you don't need every platform, change the rule.
### 3. It's below the minimum views [#3-its-below-the-minimum-views]
If you set **Minimum views** in Settings › Rules › Base pay, the set has to reach it. How it's measured depends on **How the minimum is measured**:
| Your setting | The set qualifies when… |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Every post must clear it** | every post in the set reaches the minimum. One weak post zeroes the set. |
| **Any one post clears it** | at least one post reaches it. |
| **All posts added together** | the set's combined views reach it, even if no single post does. |
With **A rate per platform**, you choose between two options:
- **Each post on its own**: each platform's post must reach the minimum to pay that platform's rate. The set qualifies if at least one does.
- **All posts added together**: every platform unlocks once the set's combined views reach the minimum.
Where you'll see it: posts under the minimum carry a **Below min** badge on the creator's **Videos** tab.
**Fix:** usually nothing — the set qualifies on its own if its views grow before the cycle is paid. Set **Minimum views** to `0` to turn the rule off.
## Where to check a set [#where-to-check-a-set]
- **Video Vault › Sets view** — a shield marks **Eligible** sets, a question mark means **Not evaluated yet**, and failing sets say what they need. Turn on the **Eligible** filter to see only qualifying content. See [Video Vault](/docs/brands/videos/video-vault).
- **Creator profile › Videos** — every set with its base, bonus and total, grouped by cycle.
## What the verdict is based on [#what-the-verdict-is-based-on]
- **Rules:** the rules of the set's payout cycle. Each cycle keeps a snapshot of your rules, so changing a setting doesn't rewrite cycles that are already set up. See [Changing rules mid-cycle](/docs/brands/settings/changing-rules-mid-cycle).
- **Views:** the latest daily view counts Bloss has recorded.
- **Updated:** after every sync — including sets in paid cycles, so their verdict stays accurate. Re-judging a paid set never changes what was paid.
## What doesn't change whether a set qualifies [#what-doesnt-change-whether-a-set-qualifies]
- [Tags](/docs/brands/videos/tags) and [creator groups](/docs/brands/creators/creator-groups).
- [Dead links](/docs/brands/videos/link-health). A post that's taken down keeps the views and pay it had.
- [Custom pay](/docs/brands/videos/custom-pay). A custom amount replaces the price, not the rules: a set that doesn't qualify still pays $0 until it does.
## Example [#example]
Your brand pays **One rate per pair**, requires **Every connected platform**, and has a **Minimum views** of 1,000 with **Any one post clears it**. A creator has Instagram and TikTok connected.
| Set | Posts | Qualifies? | Why |
| --- | --------------------------------------- | ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| A | Instagram 4,200 views, TikTok 600 views | Yes | Both platforms present; the Instagram post clears 1,000. |
| B | Instagram 9,000 views | No | TikTok is missing. |
| C | Instagram 300 views, TikTok 700 views | No | Both present, but no post reaches 1,000. |
With **All posts added together** instead, set C qualifies: 300 + 700 views is 1,000, and the combined views only have to reach the minimum. Set B still fails — the platform requirement is checked separately.
## Related [#related]
- [Pairing videos](/docs/brands/videos/pairing-videos)
- [Base pay rules](/docs/brands/settings/base-pay-rules)
- [Bonus rules](/docs/brands/settings/bonus-rules)
- [How payouts work](/docs/brands/payouts/how-payouts-work)