# Quickstart for brands (/docs/get-started/quickstart-brands)

Go from a new brand to your first paid payout cycle — pay rules, creators, cycles and payouts.

This guide takes a new brand from setup to its first paid <Term id="cycle">payout cycle</Term>. Each step links to a page with the full detail.

<Steps>
<Step>

### Get a subscribed brand [#get-a-subscribed-brand]

Brands live inside an [agency](/docs/agencies). An agency owner or admin [creates the brand](/docs/agencies/creating-a-brand) and subscribes it to a plan. A brand without an active subscription is locked, so make sure billing is set up first.

If someone else created the brand, they invite you as a brand admin. Accept the invite from your email or from <UiPath>Invitations</UiPath> (see [Invitations](/docs/get-started/invitations)).

</Step>
<Step>

### Open the admin console [#open-the-admin-console]

In the main sidebar, open **My Brands** and click your brand. If you belong to the agency, you can also open the brand from the agency's **Brands** tab and click **Admin Dashboard**.

The admin console opens on **Creator Hub**. A [tour of the admin console](/docs/brands) explains each sidebar item.

<OpenInBloss to="admin">Open your admin console</OpenInBloss>

</Step>
<Step>

### Set your timezone and pay rules [#set-your-timezone-and-pay-rules]

Go to <UiPath>Settings › Rules</UiPath> and work through the cards from the top:

- **Timezone** sets where your days and cycles start and end. See [Timezone](/docs/brands/settings/timezone).
- **Base Pay** sets what a creator earns for each qualifying <Term id="set">set</Term>. See [Base pay rules](/docs/brands/settings/base-pay-rules).
- **Bonus Tiers** add pay for views on top of base pay. See [Bonus rules](/docs/brands/settings/bonus-rules).
- **Trial Settings** decide whether new creators start on a <Term id="trial">trial</Term>. See [Trials](/docs/brands/creators/trials).

<OpenInBloss to="admin/settings?tab=rules">Open Settings › Rules</OpenInBloss>

<Screenshot name="get-started/brand-settings-rules" alt={"Rules tab showing the Timezone and Base Pay cards"} />

</Step>
<Step>

### Choose how you'll pay creators [#choose-how-youll-pay-creators]

In <UiPath>Settings › Integrations</UiPath>, pick a <Term id="payout-provider">payout provider</Term>: Whop or SideShift. You can also pay creators directly outside Bloss and mark payouts as paid. See [Payout providers](/docs/brands/payouts/payout-providers).

</Step>
<Step>

### Invite creators [#invite-creators]

Open **Creators** in the sidebar. You can:

- Click **Invite Creator** to email someone an invitation.
- Use **Invite Links** in the sidebar to share a link that people can join from.
- Click **Add Creators** to add people one by one or from a CSV file.

See [Inviting creators](/docs/brands/creators/inviting-creators).

</Step>
<Step>

### Let creators connect their accounts and post [#let-creators-connect-their-accounts-and-post]

Creators connect their Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook accounts from their creator portal. Bloss then syncs their posts and groups the same video posted on several platforms into one set. See [How sets work](/docs/brands/videos/how-sets-work) and [Syncing](/docs/brands/videos/syncing).

</Step>
<Step>

### Create your first payout cycle [#create-your-first-payout-cycle]

Go to <UiPath>Payouts & Cycles › Cycles</UiPath>, click **New Cycle**, pick the dates and click **Create Cycle**. The cycle saves a copy of your current pay rules, so changing a rule later doesn't change this cycle. See [Payout cycles](/docs/brands/payouts/pay-cycles).

<OpenInBloss to="admin/payout-cycles">Open Payouts & Cycles</OpenInBloss>

</Step>
<Step>

### Review and pay [#review-and-pay]

Make sure your creators' videos are [paired into sets](/docs/brands/videos/pairing-videos) first, or their views won't count. Then, from the cycle's **⋯** menu, click **Generate Payouts** to create a row for each creator. After the cycle ends, click **Recalculate Payouts** so the figures freeze at the end date, and review what each creator earned. Then pay them: **Pay via** your provider, or **Mark as Paid** if you paid them yourself. See [Running a cycle](/docs/brands/payouts/running-a-cycle).

</Step>
</Steps>

## What's next [#whats-next]

<Cards>
  <Card title="How payouts work" href="/docs/brands/payouts/how-payouts-work">

    How base pay, bonuses and cycles add up.

</Card>
  <Card title="Team and access" href="/docs/brands/settings/team-and-access">

    Add other admins and choose full or limited access.

</Card>
  <Card title="Creator Hub" href="/docs/brands/insights/creator-hub">

    Your team dashboard, and how to share it.

</Card>
</Cards>