Methodology

How we score channels.

The Commercial Viability Score is a single number that summarises how brand-ready your channel is right now. It is derived from six weighted dimensions, each targeting a factor that brands and agencies evaluate when making partnership decisions. Every dimension, every weighting, every calibration — in plain English.

The six dimensions

What brands actually evaluate.

Each dimension is scored independently and then combined into your overall CVS using the weights below. The total always sums to 100.

Growth signal

Subscriber momentum

Velocity beats volume. A channel growing 200/day is worth more to a brand than a flat channel with twice the subs. We measure both the rate and the consistency.

Why brands care

Brands pay a premium for creators on an upward trajectory — a growing audience signals untapped reach that a static one does not.

How we calculate it

Subscriber growth rate over 30 and 90 days, normalised against channel size. A 10k-sub channel growing at 2%/week scores higher than a 100k channel growing at 0.1%.

Signals25%
  • Subscriber / follower growth rate
  • 30-day vs 90-day growth delta
  • Recent upload cadence vs historical average
Audience signal

Engagement quality

Raw engagement rate is a vanity metric. We look at view-to-subscriber ratio, comment-to-like balance, and whether the audience actually shows up.

Why brands care

Brands want proof that an audience is active, not just subscribed. High engagement signals real influence and conversion potential.

How we calculate it

Engagement rate adjusted for audience size, combined with comment-to-view ratio and average watch time where available.

Signals20%
  • Engagement rate (30-day average)
  • Comment-to-view ratio
  • Average watch time where available
Commercial signal

Niche commercial value

Not every niche is worth the same. Gaming hardware, beauty, finance, and fitness command different CPMs and different brand budgets.

Why brands care

Brand budgets are allocated by category. A creator in finance or beauty is worth more per impression than one in a low-CPM niche.

How we calculate it

Category classification confidence score multiplied by the niche's weighted CPM index, calibrated quarterly against live brand-spend data.

Signals20%
  • Primary content category confidence
  • Topic consistency across recent uploads
  • Cross-platform niche alignment
Audience signal

Audience geo alignment

A UK-and-US audience is worth more to most brand briefs than a global spread. We score your Tier 1 geography mix against what brands are actually buying.

Why brands care

Most DTC brands target specific regions. Audiences concentrated in high-CPM markets (UK, US, CA, AU) carry significantly more commercial value.

How we calculate it

Percentage of audience in Tier 1 markets weighted by the brand-spend distribution for your niche.

Signals15%
  • Primary audience country
  • Concentration in Tier-1 markets (UK, US, CA, AU)
  • Secondary market spread
Production signal

Content consistency

Brands check your upload cadence before they check anything else. We score frequency, reliability, and whether you can hit a campaign window.

Why brands care

Irregular posting is a risk signal. Brands need confidence that a creator will deliver on contracted timelines.

How we calculate it

Uploads per week compared against your own 90-day average. Consistency of gaps between uploads, penalising long silences.

Signals10%
  • Uploads per week vs 90-day average
  • Gap between last three uploads
  • Consistency across connected platforms
Readiness signal

Content brand alignment

Have you integrated brand mentions before without it feeling forced? Do you already run affiliate links, product mentions, clean deliverables?

Why brands care

Creators who have done brand work before are lower-risk. This dimension measures brand-readiness, not just audience quality.

How we calculate it

Presence of prior brand integrations, affiliate links, sponsored content markers, and production quality signals across recent uploads.

Signals10%
  • Category fit to high-spend verticals
  • Absence of brand-risk content patterns
  • Existing partnership history
Score tiers

Four tiers. Each with a different next step.

Your overall CVS maps to one of four tiers. Each tier represents a distinct stage of commercial readiness.

0 – 24

Pre-Commercial

Too early for most paid brand work. The focus is foundation: audience, niche clarity, cadence. Gifting partnerships are in play.

0100
25 – 49

Emerging

You'll close paid deals with small and mid-market brands who value niche fit over scale. Rates 30–50% below tier average.

0100
50 – 74

Viable

Brand-ready. Agencies will engage, direct inbound is possible. Sustained rates start here. This is where most paid work gets signed.

0100
75 – 100

Established

Premium-rate territory. Agencies compete for you. Long-term ambassadorships and retainers become the category, not one-offs.

0100
How it updates

Your score recalculates automatically.

Platform sync runs
Raw metrics collected
Six dimensions scored
CVS recalculated
Tasks regenerated

Syncs run on the schedule you configured, or you can trigger a manual sync from the Dashboard. Score history is retained so you can track progress week-over-week.

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