Mini Katana, creator engine

Ten creators, one shelf of katanas

Ten creators, seven videos each per week, built around the katanas and replicas on minikatana.com, with one number to protect: cost per 1,000 views.

creators live by week six: 10
creator videos a month at the full roster: 303
weeks from the first creator to the full roster: 5

Zoro's Enma, one take

A creator shows the Zoro's Enma Katana Handle up close, then the saya, then says one line from the claims sheet and names the edge type.

Illustrative post

Part 1 of 14

Summary

Creator engine summary
Roster	Ten creators, live over six weeks	Two creators go live each week: weeks 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. The ramp is my proposal, not a brand fact.
Who	Anime, game and fantasy fans who handle blades	Cosplayers, collectors and shelf-builders who already talk about Demon Slayer, One Piece or Elden Ring.
Production	Seven videos per creator per week	At ten creators that is 303 creator videos a month, each one testing a single variable.
Pay	Flat pay $300 to $800, caps $600 to $1,500	Starter, Standard and Premium bands. Each band has its own cap; the exact table is printed below.
Bonus	$50 flat for a video past 100,000 views	One bonus per creator per month. Reaching a band's cap earns a bonus too: $300, $500 or $700.
Compliance	Claims sheet: only literal site lines	Creators quote three sheet lines, including free shipping on USA orders $99 and above.
Rule for the category	Name the edge type on camera	Every video says SHARP, METAL or DULL, matching the product title, and no blade points at anyone.
Goal	$1 cost per 1,000 views	Simulator today: $5.74, from $10,050 on 1.8M views. Needs 4.2% viral videos or 21,711 median views.
Report	Every Monday, one page	Videos live, views, cost per 1,000 views, hooks that won, losers killed early.
Decision	Day 90: keep, change or stop	Month three's cost per 1,000 views against $1 decides the roster, not follower counts.

Part 1 of 14, continued

The program in numbers

Creators live at full roster: 10; Proposed
Videos per creator per week: 7; Proposed
Creator videos a month: 303; Calculated
Base pay per creator: $1,000; Proposed
Bonus past 100,000 views: $50; Proposed
Bonus at the top cap of the highest band: $700; Calculated
Program cost a month, bonuses included: $10,050; Calculated
Views a month at the assumptions: 1.8M; Calculated
Cost per 1,000 views: $5.74; Calculated
Target cost per 1,000 views: $1; Proposed

Part 2 of 14

History

Former COO of Tabs. I built its creator program to 100M monthly social impressions, and the paid ad engine alongside it. The numbers below come from videos that program produced.

As Former COO of Tabs, I built the creator program and the paid ad engine side by side. Mini Katana gets the same playbook: a creator roster, one variable per test, losers killed early. The category is new to me: I have not run swords, replicas or any accessories brand, so the category rules below come first.

monthly social impressions at Tabs: 100M+
views on one reel: 17.7M
views on one video: 8M
views on one video: 6.5M

Part 3 of 14

Principles

One number to protect
Cost per 1,000 views against $1. Ten creators at seven videos a week only matter if that number moves.
One variable per test
Same katana, same claims sheet, one changed hook. Losers killed early; winners go into the hook library.
Claims sheet before camera
Creators quote only literal lines, like free shipping on USA orders $99 and above. Anything else is asked in the channel first.
One channel, no email chains
Briefs, claim questions, drafts, reports and winners live in a shared team workspace, so nothing waits in an inbox.

Part 3 of 14, continued

One channel for everything

#briefs

Briefs, drafts, reviews and the weekly numbers

Illustrative

MayaMon 8:30 AM
This week's brief: Zoro's Wado Ichimonji Katana, $145.34. One hook per video, say SHARP on camera, quote only the claims sheet. Seven videos, all posted by Friday.
TheoMon 10:05 AM
Can I say it is the most popular katana in the world? It's in my script as the opener.
Not yet. That line sits in confirm-first. Open with the steel instead: "High quality steel." Then show the blade.
Weekly botAppMon 9:00 AM
Report posted: videos live, views, cost per 1,000 views against $1, hooks ranked, losers killed early. Two creators are close to their band cap.
MayaWed 2:15 PM
Draft sent back: the blade crosses the frame toward the lens in the first second. Reshoot with the saya in hand and the edge type said out loud.
PriyaThu 6:40 PM
My Yoriichi Type Zero unboxing just passed 100,000 views, organic only. Posting the link here for the bonus check.
Logged. One bonus per creator per month. The hook goes into the library today.
Check botAppFri 11:00 AM
Check: six of seven videos name the edge type and quote only claims-sheet lines. One video is missing the edge type and is held until it is fixed.

The messages illustrate the working channel, with invented people: briefs go out on Monday, claims questions get an answer the same day, and nothing posts without the check.

Part 4 of 14

Formats

Brief 01
Unboxing with the saya
“Watch the saya come off, then the blade.”
One take, top-down on the table: open the parcel, slide the katana out of the saya, say the edge type on camera.
Brief 02
Steel grades explained
“1045, 1060, 1080: what the carbon number means.”
Hold three blades side by side, point to the steel name in each product title, read one claims-sheet line.
Brief 03
One Piece swordsman shelf
“Zoro-style shelf: which sword goes up first?”
Pan along the wall, stop on the pick, then say the edge type from the product title and the price.
Brief 04
Saya close-up
“Listen to this saya. Then see what is inside.”
Close-up on the saya texture, slow slide out, end on the blade with the edge type said out loud.
Brief 05
First Demon Slayer katana
“My first Demon Slayer katana, and what it cost.”
Show a katana from the Demon Slayer collection, read the price off the product page, name the edge type.

Every product line in a video comes off the claims sheet word for word, for example “High quality steel.”, “FREE SHIPPING ON USA ORDERS $99 AND ABOVE”, “Containing 0.45% carbon, 1045 carbon steel is tough and durable.”. Product names are said as printed.

Part 5 of 14

Recruiting

Four sources in

Collection communities
Fans of Demon Slayer, One Piece, Elden Ring and Lord of the Rings, matching the collections the site already lists.
Collector and display creators
Creators who film shelves, stands and storage boxes: the natural audience for the Deluxe Replica katanas.
Customers who film unboxings
Buyers already filming parcels and saya reveals. We ask permission first, then offer a pay band.
Affiliate or ambassador page
No affiliate or ambassador page was found on the site, so recruiting starts with direct outreach.

Five filters, fewer each step

1Blade handling
Past videos show safe handling: edge down, never toward the camera.
2Fandom fit
Already posts about one collection: Demon Slayer, One Piece or Elden Ring.
3USA audience
Most viewers are in the USA, where free shipping applies on orders $99 and above.
4Hook sense
Opens with a spoken hook in the first seconds, not a logo or a long intro.
5Takes notes
Accepts one variable per test and reshoots when a draft is sent back.

Part 6 of 14

Who

Anime cosplayer
Builds full costumes and wants a prop that photographs well at conventions.
Likely product: Inosuke Katana
Gaming shelf streamer
Streams RPGs and keeps replicas behind the chair as set dressing.
Likely product: Skyrim's Dragonbane
Fantasy film fan
Quotes Middle-earth and films every reveal in a single take.
Likely product: Gandalf The Grey Sword
Historical reenactor
Explains medieval gear and compares carbon steel grades on camera.
Likely product: Knight Templar Sword
Collector with a display
Films the shelf, the stand and the box; talks storage more than action.
Likely product: Moonforged Damascus Blade
First-katana buyer
Budget-minded fan filming a first purchase, reading the price and the steel.
Likely product: Yoriichi Type Zero Katana

Left off, every time

Always out: anyone under legal age to buy a blade, anyone who films strikes toward people or animals, accounts built on violence or threats, and creators who refuse to name SHARP, METAL or DULL on camera. Category rule: no unsupervised minors with any blade.

Part 7 of 14

Twenty types

Anime cosplayers who already build prop-quality costumes
Demon Slayer fans who film katana unsheathing shots
One Piece fans who cover the swordsman characters
Elden Ring players who show off their gaming shelf
Skyrim and Lord of the Rings roleplay fans
Collectors who film display and storage setups
Medieval and historical reenactors
Iaido and kendo students who talk about blade handling
Unboxing creators who open one parcel per video
Gift-idea creators who film for anime fans
Steel explainers who compare carbon steel grades
Creators who design their own katana step by step
Fantasy booktok creators with a sword shelf
Gaming streamers with a wall of replicas
Home-decor creators who style a collector display
Cosplay photographers who shoot with props
Kagurabachi and Jujutsu Kaisen manga fans
Budget collectors who hunt the lower-priced katanas
Solo Leveling and Chainsaw Man fans who cosplay with prop daggers
Hobby creators who film short one-take product walk-throughs

Part 8 of 14

Claims sheet

Approved, word for word

Quoted exactly as the brand publishes it.

“High quality steel.”
Any steel talk, in any of the five formats
“Free shipping on USA orders.”
Caption or voiceover aimed at a USA audience
“FREE SHIPPING ON USA ORDERS $99 AND ABOVE”
The offer line; always with the threshold, USA only
“Containing 0.45% carbon, 1045 carbon steel is tough and durable.”
Only when the katana on screen is 1045 Carbon Steel
“The best affordable option for any collection.”
Only on 1045 Carbon Steel katanas, like Rukia Zanpakuto Katana
“Sharpness: Very Sharp”
Only on the custom katana whose page says it
“Shop our collection of deluxe katanas.”
Closing line when linking the Deluxe Replica range

Never said

Each one with the reason it stays out.

Safe for kids
Blades are not toys and the site makes no such statement.
Legal to carry anywhere
Laws differ by place and the site says nothing on it.
It cuts through anything
A performance claim the site does not make; invites unsafe demos.
Unbreakable
The site says durable, not unbreakable. Stay with the literal wording.
Better than other katana brands
A comparison claim with no source on the site.
Officially licensed by the anime studios
Nothing on the site says so; do not imply a licence.
Good for self-defense
A weapons-use claim that breaks the category rules.

To confirm with the brand

Held until someone on the brand side signs off.

The world’s most popular katana.
A superlative in the site description. Needs the brand's proof before a creator says it.
Thousands of satisfied customers.
A count claim from the site description. Confirm the basis before use.
The #1 Viral Brand
A ranking in the home title. Confirm what it rests on first.

Part 9 of 14

Pay

Starter
$300–600
a month, by band
Starter: creators new to blades, filming the lower-priced Kagurabachi and Yoriichi katanas.
Bonus at the cap: $300
Standard
$500–1,000
a month, by band
Standard: steady weekly creators with a collector or cosplay audience, on Deluxe Replica katanas.
Bonus at the cap: $500
Premium
$800–1,500
a month, by band
Premium: proven sword-audience creators, filming the Moonforged Damascus Blade and custom builds.
Bonus at the cap: $700

Under 100,000 views
$0
The base pay covers the work.
100,000 views
+$50 flat
Whatever the band.
1,000,000 views
Top-up to your cap
Bonus = band cap − base pay.

One bonus per creator per month, however many videos pass 100,000 views.
The bonus is paid per video, flat, for the single video that passes 100,000 views.
Organic views only: paid or boosted views never count toward the bonus.
No bonus on any video that breaks the claims sheet or the category rules, even past 100,000 views.

Starter: $600 cap − $300 fee = $300 bonus; Standard: $1,000 cap − $500 fee = $500 bonus; Premium: $1,500 cap − $800 fee = $700 bonus.

The bonus pays for reach after the work is done, never instead of it. One bonus per creator per calendar month keeps it an incentive and keeps the program cost predictable.

Part 10 of 14

Simulator

Today the simulator shows $5.74 per 1,000 views against a $1 target. It closes if 4.2% of videos go viral or the median video reaches 21,711 views, other inputs held.

Program facts

Mini Katana creator engine, per month

Monthly cost: $10,050
Base pay: $10,000
Est. bonuses: $50
Videos / month: 303
Est. views / month: 1.8M
Cost per 1,000 views: $5.74

Above the $1 target at these inputs.

To hit $1, the roster needs about 10.1M views a month. That means about 4.2% of videos going viral, or a median near 22K views per video. That is why the day-90 gate exists: keep the accounts that clear it, replace the rest.

Proposed, not measured. Views = videos × median, breakouts at 10× the median, viral at 750K. Bonus: +$50 for a viral video, one per creator per month.

Part 10 of 14, continued

What moves the result

Cost per 1,000 views by median views per video
If the median is	Views / month	Monthly cost	Cost / 1K	Hits target
750	1.4M	$10,050	$6.96	No
1,500	1.8M	$10,050	$5.74	No
3,000	2.4M	$10,050	$4.24	No

Cost per 1,000 views by share of viral videos
If the viral share is	Views / month	Monthly cost	Cost / 1K	Hits target
0.3%	1.2M	$10,000	$8.44	No
0.5%	1.8M	$10,050	$5.74	No
1%	2.9M	$10,150	$3.52	No

The math. Videos a month = 10 creators × 7 a week × 52 ÷ 12 = 303. Views per video = (1 − 4% − 0.5%) × 1,500 + 4% × 10 × 1,500 + 0.5% × 750,000 = 5,782.5; 303 videos × 5,782.5 = 1.8M views a month. Cost = 10 × $1,000 = $10,000 base + 1 bonus × $50 = $10,050. Cost per 1,000 views = $10,050 ÷ 1.8M × 1,000 = $5.74 against a $1.00 target. To hit the target, either 4.2% of videos go viral or the median video reaches 21,711 views, other inputs held.

Move the sliders and the label recalculates. The result is only as good as the guesses behind it, so the median views, the share of breakouts and the share of viral videos are marked as Assumptions until the first month of posts replaces them.

Part 11 of 14

Phases

Creators live by week (proposed): 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10

0Wk 1
2Wk 2
4Wk 3
6Wk 4
8Wk 5
10Wk 6

Creator ramp by week
Item	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6
Creators live	0	2	4	6	8	10
Videos a week	0	14	28	42	56	70
Base pay a month	$0	$2,000	$4,000	$6,000	$8,000	$10,000

Warm-up
Two creators, then two more
Creators live by week: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. A small group tests the first katana briefs before the roster grows to ten.
Month 1
Seven videos each, one variable
Each creator posts seven videos a week. One variable per test, losers killed early, the first hook library built from the Demon Slayer and One Piece shelves.
Month 2
Full roster of ten
At ten creators the program makes 303 creator videos a month. Bonuses start to matter: $50 flat past 100,000 views.
Month 3
Close the gap to $1
The simulator starts at $5.74 per 1,000 views. We cut formats that miss and double the hooks that move the median video.
Day 90
Keep, change or stop
Cost per 1,000 views against $1 decides the next roster. Creators who held the claims sheet and category rules stay first in line.
Ceiling
$15,000 monthly ceiling
All ten creators at the top cap, bonuses excluded, reaches $15,000. It is a ceiling I propose, not a plan to spend it.

$15,000 Monthly ceiling, all 10 creators at the top cap, bonuses excluded Proposed

The roster grows by two creators a week, so hook performance can be read week over week instead of by anecdote.

Part 12 of 14

Report

Every Monday: videos live, views, cost per 1,000 views against $1, which hooks won, which losers were killed, and who is near a pay cap.

Creator engine, last 4 weeks

Target $1 per 1,000 organic views Illustrative

Creators reporting: 5
Posts last week: 32
Avg cost per 1,000 views: $8.94
Bonuses owed: $0
Keep / Watch / Replace: 1 / 1 / 3

Per-creator results, last four weeks, sorted by cost per 1,000 views
Creator	Band	Format	Posts	Median	Best	Cost / 1K	Bonus	Flags	Call
Creator A	Starter	Unboxing with the saya	7	2.1K	25K	$3.37	$0	None	Keep
Creator B	Standard	Steel grades explained	7	1.4K	8.4K	$9.83	$0	Claim check	Replace
Creator C	Premium	One Piece swordsman shelf	6	1.8K	54K	$7.94	$0	None	Watch
Creator D	Starter	Saya close-up	5	900	3.6K	$12.99	$0	Over cap?	Replace
Creator E	Standard	First Demon Slayer katana	7	1.2K	11K	$10.59	$0	Release missing	Replace
All creators	not applicable	not applicable	32	1.5K	54K	$8.94	$0	not applicable	not applicable

Illustrative rows with invented creators, coherent with the pay bands above. Keep means the cost per 1,000 views is at or under the program average, Watch is up to half again over it, and Replace is anything higher.

Part 13 of 14

Organic to paid

From organic to paid

Pick the winner
A video that passes 100,000 views organically goes on the shortlist. Hook, edge type and claims lines all checked.
Ask for usage
We ask the creator for permission to run the video as an ad, and agree it in the channel before anything goes live.
Test as a paid ad
The video runs against a fresh hook, one variable changed, so the paid result is read cleanly.
Keep or kill
If cost per 1,000 views beats the $1 target, it stays. If not, it is killed early and the hook is logged.

From the video to the checkout

Demon Slayer videos link to the Demon Slayer collection page.
One Piece videos link to the One Piece collection page.
Steel explainers link to the 1045 Carbon Steel material page.
Build videos link to the Custom Sword Builder.
Offer lines mention free shipping on USA orders $99 and above, USA audiences only.

Part 14 of 14

Category rules

Rules for filming swords and replicas

Mini Katana sells SHARP, METAL and DULL blades. These six rules apply to every creator before any video goes live.

Name the edge type
Say SHARP, METAL or DULL on camera and in the caption, exactly as the product title does. A video without it is held.
Never point a blade at anyone
No strikes or thrusts toward a person, a pet or the lens. Keep the edge down and the saya in reach.
Adults only with blades
No minors in frame holding any SHARP or METAL blade. Younger fans appear only with adults and never touch the edge.
No cutting demos without approval
Any cutting content needs written approval from the lead first and never targets anything living.
Respect platform weapon policies
Check each platform's weapons policy before posting. If a video is flagged, pause and tell the lead in the channel.
No legal promises
Never tell viewers a blade is legal to own or carry where they live. Free shipping is for USA orders only; say so.

The brand’s legal team sets the final rules. This is the operating floor I’d start from, not legal advice.

Want to see the first briefs?

Grab a time here

One number to protect

One variable per test

Claims sheet before camera

One channel, no email chains

Unboxing with the saya

Steel grades explained

One Piece swordsman shelf

Saya close-up

First Demon Slayer katana

Four sources in

Five filters, fewer each step

Anime cosplayer

Gaming shelf streamer

Fantasy film fan

Historical reenactor

Collector with a display

First-katana buyer

Left off, every time

Approved, word for word

Never said

To confirm with the brand

Starter

Standard

Premium

Two creators, then two more

Seven videos each, one variable

Full roster of ten

Close the gap to $1

Keep, change or stop

$15,000 monthly ceiling

From organic to paid

From the video to the checkout

Rules for filming swords and replicas

Name the edge type

Never point a blade at anyone

Adults only with blades

No cutting demos without approval

Respect platform weapon policies

No legal promises

Want to see the first briefs?