David Donahue, creator engine

Ten creators, one shirt at a time

A first roster of ten creators for David Donahue: dress shirts, silk ties and soft coats, shot the way people wear them to work.

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

Desk to dinner in one shirt

A creator wears the White & Blue Twill Check Stretch Dress Shirt with the sleeves rolled up, then closes on the free US shipping line over $200.

Illustrative post

Part 1 of 15

Summary

Creator engine summary
Roster	10 creators, two more each week	Weeks live: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. Six weeks to a full roster. Proposed.
Who	People who already wear dress shirts on camera	Office commuters, wedding guests, travelers and tailoring fans. Menswear-literate, not generic lifestyle.
Production	7 videos per creator per week	303 creator videos a month at 10 creators, spread across five formats. Proposed.
Pay	Three bands, caps $600 to $1,500	Starter, Standard, Premium. Monthly ceiling $15,000 with all 10 at the top cap, bonuses excluded.
Bonus	$50 flat past 100,000 views	One per creator per month, organic views only. Cap bonus by band: $300, $500 or $700.
Compliance	Claims sheet plus a clear partnership label	Creators quote only literal lines: the Pima cotton line, free US shipping over $200, 15% off a first order.
Category rule	No cloth, fit or price promise beyond the site	Shirts $175.00, ties $135.00. Any discount outside the first-order coupon is off limits.
Goal	$1 per 1,000 views	The simulator reads $5.74 today. It needs 4.2% of videos viral or a median of 21,711 views.
Report	One page every Monday	Views by format, cost per 1,000 views against $1, bonus triggers, new hooks in the library.
Decision	Your yes on the claims sheet and the bands	I need one person on your side to approve both before the first two creators go live.

Part 1 of 15, 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 15

Track record

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.

At Tabs I built the creator program and the paid ad engine beside it. The same playbook applies to David Donahue: a tight roster, one number to protect, losers killed early. The category is new. I have not run menswear, so month one tests formats, not promises.

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 15

Why now

1972
Founded in 1972
The home description says David Donahue was founded in 1972. A creator can open on that history, then show the shirt it produced.
Published
$200
The free US shipping line
The site carries the line "Free US Shipping over $200". A dress shirt is $175.00 and a silk tie $135.00, so shirt-and-tie videos speak straight to it.
Published
15%
A first-order coupon
New visitors see "Sign Up for 15% off Your First Purchase". Every video can end on it and give a cold viewer a reason to click.
Published
60 days
A clear returns window
Full-price returns are credited within 60 days of purchase. It answers the first question a shirt buyer asks in the comments.
Published

Part 4 of 15

Principles

One number to protect
Cost per 1,000 views, target $1 (Proposed). Every format, creator and band is judged against it. The simulator prints $5.74 today, so the first job is closing that gap.
One variable per test
Same Blue & Merlot Multi Check Dress Shirt, same shoot, only the hook changes. Losers killed early, winning hooks go into the hook library.
Pay for work, bonus for reach
Bands cover the shoot. $50 flat past 100,000 views rewards a breakout. Ceiling $15,000 with all 10 at the top cap, bonuses excluded.
One channel runs the week
Briefs on Monday, claim questions answered fast, report on Monday. Creators never guess what they may say about the cloth, the fit or the price.

Part 4 of 15, continued

One channel for everything

#briefs

Briefs, drafts, reviews and the weekly numbers

Illustrative

MayaMon 8:30 AM
This week's brief: one hook, one shirt. Walk the White & Blue Twill Check Stretch Dress Shirt from desk to dinner. Quote only the claims sheet. Drafts in #drafts by Wednesday.
JordanMon 10:15 AM
Can I say these shirts never wrinkle?
No. The sheet has no wrinkle claim. Say what the site says: "100% U.S. Pima cotton". Then show the cloth on camera.
Report botAppMon 9:00 AM
Weekly report posted: videos per creator, views by format, cost per 1,000 views against the $1 target, and the hooks added to the library.
MayaWed 2:40 PM
Draft back to you, Chris. The hook lands, but the caption promises a perfect fit. We never promise fit. Point to the Fit Guide and reshoot the last few seconds.
DanaThu 6:05 PM
The tie-knot video just passed 100,000 views, all organic. Logging it for the bonus.
Confirmed. $50 flat, one bonus per creator per month. I'm adding it to the winners list for paid testing.
Check botAppFri 8:00 AM
Weekly check: partnership label present, claims sheet matched, no price or discount outside the sheet. Two drafts flagged for review.

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 5 of 15

Formats

Brief 01
Desk to dinner
“One shirt, from the desk to dinner.”
One phone take: wear the White & Blue Twill Check Stretch Dress Shirt through three settings, cutting on each hand-off.
Brief 02
Tie of the day
“Three ties, one shirt. Pick one.”
Hold the Navy Stripe Jacquard Silk Tie against the Sky & Navy Micro Twill Stretch Dress Shirt, then choose on camera.
Brief 03
Cloth close-up
“Touch this before you judge it.”
Macro of the weave on the Blue & Merlot Multi Check Dress Shirt, a hand across the cloth, daylight, then read the Pima line.
Brief 04
Fall layering
“My fall layer, in one outfit.”
Mirror shot: Suede City Jacket over a check dress shirt, then swap in The Smythson Quarter Zip and explain each layer.
Brief 05
Work-trip pack
“What I pack for a work trip.”
Overhead pack: shirts, a silk tie and The Scout Rain Jacket into a carry-on, then the unpack at the hotel.

Every product line in a video comes off the claims sheet word for word, for example “Luxury With Its Sleeves Rolled Up”, “100% U.S. Pima cotton”, “Free US Shipping over $200”. Product names are said as printed.

Part 6 of 15

Recruiting

Four sources in

Office and wedding-guest creators
People who already film outfits for work and weddings. Their audience buys dress shirts and silk ties, and the formats suit them.
Tailoring and menswear communities
Creators who explain weave, collar and drape. They fit the cloth close-up format and the twill and dobby shirts.
Travelers and commuters
Creators who film what they pack and wear on the road. They fit the work-trip pack and The Scout Rain Jacket.
Affiliate or ambassador page
I did not find an affiliate or ambassador page on the site. Outreach starts cold, and the first message carries the claims sheet and the pay bands.

Five filters, fewer each step

1Wears dress shirts on camera
The channel already shows shirts, ties or jackets in daily use, not a one-off haul.
2Clean audio and daylight
The last few videos can carry a cloth close-up without a re-shoot.
3Reads the claims sheet back
Before a brief, the candidate explains in their own words what they may not say.
4Steady output
They post on a regular schedule and could hold seven videos a week.
5Labels partnerships
Past sponsored posts carry a clear label from the first seconds.

Part 7 of 15

Who we pick

Office commuter
Shows the morning routine: shirt, tie, train, desk.
Likely product: Blue & Merlot Multi Check Dress Shirt
Wedding guest
Builds a wedding-season outfit around one shirt and one tie.
Likely product: Lilac Geometric Silk Tie
Frequent traveler
Packs light for work trips and shows what stays in the bag.
Likely product: The Scout Rain Jacket
Fall layering stylist
Builds cold-weather outfits from one jacket and one knit.
Likely product: The Smythson Quarter Zip
Dress-shirt first timer
Moving up from casual wear and learning how a good dress shirt sits.
Likely product: White & Blue Twill Check Stretch Dress Shirt
Tailoring hobbyist
Cares about weave, collar and drape and explains them plainly.
Likely product: Sky & Navy Micro Twill Stretch Dress Shirt

Left off, every time

Always left out: anyone who hides a paid partnership, anyone who promises fit or cloth performance beyond the claims sheet, anyone who invents a discount, and anyone who attacks other brands by name. The category rule applies: nothing the site does not say.

Part 8 of 15

First twenty

Banker who wears a dress shirt every working day
Lawyer filming the courtroom-to-commute routine
Teacher dressing up on a tight budget
Wedding planner who dresses grooms
Groomsman guide creator
Sales rep living out of a carry-on
Real estate agent filming open-house outfits
Menswear thrift flipper turned shirt collector
Tailor or alterations specialist
Men's style coach for first jobs
Recent graduate preparing for interviews
Remote worker who dresses for video calls
Frequent flyer with a carry-on routine
Fall layering and knitwear reviewer
Tie knot tutorial creator
Fabric nerd who explains weaves
Dad dressing for church and weddings
Sneakerhead learning to dress up
Clubhouse-style creator from the golf scene
Capsule wardrobe minimalist

Part 9 of 15

Claims sheet

Approved, word for word

Quoted exactly as the brand publishes it.

“Luxury With Its Sleeves Rolled Up”
Opening or closing line of any format.
“100% U.S. Pima cotton”
Cloth close-up, spoken over the weave.
“Free US Shipping over $200”
Call to action at the end of a video.
“First order? Enjoy 15% off with your signup coupon.”
Last line for viewers who have not bought yet.
“Balanced pattern, substantial cloth.”
Describing the Blue & Merlot Multi Check Dress Shirt.
“Traditional check, modern comfort.”
Describing the White & Blue Twill Check Stretch Dress Shirt.
“Packages will arrive within 4-7 business days.”
Only when a viewer asks about delivery in the comments.

Never said

Each one with the reason it stays out.

These shirts never wrinkle
No wrinkle claim was found on the site. Non-iron appears only as a collection name.
Never needs ironing
Same reason: a performance promise the site does not make.
Fits everyone perfectly
The site offers Trim Fit, Regular Fit and a Fit Guide, not a fit guarantee.
Cheaper than other brands
Comparisons are off limits. No competitor data was collected.
Always 15% off
The coupon is for a first order only.
Free shipping on everything
The line is free US shipping over $200, not on every order.
Made in the USA
The site says the Pima cotton is U.S.; where the garment is made was not collected.

To confirm with the brand

Held until someone on the brand side signs off.

Free shipping on orders of $200
The home description says "of $200", the site line says "over $200". Please confirm which wording creators use.
Non-iron shirts
It is a collection name on the site. Please confirm whether creators may describe the shirts that way.

Part 10 of 15

Pay

Starter
$300–600
a month, by band
Starter: a creator proving the first format on a few shirts or ties before the roster grows.
Bonus at the cap: $300
Standard
$500–1,000
a month, by band
Standard: a creator with steady posting and clean drafts, covering the full rotation of formats.
Bonus at the cap: $500
Premium
$800–1,500
a month, by band
Premium: an established menswear voice whose audience already buys shirts, jackets and ties.
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: the $50 flat, on the first video that passes 100,000 views.
Per video: the views are read on the single video, never added up across posts.
Organic views only: reach from a boosted post never counts toward the bonus.
No bonus on a video that broke the claims sheet or the category rule, however far it travels.

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 11 of 15

Simulator

On my inputs the program reads $5.74 per 1,000 views against the $1 target. It closes if 4.2% of videos go viral or the median video reaches 21,711 views. Sliders are Assumptions.

Program facts

David Donahue 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 11 of 15, 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 12 of 15

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
Sheet and first two creators
Claims sheet approved, bands agreed, first two creators briefed. Ramp is two creators a week up to 10, six weeks in all.
Month 1
First experiments
Five formats across a roster filling to 10. Seven videos per creator per week. One variable per test, losers killed early.
Month 2
Scale the winners
Winning hooks enter the hook library. Creators who hold output move up a band. Cost per 1,000 views checked against $1.
Month 3
Hold the number
Roster of 10 holds at 303 creator videos a month. The best organic videos go to paid testing.
Day 90
Decision point
Read cost per 1,000 views, which formats and personas worked, then extend, cut or reshape the bands.
Ceiling
Monthly ceiling
All 10 at the top cap, bonuses excluded: $15,000 (Proposed). Base case is $10,000 plus one $50 bonus, $10,050.

$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 13 of 15

Weekly report

Every Monday: videos posted, views by format, cost per 1,000 views against $1, bonus triggers and the hooks added to the library. One page, nothing to chase.

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	Desk to dinner	7	2.1K	25K	$3.37	$0	None	Keep
Creator B	Standard	Tie of the day	7	1.4K	8.4K	$9.83	$0	Claim check	Replace
Creator C	Premium	Cloth close-up	6	1.8K	54K	$7.94	$0	None	Watch
Creator D	Starter	Fall layering	5	900	3.6K	$12.99	$0	Over cap?	Replace
Creator E	Standard	Work-trip pack	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 14 of 15

Organic to paid

From organic to paid

Pick the winner
A video passes 100,000 views organically and goes on the winners list.
Ask for rights
Written permission from the creator to run the video as an ad, with the partnership label intact.
Test one variable
Run it in paid with only the hook changed: same shirt, same shoot.
Kill or scale
Losers killed early. Winners get more budget while cost per 1,000 views stays near the $1 target.

From the video to the checkout

Send single-shirt videos to that product page, such as the Blue & Merlot Multi Check Dress Shirt at $175.00.
Send multi-piece videos to BEST SELLERS or SHOP NEW ARRIVALS.
Close on "Free US Shipping over $200" when the video pairs a shirt with a tie.
For first-time viewers, point to "First order? Enjoy 15% off with your signup coupon."
Fit questions go to the Fit Guide; store questions go to the Find A Retailer page.

Part 15 of 15

Menswear rules

Menswear: say what the cloth is, nothing more

Dress shirts, silk ties and jackets sell on feel and fit. Creators describe what they see and wear, and never promise what the site does not.

Cloth claims stay literal
Pima cotton, twill, weave and drape come only from the product descriptions and the 100% U.S. Pima cotton line. No performance promise beyond them.
No fit promises
Trim Fit and Regular Fit exist, and so does the Fit Guide. Show how the shirt sits on you, point to the guide, never promise it fits any body.
Prices and offers as shown
Shirts $175.00, ties $135.00, the Suede City Jacket $995.00. The only offers are free US shipping over $200 and 15% off a first order.
Label every paid post
Say it is a partnership at the start of the video and in the caption. Drafts without the label go back before they go live.
Quote the posted policy only
Full-price returns are credited within 60 days; delivery runs 4-7 business days. Sale-price questions go to the lead, not the comments.
No comparisons, no heritage spin
Never name or compare other menswear brands. On history, say only that David Donahue was founded in 1972.

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

Founded in 1972

The free US shipping line

A first-order coupon

A clear returns window

One number to protect

One variable per test

Pay for work, bonus for reach

One channel runs the week

Desk to dinner

Tie of the day

Cloth close-up

Fall layering

Work-trip pack

Four sources in

Five filters, fewer each step

Office commuter

Wedding guest

Frequent traveler

Fall layering stylist

Dress-shirt first timer

Tailoring hobbyist

Left off, every time

Approved, word for word

Never said

To confirm with the brand

Starter

Standard

Premium

Sheet and first two creators

First experiments

Scale the winners

Hold the number

Decision point

Monthly ceiling

From organic to paid

From the video to the checkout

Menswear: say what the cloth is, nothing more

Cloth claims stay literal

No fit promises

Prices and offers as shown

Label every paid post

Quote the posted policy only

No comparisons, no heritage spin

Want to see the first briefs?