Platform
YouTube Veteran Semion Kremeniuk Presents A Tool That Pays Creators Upfront
Imagine an industry where content creators never chase payments and brands never waste time on fruitless negotiations.
That’s the creator economy pin.top is aiming for with its transactional approach to influencer marketing.
Co-founded by content creation veteran Semion Kremeniuk, the tool’s unique features and competitive fee structure are designed to address longstanding pain points in creator-brand relationships.
In an exclusive interview with Net Influencer, Semion breaks down pin.top’s fintech infrastructure, global transaction system, and plans for expanded services.
Born from a Creator’s Perspective
A content creator since 2011, Semion brings a wealth of experience to pin.top.
“I started uploading to YouTube when [the] partner program wasn’t live, and you couldn’t upload videos longer than ten minutes,” he tells us.
Before co-founding pin.top with AIR Media-Tech, Semion ran a media company in Ukraine, managing four YouTube channels with millions of subscribers and 25 employees.
The war that broke out in 2022 forced him to relocate to Canada, where he started anew as a content creator.
pin.top emerges from Semion’s firsthand understanding of creator needs.
He describes it as “a tool to help you monetize your influence” for creators and their managers and “a go-to solution for your effortless and automated influencer marketing” for brands and agencies.
pin.top aims to simplify brand-creator relationships and expand monetization opportunities.
“We want to help and partially educate creators, small and medium creators first,” Semion explains. However, he notes that even large creators have adopted the tool.
pin.top’s scope has expanded beyond its initial focus.
“We saw creators using this product and listing services not only for brands but also for other content creators and their followers,” Semion observes. “Ultimately, we now see that it is a tool to monetize the influence as a whole, not just for the brands.”
It facilitates various services, from traditional brand integrations to personalized fan interactions like video shoutouts and birthday wishes. It also enables creator-to-creator services such as TikTok reposts.
Despite operating with a lean team of six, pin.top aims to make a lasting impact on influencer marketing.
Semion’s challenge lies in convincing stakeholders of this vision. “The biggest challenge for me is to find creators [and] brands who believe this is the way to the next chapter of influencer marketing,” he says.
A Creator-Focused Tool for Monetization
Semion is keen to distinguish his product from other platforms in the creator economy.
“We don’t like to call pin.top a platform,” he explains, distancing the tool from competitors that promise instant brand partnerships upon registration.
“We believe that we are the only ones building something creator-focused,” Semion states.
This creator-first approach is reflected in pin.top’s core philosophy: all interactions with creators must be initiated through a 100% prepaid order for their services.
How pin.top Works
pin.top allows creators to set up a page representing their social media accounts, which Semion calls “pins.”
Currently supporting YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn, these pins serve dual purposes.
“Every particular pin represents two things: your data and your offer,” Semion elaborates. “The data includes audience demographics and statistics, while the offer comprises customizable services.”
This setup enables creators to respond to inquiries efficiently.
“You can always reply to those, even inbound inquiries, with one short link describing everything and answering every question your potential clients could have,” Semion says.
He introduces a new concept gaining traction: “Store in Bio.”
“If you, as a content creator, put your short URL to your Pin page as your link in your bio, it will take a few clicks for your potential clients to purchase from you.”
Global Reach and Financial Flexibility
Semion believes pin.top’s strong fintech foundation gives it the edge in the international market.
“pin.top is the way for creators to sell their content creation services globally because it allows brands to pay with PayPal, crypto, bank transfer, and credit card, like all these Swift payments,” he notes.
This financial flexibility extends to creators as well.
“Creators themselves, when they earn money on pin.top selling their stuff, they can withdraw money from pin.top to their crypto, PayPal, whatever they prefer,” Semion adds.
While pin.top currently focuses on services, Semion reveals plans to expand: “We do have in our backlog the idea of giving these creators functionality to add digital products, downloadable products to sell.”
Revenue Model and Key Features
pin.top has adopted a straightforward revenue model that prioritizes creator interests.
“We consider pin.top, a free tool for content creators,” Semion explains. Instead of charging creators directly, pin.top adds a 9% fee to their rates.
The co-founder emphasizes the transparency of this model: “When creators set up their page, list their services, and input their rates, they see that if they charge $100, the public price will be $109.”
According to him, this approach gives creators full control over their pricing strategy.
“The 9% fee is competitive in the market. After that, I think I saw 15% where 5% is charged from creator and 10% from the brand,” Semion notes, highlighting pin.top’s cost-effectiveness.
Creator-Focused CRM Features
One standout feature is the “rate options” system, which Semion describes as a way to “help and protect you as a content creator when it comes to dealing with brands.”
The rate options system offers three tiers: Simple, Default, and VIP.
“Simple should be the cheapest, but it essentially says that you, your brand, and your client agree not to pre-approve the final content,” Semion explains. This option prioritizes speed and creative freedom.
The Default option allows for two rounds of revisions, while the VIP option offers unlimited revision requests at a higher price point.
This system helps creators effectively manage client expectations and project timelines.
Success Stories
Semion shares two success stories that illustrate pin.top’s value.
In one case, a small creator ignoring a brand’s attempts to collaborate received a fully prepaid order through their pin.top page.
“Now, the creator knows that they are serious. They know that the money is already up front,” Semion says, pointing out how pin.top can facilitate connections that might otherwise be missed.
In another instance, a brand paid for a consultation call with a creator before negotiating a campaign.
“Brands would suck your soul before even confirming you that they’re going to pay you,” Semion notes. “And in this case, they paid even for that time.”
He believes this approach builds trust and positivity from the outset of the creator-brand relationship.
Expanding Services for Brands and Gaining Traction
pin.top is set to broaden its offerings with a focus on brand-side functionality.
“We do have creator discovery functionality where you as a brand can go ahead and see the whole database of all the services our creators provide,” Semion reveals.
He also teases an upcoming campaign management tool.
“You’ll be able to bulk purchase and basically [manage] the whole campaign management process where you work with a bunch of creators.”
He adds that this comprehensive solution will include sourcing, payment, automated contract signing, project management, and communication all in one place.
Despite initial challenges in selling the concept to creators, Semion remains optimistic.
“Whenever a creator, a brand, or an agency completes their first project on pin.top, they fall in love with it,” he notes.
The positive feedback reinforces Semion’s belief in pin.top’s potential to give influencer marketing a fresh look, making it “way faster, easier, and more effective.”
