Uganda’s Burst creators pivots influencer marketing to pay-per-view model

Ugandan startup Burst Creators is transforming the influencer marketing industry by introducing a results-driven platform that pays creators only for actual views, bringing transparency and accountability to a sector long plagued by guesswork and inflated costs.

The platform connects brands with local content creators through a dedicated brand dashboard and creator app, enabling data-driven campaign management, audience insights, and real-time performance tracking. A standout feature is its pay-per-view model, supported by fraud detection technology that ensures brands pay only for genuine engagement.

Explaining the platform’s impact, Partner at Burst Creators, Tobias Mørch-Hansen, pointed to a recent campaign for SafeBoda’s SafeCar service in December. With a budget of UGX1.5 million (US$400) and eight creators, the campaign targeted around 60,000 views but delivered over 3 million.

“Because creators on Burst only earn when people actually watch their video, they made content people actually wanted to watch,” Mørch-Hansen said. “The effective CPM came out at UGX497, roughly 40 times below what the campaign was originally priced at.”

Originally founded in Denmark in 2024, Burst Creators entered the Ugandan market in May 2025 after entrepreneur Isak Bjerregaard acquired distribution rights. The company aims to solve chronic challenges in African influencer marketing.

“Influencer marketing in Uganda ran on guesswork,” Mørch-Hansen explained. “Creators inflated their rates, agencies added markups, and brands received often-tampered screenshots with little proof of performance. There was no way to know if the money was actually doing anything.”

Burst’s model flips the script: brands pay per view, not per post. “No views, no pay. That changes the incentive for everyone. Creators make content people actually watch. Brands get numbers they can trust,” he added.

Since launching, the platform has executed over 100 campaigns, with many brands returning for repeat work. The creator network has grown to more than 600 approved creators in Uganda and 200 in Kenya.

Mørch-Hansen highlighted one of the company’s proudest achievements: enabling creators with 10,000 to 50,000 followers — often overlooked by traditional brand deals — to earn sustainable, regular income.

As Africa’s creator economy expands rapidly from an estimated US$3 billion in 2023 to a projected US$18 billion by 2030, Burst sees itself building essential infrastructure for the sector. “Burst is building the infrastructure for that market, starting in Uganda,” Mørch-Hansen said.

With its model validated in Uganda, the startup is now eyeing regional growth. Kenya is the immediate next step, followed by other East African markets including Rwanda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. Longer-term plans include entry into major markets such as Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa.

“The model needed to be proven in one market before it could scale, and Uganda proved it,” Mørch-Hansen noted. “The creator economy across the continent is moving fast and the infrastructure to serve it barely exists. That’s the opportunity Burst is building toward.”