Imprint Score Formulas
The Imprint Score is a single 0-to-10 composite built from six axes. Each axis answers a question a brand buyer asks when evaluating a niche. Below is every component, its weight, and the exact math behind each score.
What it measures. How healthy the niche is right now: subscriber footprint, posting cadence, library depth, and platform footprint.
Why it matters. A high Current Health score indicates the niche is presently active and well-populated. This does not forecast growth (see Niche Trajectory).
Components
Average subscriber scale
35%
Log-scaled average subscriber count across the niche. 10K subscribers scores ~2, 100K scores ~6, 1M scores ~10.
Upload cadence regularity
25%
Fraction of creators posting at weekly or higher frequency (daily, 2-3x/week, twice/week).
Content library depth
20%
Log-scaled average video count. 50 videos scores ~5, 500 scores ~7.5, 2000+ scores ~10. Deeper libraries signal durable content ecosystems.
Cross-platform footprint
20%
Average number of platforms creators publish on (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok). YouTube-only scores 3, two platforms scores 7, three platforms scores 10. Falls back to neutral 5 when multi-platform data is not yet present.
See the math
Average subscriber scale
avgSubs = totalSubscribers / creatorCount. Score = clamp(0, 10, (log10(avgSubs) - 3) * 2.5 + 2).
clamp(0, 10, (log₁₀(avgSubs) − 3) x 2.5 + 2)
Upload cadence regularity
fraction = creators with weekly+ cadence / total. Score = clamp(0, 10, fraction * 10).
clamp(0, 10, fraction x 10)
Content library depth
avgVideos = totalVideos / creatorCount. Score = clamp(0, 10, log10(avgVideos) * 2.7).
clamp(0, 10, log₁₀(avgVideos) x 2.7)
Cross-platform footprint
avgPlatforms = sum(platformCount) / count. Score = clamp(0, 10, (avgPlatforms - 1) * 3.5 + 3).
clamp(0, 10, (avgPlatformCount − 1) x 3.5 + 3)
Calibration history
2026-04-17v4 axis introduced. Supersedes the v3 reach-based axis. Inherits the subscriber scale + upload cadence + library depth logic; swaps creator-roster-depth for cross-platform footprint to account for multi-platform data when available. v4 axis design aligns with brand-buyer questions and the Economist report spec.
What it measures. Where the niche is heading: demand search trend, platform momentum, creator activity, seasonality, and platform diversification.
Why it matters. A high Trajectory score indicates the niche is compounding; a low score indicates stability or decline.
Components
Demand search volume trend (YoY)
30%
Year-over-year change in search volume for niche-relevant terms (DataForSEO). +50% YoY scores ~8, 0% scores 5, -20% scores ~3. Falls back to neutral 5 when search data is absent.
Creator platform momentum (MoM)
25%
Aggregate month-over-month subscriber growth across creators in the niche. +8% MoM scores 8, 0% scores 5, negative scores below 5. Neutral 5 when growth data absent.
Creator activity consistency
20%
Fraction of creators not flagged as declining, slowing, dormant, or inactive. Active creators signal a still-compounding ecosystem.
Seasonality stability
15%
Low variance in niche attention across the year signals a stable niche. Variance of 100% scores 2, 50% scores 5, 0% scores 9. Neutral-optimistic 6 when seasonality data absent.
Cross-platform diversification
10%
Secondary platform-footprint signal, weighted lightly here as a trajectory indicator. Same computation as Current Health footprint.
See the math
Demand search volume trend (YoY)
avgYoY = mean(demandYoyChange). Score = clamp(0, 10, 5 + avgYoY * 0.06).
clamp(0, 10, 5 + avgYoYChange x 0.06)
Creator platform momentum (MoM)
avgMoM = mean(monthlyGrowthRate). Score = clamp(0, 10, 5 + avgMoM * 37.5).
clamp(0, 10, 5 + avgMoM x 37.5)
Creator activity consistency
activeFraction = creators without decline/slow/dormant/inactive signals / total. Score = clamp(0, 10, 2 + activeFraction * 8).
clamp(0, 10, 2 + activeFraction x 8)
Seasonality stability
avgVar = mean(seasonalityVariance). Score = clamp(0, 10, 9 - avgVar * 0.07).
clamp(0, 10, 9 − avgSeasonalityVariance x 0.07)
Cross-platform diversification
Score = clamp(0, 10, (avgPlatformCount - 1) * 3.5 + 3). Neutral 5 when platform data absent.
clamp(0, 10, (avgPlatformCount − 1) x 3.5 + 3)
Calibration history
2026-04-17v4 axis introduced. New axis with no v3 predecessor. Optional fields (demandYoyChange, monthlyGrowthRate, seasonalityVariance, platformCount) degrade gracefully to neutral defaults until fully backfilled. v4 axis design aligns with brand-buyer questions and the Economist report spec. DataForSEO + multi-platform enrichment feed this axis at full resolution once online.
What it measures. How actively the niche's audience engages with content: engagement rates, comment quality, and short-form reach.
Why it matters. High engagement depth signals purchase-ready audiences who act on creator recommendations.
Components
Niche average engagement rate
40%
Piecewise-scaled niche average engagement rate. YouTube baseline (~2.4%) scores ~4, niche-good (5%) scores ~7, exceptional (8%+) approaches 10.
Comment quality signal
25%
Explicit comment-quality score when available; otherwise proxy from pain-point density and purchase-context density. Captures whether the audience writes substantive comments vs passing reactions.
Top creator engagement rate
20%
Same piecewise scale applied to the highest engagement rate in the niche. Captures ceiling potential a brand can access.
Short-form authority share
15%
Fraction of niche content that is short-form (Shorts, Reels, TikTok). Higher share indicates audience breadth. 0% scores 3, 50% scores 6, 80%+ scores 9. Neutral 5 when short-form data absent.
See the math
Niche average engagement rate
4-tier piecewise: 0-2.4%: linear 0-4. 2.4-5%: linear 4-7. 5-8%: linear 7-9.5. 8%+: linear 9.5-10 (asymptotic).
piecewise: [0, 2.4%) → rate/2.4 x 4; [2.4, 5%) → 4 + (rate − 2.4)/2.6 x 3; [5, 8%) → 7 + (rate − 5)/3 x 2.5; [8, ∞) → 9.5 + (rate − 8)/4 x 0.5
Comment quality signal
If commentQualityScore present: clamp(0, 10, avg). Otherwise clamp(0, 10, 3 + qualityFraction * 6) where qualityFraction = creators with painPointCount >= 2 OR purchaseContextQuestion > 20 chars / total.
clamp(0, 10, avgCommentQualityScore) or clamp(0, 10, 3 + qualityFraction x 6)
Top creator engagement rate
Same 4-tier piecewise as niche average, applied to max engagement rate across creators.
piecewise(maxEngagementRate) (same scale as above)
Short-form authority share
avgShort = mean(shortFormShare). Score = clamp(0, 10, 3 + avgShort * 7.5).
clamp(0, 10, 3 + avgShortFormShare x 7.5)
Calibration history
2026-04-17v4 axis introduced. Supersedes the v3 attention-oriented axis with the same engagement-rate logic, plus short-form authority share as a new component. v4 axis design aligns with brand-buyer questions and the Economist report spec.
What it measures. How ready the audience is to spend money on products in this niche.
Why it matters. High purchase intent means brands entering this niche find audiences already primed to buy.
Components
Willingness-to-pay signal strength
30%
Fraction of creators whose audience shows detailed willingness-to-pay signals (>40 characters of WTP context), plus a bonus for premium pricing keywords like $100+, premium, investment, or high-end.
Purchase context density
30%
Fraction of creators with a purchase context question longer than 15 characters, indicating the audience has an active buying consideration.
Income demographic quality
20%
Fraction of creators with income level data longer than 5 characters, indicating the audience has identifiable spending power.
Purchase friction signal density
20%
Pain point density across the niche: total pain points divided by 3 expected per creator, capped at 1.0.
See the math
Willingness-to-pay signal strength
wtpFraction = creators with WTP text > 40 chars / total. premiumWtp = creators matching premium keywords / total. Score = clamp(0, 10, wtpFraction * 7 + premiumWtp * 3).
clamp(0, 10, (wtpFraction x 7) + (premiumWtp x 3))
Purchase context density
fraction = creators with purchaseContextQuestion > 15 chars / total. Score = clamp(0, 10, fraction * 9.5).
clamp(0, 10, fraction x 9.5)
Income demographic quality
fraction = creators with incomeLevel > 5 chars / total. Score = clamp(0, 10, fraction * 8.5).
clamp(0, 10, fraction x 8.5)
Purchase friction signal density
density = min(1, totalPainPoints / (creatorCount * 3)). Score = clamp(0, 10, density * 9).
clamp(0, 10, min(1, totalPainPoints / (n x 3)) x 9)
Calibration history
2026-04-17Axis position revised to 04 under the v4 structure. Math is unchanged from v3; only the axis ordering moved. v4 axis design aligns with brand-buyer questions and the Economist report spec.
What it measures. How welcoming the niche's audience is to brand partnerships, without over-rewarding saturation.
Why it matters. A high Receptivity score indicates the audience accepts brand content without friction; a low score signals the audience resists sponsored content.
Components
Branded-content sentiment signal
40%
Audience sentiment on sponsored vs organic content. Proxy from aggregate comment-quality score until per-post sentiment analysis is wired. Neutral 5 when the signal is absent.
Engagement retention on commercial content
30%
Aggregate niche engagement rate, scaled as a proxy for whether audiences sustain engagement on commercial content. Replaced with per-post engagement ratio once available.
Explicit audience receptivity signals
20%
Average brand mentions per creator, tiered. 0 mentions scores 4 (cold), 1-2 scores ~5, 3-6 scores 6-9 (active commercial conversation), 7+ caps at 9.
Creator partnership retention
10%
Fraction of creators who both have existing sponsorships AND remain on active cadence. Signals that audiences keep tuning in even when creators partner commercially.
See the math
Branded-content sentiment signal
If commentQualityScore present: clamp(0, 10, avg). Otherwise neutral 5.
clamp(0, 10, avgCommentQualityScore) or 5
Engagement retention on commercial content
Same piecewise scale as Engagement Depth applied to avgEngagementRate.
piecewise(avgEngagementRate)
Explicit audience receptivity signals
avgMentions = totalBrandMentions / creatorCount. Tiered: 0 → 4; <3 → 4 + avg * 0.67; <7 → 6 + (avg - 3) * 0.75; 7+ → 9.
tiered: 0 → 4, <3 → 4 + avgMentions x 0.67, <7 → 6 + (avgMentions − 3) x 0.75, 7+ → 9
Creator partnership retention
fraction = creators with hasExistingSponsorships AND active cadence / total. Score = clamp(0, 10, 3 + fraction * 7).
clamp(0, 10, 3 + sponsoredActiveFraction x 7)
Calibration history
2026-04-17v4 axis introduced. Supersedes the v3 product-whitespace axis. Measures audience openness to partnerships rather than product-category saturation, so the score scales universally good-to-bad for any buyer. v4 axis design aligns with brand-buyer questions and the Economist report spec. The prior whitespace inputs were buyer-contextual and could not be scored on a single good-to-bad axis.
What it measures. How ready creators in this niche are to work with brands.
Why it matters. High readiness means shorter sales cycles and more productive partnerships for brands.
Components
Partnership readiness signal
30%
Average of the per-creator partnership readiness score (0-10 scale assigned during analysis).
Openness to brand partnerships
20%
Fraction of creators signaling openness: "yes", "open", "likely", "possible", "receptive", or "high" in their partnership stance.
Existing sponsorship track record
20%
Fraction of creators with confirmed existing sponsorships. Baseline of 3 means even niches with no track record start above zero.
Brand mention density and quality
15%
Total brand mentions across all creators in the niche. More mentions indicate an ecosystem where brands are already part of the conversation.
Rate transparency
15%
Fraction of creators with numeric sponsorship rate data (not empty or 'Unknown'). Transparency signals a mature sponsorship ecosystem.
See the math
Partnership readiness signal
avgScore = sum of partnershipReadinessScore / creatorCount. Score = clamp(0, 10, avgScore).
clamp(0, 10, avgPartnershipReadinessScore)
Openness to brand partnerships
fraction = creators with open/likely/possible/receptive/high signals / total. Score = clamp(0, 10, fraction * 10).
clamp(0, 10, openFraction x 10)
Existing sponsorship track record
fraction = creators with hasExistingSponsorships / total. Score = clamp(0, 10, 3 + fraction * 7).
clamp(0, 10, 3 + sponsoredFraction x 7)
Brand mention density and quality
total = sum of brandMentionCount across all creators. Score = clamp(0, 10, 3 + min(7, total * 0.5)).
clamp(0, 10, 3 + min(7, totalMentions x 0.5))
Rate transparency
fraction = creators with numeric rate data / total. Score = clamp(0, 10, 2 + fraction * 8).
clamp(0, 10, 2 + rateDataFraction x 8)
Calibration history
2026-04-17Axis position revised to 06 under the v4 structure. Math is unchanged from v3; only the axis ordering moved. v4 axis design aligns with brand-buyer questions and the Economist report spec.
Overall Imprint Score
Equal-weighted average of all 6 axes, rounded to 1 decimal place.
Score bands
Emerging
1-2
Early-stage niche with limited commercial signals. High risk, high potential.
Developing
3-4
Growing niche with some commercial activity. Opportunity exists but requires patience.
Established
5-6
Proven niche with solid commercial fundamentals. Reliable for brand entry.
Premium
7-8
High-performing niche with strong audience intent and creator infrastructure.
Elite
9-10
Exceptional niche across all axes. Rare; indicates a mature, high-value ecosystem.
The Imprint Score is not investment advice.
The score is not a guarantee of commercial performance.
The score supplements but does not replace direct creator relationships and due diligence.