ShoutXChange
Campaigns & matching

Cooldowns and bands

Why we group creators into size bands and put short waits between repeat trades.

Updated April 15, 2026

Two ideas keep trades fair on ShoutXChange: bands and cooldowns. Here is how each one works.

Bands

A band is a size group. We split all creators into seven bands by fan count.

  • Band 1: under 500 fans
  • Band 2: 500 to 2,000 fans
  • Band 3: 2,000 to 8,000 fans
  • Band 4: 8,000 to 25,000 fans
  • Band 5: 25,000 to 75,000 fans
  • Band 6: 75,000 to 250,000 fans
  • Band 7: 250,000 fans and up

We match creators inside the same band. A creator can also reach one band up or one band down, but only sometimes. This keeps trades from being one-sided.

The bands move with you. As your fan count grows, you move up. You do not have to do anything. We recheck once a day.

Why bands matter

A trade between a 1k creator and a 100k creator is not a fair fight. The 100k creator's reach is one hundred times bigger. If we paired them with the same number of fans agreed, the 100k creator is doing a fraction of their normal work and the 1k creator is doing way more than they can sustain. Bands stop that.

Cooldowns

A cooldown is a wait between repeat matches. After you trade with someone, we will not pair you with them again for a set time.

  • One week for bands 1 to 3.
  • Two weeks for bands 4 to 5.
  • Three weeks for bands 6 to 7.

Why cooldowns matter

If we paired you with the same person every week, your fans would see the same shoutout over and over. Your fans tune out. Their click rate drops. Your trades start to fail. Nobody wins.

Cooldowns force fresh pairings. Your fans see new creators each time. Click rates stay high. Trades close fast.

Can I bypass a cooldown?

Sometimes you really hit it off with a partner and want to keep trading. We do not block that. But we do nudge it. After a cooldown ends, you can match again. You can also save a partner as a Favorite, and we will look for matches with them first when both sides are open.

What changes if my fan count drops?

If you lose fans (it happens), you can drop a band. You will start matching with smaller creators. That is normal. The goal is fair fights, not punishment.

You can always see your current band on your dashboard, with a small note about how close you are to the next one.

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