Guide
Influencer contract template
Most creator deals go wrong in one of three places: what was actually promised, what the brand is allowed to do with the content afterwards, and when the money arrives. A contract exists to close those three gaps. Below is the clause-by-clause structure to copy, plus the wording that decides whether you get paid on time.
This page is not legal advice and is not a substitute for a lawyer. Have an attorney in your jurisdiction review any contract, licence, or rights grant before you sign.
The eleven clauses
A workable influencer agreement fits on two pages. Anything longer is usually the brand's legal team adding protections that only run one way.
Parties and scope
Legal names, not handles.Name the brand entity that will actually pay the invoice — often a different company from the one in your DMs. If an agency is in the middle, state who owes the money.
Deliverables
Count, format, platform, and dates."3 Instagram Reels, 30–60s, posted 5/12, 5/19, 5/26, remaining live for 12 months." Vague scope is the number-one source of unpaid extra work.
Approvals and revisions
Two rounds, 3 business days each.Cap the revision rounds and put a clock on brand feedback. If they miss the window, content is deemed approved — otherwise a slow brand pushes your payment date indefinitely.
Usage rights
Organic only, unless priced.Default: the fee covers organic posting on your channels. Paid amplification, whitelisting, allowlisting, website or retail use are separate line items with a stated territory and term.
Exclusivity
Category, duration, and a fee."No competing skincare brand for 30 days from first post." Never accept open-ended or whole-industry exclusivity, and never accept it for free.
Fee and payment schedule
50% upfront, 50% on delivery.State the currency, the invoice trigger, and the due date in days. Payment on posting — not on the brand's internal reporting cycle.
Late payment
Interest plus a stop-work right.1.5% monthly interest on overdue amounts, and the right to pause remaining deliverables or remove live content after a stated grace period. This clause is what makes chasing easy.
Kill fee
Paid work is paid work.If the brand cancels after signature: 25% before production, 50% after concepts, 100% once content is delivered. Prevents "we changed direction" wiping out a month.
Content ownership
You own it; they license it.Retain copyright and grant a licence limited by the usage-rights clause. Never sign a full buyout unless the fee reflects it.
FTC / ASA disclosure
Required, and the brand agrees.State that #ad or the platform's paid-partnership label will appear, and that the brand cannot ask you to remove it.
Termination and disputes
Notice period and governing law.How either side exits, what survives (payment for work done, usage rights already granted), and which jurisdiction applies.
Need percentages by production stage? See the influencer kill fee schedule when a brand cancels mid-campaign.
Payment terms, in detail
This is the clause worth arguing over. Everything else is scope; this is cash flow.
| Term | Ask for | Accept at most |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | 50% on signature | 30% on signature |
| Balance due | On delivery / posting | Net 30 from invoice |
| Invoice trigger | Content delivered | Content posted |
| Late interest | 1.5% per month | Statutory rate |
| Kill fee | 50% after concepts | 25% after concepts |
Worked example: $1,200 Reel deal on one page
Paste numbers like these into the fee schedule so “usage included” cannot swallow the whole quote. Adjust the $ — keep the line structure.
| Line | Contract wording | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Content | 1 IG Reel, organic post, 2 revision rounds | $1,200 |
| Paid usage | Brand ad accounts, Meta only, US, 90 days from first impression | +$480 (40%) |
| Exclusivity | Named SPF category, 30 days from first post | +$360 (30%) |
| Payment | 50% on signature in platform hold, 50% on delivery (content fee) | $600 then $600 |
| Kill fee | 50% of content fee after concepts if brand cancels | $600 floor (not usage/exclusivity) |
Total if they buy all three products: $2,040, not “$1,200 campaign”. Fee tables for the add-ons live on usage-rights pricing and exclusivity fee.
Platform payment hold calendar (copy into the SOW)
On a $1,200 content fee (+ add-ons), the timeline should look like this — not “Net 30 after we like the Reel.”
| Day | Event | Money |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Signature + platform hold funded | 100% of agreed total locked |
| 0–2 | Shoot only after funds show | You are not financing the brand |
| Delivery | Draft sent; 3 business-day feedback clock | Deemed approved if silent |
| Approved / deemed | Platform hold release on delivery trigger | Balance clears |
| +7 overdue | Late fee clause + suspend remaining work | See late-fee / suspend guides |
DM paste when their PDF is a red flag
- “Happy to proceed with a one-pager: deliverables, organic-only usage, 2 revision rounds, 50% platform payment hold before shoot, kill fee after concepts. I’ll send mine.”
- “Perpetual / worldwide / all-media can’t sit inside the content fee — pick a paid cell with days and territory or we quote a buyout.”
- “Approval silence = approved after 3 business days so the invoice isn’t blocked.”
Red flags in a brand's paperwork
- "Payment upon publication of the campaign report" — an internal milestone you don't control.
- Perpetual, worldwide, all-media usage rights bundled into a single post fee.
- Unlimited revisions, or approvals with no deadline on the brand's side.
- Exclusivity with no category limit or end date.
- A signature request from an entity name you can't find in any company register.
- "Contra" — free product instead of fee — described as "exposure".
The contract is only half of getting paid
A signed agreement gives you a claim. It doesn't move money. For deals under a few thousand, chasing an unpaid invoice through small claims costs more than the invoice. So the real protection is structural — make the money exist before you produce.
Deposit before production
50% upfront is standard and filters out brands with no budget approval. If they can't pay half, they can't pay the whole.
Platform payment hold for the balance
The remainder sits with a third party from day one and releases on delivery. The brand knows the money is committed; you know it exists.
Written scope, every time
Even for a one-post deal. An email with the deliverables, fee, usage, and due date, acknowledged in writing, is an enforceable contract in most jurisdictions.
Contract questions creators ask
+Do I need a contract for a small brand deal?
Yes. The disputes that cost creators money - unpaid invoices, content reused in paid ads, endless revisions - happen on small deals as often as large ones. A one-page agreement covering deliverables, usage, revisions and payment is enough.
+What are usage rights and why do they matter?
Usage rights define where the brand may run your content, for how long, and in which territories. Organic reposts are cheap; paid amplification, whitelisting and out-of-home placements are worth far more than the content fee and must be priced and time-boxed separately.
+What is a kill fee?
A clause that pays you a set share of the content fee only — commonly 50% of the Reel/post line, not 50% of usage or exclusivity add-ons — if the brand cancels after you have started, and 100% of the content fee once content is delivered but before it runs. Without it, a cancelled campaign costs you the whole production.
+Should I ask for payment upfront?
A 50% deposit before production is standard and reasonable to ask for. A platform payment hold is stronger still: the brand funds the full amount at checkout, funds stay on the platform until delivery (not licensed third-party escrow), so neither side carries the other's risk.
+What are the biggest red flags in a brand's contract?
Perpetual or worldwide usage with no fee attached, unlimited revisions, indemnity clauses that make you liable for the brand's product claims, payment tied to the brand's approval of your content, and exclusivity periods with no separate payment.
+How do I write usage and exclusivity so they are not one mushy line?
Two numbered clauses: (1) Usage — organic only unless a paid cell is named with days and territory. (2) Exclusivity — named category, start/end dates, and a fee or % of the content fee. If either is “included”, write $0 and the exact scope so they cannot expand it later.
+What if the brand never replies to the approval draft?
Write a deemed-approval clock: e.g. “If Brand does not send written feedback within 3 business days of delivery, the draft is approved.” Without it, silence freezes your invoice trigger forever.
Skip the chase: get paid upfront
BlueRateCard turns your packages into a checkout. The brand picks deliverables and usage rights, pays before you start, and the funds sit in a platform payment hold until you deliver — so the payment clause enforces itself. Free for creators.
Related guides
Contracts & delivery