A brand reaches out, the brief sounds exciting, and you want to start creating. But most problems in brand deals, such as endless revisions, surprise ad usage and late payment, come from things that were never agreed at the start.
Use this checklist before you film anything. Get the answers in writing, even if it's just an email that says "confirming the following".
1. Who you're working with
- Who is the client: the brand or an agency acting for the brand?
- Who is your day-to-day contact, and who has final approval?
- Who should receive the invoice, and do they need a purchase order number?
Knowing who pays and who approves prevents the classic situation where the content is approved but the invoice sits with the wrong person.
2. Deliverables
List every piece of content, with enough detail that there's no room for misunderstanding:
- Platform and format: Instagram Reel, Story set, TikTok, YouTube integration, static post.
- Length or number of frames.
- Number of pieces.
- Captions, hashtags, tags and links the brand requires.
- Whether you'll also provide raw footage or photos.
"Some Instagram content" is not a deliverable. "2 Reels of 30 to 60 seconds, 1 Story set of 3 frames with a link sticker" is.
3. Timeline
- When will the brand send the product or brief?
- When is the draft due?
- How long does the brand have to give feedback?
- When does the content go live?
Build in time for approvals. If the brand takes a week to reply to your draft, the posting date should move, not your weekends.
4. Approvals and revisions
- How many rounds of revisions are included? One or two is common.
- What counts as a revision versus a new request? Changing a caption is a revision; reshooting with a different product is new work.
- What does an extra round cost?
Write it down. It's much easier to point to an agreed number of revisions than to argue about it later.
5. Usage rights
This is the most commonly overlooked item, and often the most valuable:
- Can the brand repost your content on its own channels? For how long?
- Can it run your content as paid ads? On which platforms, and for how long?
- Can it use your content outside social media, such as on its website, in stores or in print?
- Do you keep ownership of the content? (Usually you should, with a licence for the brand.)
Organic posting on your account is one price. Ad usage for three months is another. Charge separately for usage beyond your own channels.
6. Exclusivity
- Are you being asked not to work with competitors? Which ones, exactly?
- For how long, and does it start at signing or at posting?
Exclusivity limits your future income, so it should be paid for. A narrow category ("other soft drinks") for one month is reasonable. "Any food or beverage brand for six months" is a big ask.
7. Fee and payment terms
- The total fee, and the currency.
- What's included for that fee: deliverables, revisions and usage.
- A deposit, if any, and when it's due.
- When you'll invoice (for example, on posting) and the payment term (for example, 14 or 30 days).
- Late-fee terms, if you use them.
- Who covers costs like travel, props or location fees.
For new clients or large deals, a 30 to 50 percent deposit is completely normal.
8. Disclosure and brand rules
- How should the partnership be disclosed? Use the platform's paid partnership label and clear wording like #ad.
- Are there words, claims or topics the brand needs you to avoid?
- Does the brand need to approve the caption before posting?
Honest disclosure protects you and your audience's trust. Don't accept a deal that asks you to hide it.
9. Reporting
- Will the brand want performance data, such as reach, views and engagement?
- When: 7 days after posting, 30 days?
- Screenshots or a written summary?
Agree on this up front so you can capture the numbers at the right time.
10. Cancellation
- What happens if the brand cancels after you've started?
- What happens if the product arrives late?
A simple rule, such as "50 percent of the fee is payable if the brand cancels after the brief is approved", protects the time you've already invested.
Put it in one place
Once everything is agreed, keep it with the project, not scattered across DMs and email threads. In PlanBrix, each project holds the agency, brand and contact, the deliverables priced from your rate card, and the due dates. When the content is live, turn the project into an invoice in one click, with the payment terms you agreed.