Creator brand deals checklist

Before you sign a creator brand deals contract

8 clauses worth a second look, with what is off-market and the one-line fix for each. Work down the list against the contract in your inbox.

1. 01

   Deposit

   Red flag

   Full payment only after the post is live AND has run for a set period, or payment gated behind the brand's performance metrics. That turns the creator into an unpaid performance marketer.

   The fix

   "50% of the fee is due on signature, the remaining 50% within 15 days of the content going live. Payment is not contingent on the campaign's performance."

   What is normal for deposit →
2. 02

   Kill fee

   Red flag

   A clause letting the brand cancel any time before posting with no payment, even after the creator has scripted, filmed, and edited the content.

   The fix

   "If Client cancels after content is produced, 100% of the fee is due. If cancelled after signature but before production, 50% is due."

   What is normal for kill fee →
3. 03

   Net payment terms

   Red flag

   Net-90, "paid after the campaign concludes", or payment routed through an agency with no direct obligation to the creator and no outside date.

   The fix

   "Final payment is due within 30 days of the content going live. If routed through an agency, Client remains liable if the agency does not pay within 45 days."

   What is normal for net payment terms →
4. 04

   Unlimited revisions

   Red flag

   Unlimited revisions plus broad creative control, letting the brand reshape the creator's content indefinitely, including after it is live on the creator's own audience.

   The fix

   "Content includes 1 round of revisions and 1 approval. Once approved and posted, changes are a new engagement. Creative decisions on the creator's channel remain the creator's."

   What is normal for unlimited revisions →
5. 05

   IP transfer

   Red flag

   "Brand may use the content in perpetuity, in all media, and may run it as paid advertising," bundled into the base post fee with no separate line for usage or amplification.

   The fix

   "Content is licensed for [channels] for [term]. Paid amplification (whitelisting) is available at [rate]. Perpetual or all-media rights are a separate buyout."

   What is normal for ip transfer →
6. 06

   Exclusivity

   Red flag

   A broad, whole-industry lockout for six to twelve months folded into the base fee with no premium, blocking the creator from a large share of potential sponsors for free.

   The fix

   "Creator will not post sponsored content for [named category] competitors for [30 days] from posting. This exclusivity carries a [+25%] premium on the base fee."

   What is normal for exclusivity →
7. 07

   Liability cap

   Red flag

   Broad indemnity making the creator liable for any claim relating to the campaign, including consumer claims about the brand's product or regulatory issues with brand-supplied talking points.

   The fix

   "Creator's liability is capped at the fees paid and limited to Creator's own conduct. Brand indemnifies Creator for claims arising from the product, its performance, and Brand-supplied claims."

   What is normal for liability cap →
8. 08

   Non-compete

   Red flag

   A clause that, after the campaign ends, continues to restrict the creator from working with a broad set of companies for months, with no ongoing compensation.

   The fix

   "Creator will not post for [named category] competitors during the campaign and for [60 days] after, for a [premium]. No restriction applies beyond that window."

   What is normal for non-compete →