A brand deal is a contract in which a company pays you, in money or product, to make and post content about it, and in the US the FTC expects you to disclose that relationship clearly in the post itself. We break a typical deal into eight steps, from the first message to the invoice. The price is set in the contract, and three clauses move it most: usage rights, exclusivity and whitelisting.
Most deals are small. Collabstr’s 2026 report, covering more than 21,000 collaborations on its marketplace, found nearly 80% were priced under $300, according to Storyboard18’s March 2026 coverage.
What are the steps in a brand deal?
A sponsorship runs from outreach to payment in eight steps. Skipping the contract or the disclosure step is where creators get burned.
- Outreach. A brand messages you, you pitch the brand, or a platform marketplace matches you.
- Brief. The brand sends its goal, deliverables, messages and dates.
- Quote and negotiation. You price the deliverables plus any usage rights, exclusivity or ad rights.
- Contract. Both sides sign terms covering deliverables, dates, rights, approvals and payment.
- Draft and approval. You share a draft or script and the brand gets the agreed number of revision rounds.
- Posting. You publish on the agreed date with a clear disclosure and the platform’s paid partnership label.
- Reporting. You send the agreed results, usually screenshots or exports from your analytics.
- Invoice and payment. You bill on the agreed date and the brand pays on its terms.
How do brands find creators?
Brands find creators through platform marketplaces, independent marketplaces, agencies and direct outreach. YouTube, Meta and TikTok each run their own marketplace as of October 2026.
| Platform | Brand tool | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | YouTube Creator Partnerships, formerly BrandConnect | Gives advertisers access to creators in the YouTube Partner Program, built into YouTube Studio |
| Instagram and Facebook | Meta Creator Marketing Hub | Combines creator discovery, Creator Marketplace and partnership ads tools, rolling out through the rest of 2026 |
| TikTok | TikTok One | Open to creators 18 or older where it has launched, with 1,000 followers needed for projects |
Marketplaces help brands find you, but a direct pitch with a clear media kit still works at any size. Lead with your audience and your best recent results, not your follower count.
What is in a creative brief?
A creative brief tells you what the brand wants the content to do and what it must include. Read it before you quote, because the brief decides how much work the deal is.
A good brief covers the goal, the exact deliverables with format and length, the messages or claims to include, things to avoid, the timeline, the number of revision rounds and the disclosure the brand expects. If the brief asks you to make a claim, check it. The FTC says you cannot make claims about a product that would require proof the advertiser does not have, such as unsupported health claims.
Which contract terms matter most?
Usage rights, exclusivity and whitelisting change the value of a deal more than anything else in the contract. Each one lets the brand get more out of your content or your audience, so each one should cost more.
| Contract term | What it means | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Deliverables | The exact posts, formats, lengths and dates | A written list, not “a few posts” |
| Usage rights | Where and for how long the brand can reuse your content | A fixed term and named channels, priced on top |
| Exclusivity | A ban on working with competitors for a period | A named competitor list and an end date, priced on top |
| Whitelisting or paid ads | The brand runs ads from your post or account | A separate fee, a spend window and an end date |
| Approvals and revisions | How many rounds of changes the brand gets | One or two rounds, with extra rounds billed |
| Payment terms | When and how you get paid | A due date, a deposit and a late fee |
| Cancellation | What happens if the brand pulls the deal | A kill fee for work already done |
| Disclosure | Who handles FTC disclosure and how | A clause that lets you disclose clearly |
Usage rights
Usage rights let a brand reuse your content outside your own post, on its website, social accounts or ads. Later’s July 2026 pricing guide says usage rights typically add 30% to 50% to a creator’s base rate, and more as the term and placements grow. Never grant usage “in perpetuity” for a one-post fee.
Exclusivity
Exclusivity stops you from working with the brand’s competitors for a set time. It costs you future deals, so price it as lost income. Ask for a short list of named competitors rather than a whole category, and a clear end date.
Whitelisting, Spark Ads and partnership ads
Whitelisting means the brand pays to show your content to people who do not follow you. On TikTok, brands run your post as a Spark Ad using an authorization code you generate, valid for 7, 30, 60 or 365 days. On Instagram, brands need your permission before they can promote your branded posts as partnership ads. On YouTube, the creator partnerships boost, formerly partnership ads, lets brands promote creator videos in Shorts and in-stream ad slots.
Pick the shortest code length that covers the campaign. A 365-day code gives a brand a year of ads from one fee.
What does the FTC require from creators?
The FTC requires you to disclose any material connection to a brand clearly, in the post, where people will see it. This section covers US rules and is general information, not legal advice.
The FTC’s Disclosures 101 guide and its Endorsement Guides FAQ set out what counts:
- A material connection includes payment, free or discounted products, perks, and employment, personal or family ties to the brand.
- Put the disclosure with the endorsement. Do not hide it on your profile, at the end of a long caption, behind a “more” link or among hashtags.
- Plain words work. The FTC says “Ad:,” “#ad,” “Advertisement” or “Paid ad” at the start of a post would likely be effective, and vague tags such as “sp,” “spon,” “collab” or “ambassador” are not.
- In video, put the disclosure in the video itself. If you endorse out loud, disclose out loud, and if you endorse on screen, disclose on screen.
- In live streams, repeat the disclosure so viewers who join late still see it.
- Write the disclosure in the same language as the endorsement.
- Do not talk about your experience with a product you have not tried, and do not call a product great if you think it is bad.
The FTC updated its Endorsement Guides on June 29, 2023, and said “a platform’s built-in disclosure tool might not be an adequate disclosure.” Since October 21, 2024, the FTC’s Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule has also banned buying or selling fake followers or views when the buyer knew or should have known they were fake and uses them to misrepresent influence for a commercial purpose.
What branded content tools do platforms offer?
YouTube, Instagram and TikTok each have a paid partnership tool, and you should use it alongside your own disclosure. The FTC says responsibility for disclosure lies with the creator and the brand, not the platform.
| Platform | Tool | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | Paid promotion setting in video details | Adds a disclosure label at the start of the video |
| Paid partnership label | Required whenever you are paid in any form, including gifted products and free trips | |
| TikTok | Commercial Content Disclosure setting | Adds a Paid partnership label. If TikTok flags an undisclosed post, you have 24 hours to turn it on before the video loses For You feed eligibility |
TikTok says turning on its disclosure setting does not change how it recommends a video. YouTube says creators and their partners are responsible for complying with all applicable legal requirements.
When and how do brand deals pay?
Brand deals pay when the contract says they pay, and no platform sets a standard. Put the due date, the amount and the payment method in writing before you post.
New York State gives freelancers extra protection. Its Freelance Isn’t Free law, in force since 2024, requires a written contract for freelance work worth $800 or more over 120 days, and payment within 30 days of finishing the work if the contract names no date. Check whether it covers your deal before you rely on it.
For new brands, we would ask for a deposit before you start and the balance on posting, with a late fee for payment after the due date. Product-only deals still need disclosure under FTC rules, and our creator taxes basics guide covers how US taxes apply to creator income.
Once you know the steps, price them with our guide to how to price sponsored posts. For the rest of your income mix, see how creators make money.