Influencer sponsorship contract: what to agree before work starts
By the Sponmi team · Updated
An influencer sponsorship agreement should fix the scope, review steps, number of revisions, delivery and posting dates, ad label, usage rights, payment timing and cancellation terms before any work starts. On Sponmi the package and the order page record these terms for both sides. This article is a checklist, not legal advice.
Do you need a written contract for a YouTube sponsorship?
You need the terms written down and agreed before the creator starts. Disputes tend to come from something nobody wrote: how many revisions, when the video goes live, whether you may reuse it in ads.
On Sponmi the order page keeps the package, the review steps and the dates as one record that both sides can see, and messages stay inside the order. Whether you also sign a separate contract depends on your company and the law where you operate. This article is not legal advice.
What should a sponsorship contract include?
Agree on each of these before work starts. The right column shows where it is recorded on Sponmi.
| Term | What to agree | Where Sponmi records it |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | What is made and where it is posted | The package, or your brief in an offer |
| Review steps | Script, storyboard, final video | The package |
| Revisions | How many are included | The package; extra revisions as an add-on |
| Dates | Delivery time and posting date | The package and the order page |
| Posting period | How long the post stays up | The package |
| Ad label | How the post is marked as an ad | Your brief |
| Usage rights | Whether and how long you may run it as an ad | Add-on for 30, 90 or 365 days |
| Payment and cancellation | When you pay, when the creator is paid, refunds | The order page, before you pay |
How should review steps and revisions be set?
Name every step you want to see and approve. On Sponmi the next step opens only after you approve the current one, and revisions are requested within the package limit. Standard packages include 1 to 3 revisions; more can be added as an add-on.
If you send no feedback for 72 hours, Sponmi checks the step against the order and confirms it. Plan who on your side gives feedback, and send it as one message.
Which dates belong in the agreement?
- Delivery time. Standard packages take 5 days when you supply the source material, 10 days for work from keywords or a brief, and 14 days when there is a script and storyboard.
- When the clock starts. If the package asks you questions, delivery is counted from the moment you answer them.
- The posting date or window, so the video goes live when your campaign does.
- How long the post stays up. Standard packages keep it up for 30 days.
- How long an offer waits. An offer with no reply closes after 3 days, and nothing is charged.
How should the ad label and usage rights be handled?
The ad label is required, and both the advertiser and the creator are responsible for it. Write in the brief how the post will be marked as an ad. The ad disclosure rules article covers the details.
Posting a video does not give you the right to run it as your own ad. If you plan to, add ad usage rights for 30, 90 or 365 days to the order, or buy a licence later for a video that has already performed.
When is the creator paid, and what if the order is cancelled?
- You pay only after the creator accepts, on the order page, in US dollars. The seller is AZET LLC (US).
- The withdrawal and refund terms are shown on the order page before you pay.
- The creator is paid only after Sponmi confirms the final step.
- If the creator does not deliver, they are not paid. If the order is cancelled, you are refunded to the payment method you used.
- 3 and 7 days after final approval you receive a results email with views, likes, comments and watch time, and impressions where available.
Questions
- Do I still need my own contract?
- It depends on your company and the law where you operate, and this article is not legal advice. Either way, the Sponmi order page keeps the package, steps and dates both sides agreed to.
- How many revisions do I get?
- The number written in the package. Standard packages include 1 to 3, and extra revisions can be added as an add-on.
- What happens if I do not give feedback?
- After 72 hours without feedback, Sponmi checks the step against the order and confirms it.
- When is the creator paid?
- After Sponmi confirms the final step. A creator who does not deliver is not paid.
- Who is responsible for the ad label?
- Both the advertiser and the creator. Agree on it in the brief and read the ad disclosure rules article for details.