What should an influencer partnership brief include?

Include the campaign goal, audience, product facts, deliverables, creator fee, timeline, approval process, disclosure expectations, content usage rights, and reporting plan. The final agreement should reflect the terms both sides approve.

Should a brand tell a creator exactly what to say?

Give creators the factual requirements and the campaign objective, then allow room for their own voice. The brief should identify approved claims and any statements that must not be made, rather than asking for an unreviewed script to be presented as a personal opinion.

Are usage rights included in an influencer fee?

Do not assume they are. Spell out whether the brand can repost, edit, or use the content in paid media; where it may run; and for how long. The creator fee and content usage are separate terms to agree before work starts.

How should paid influencer content be disclosed?

The FTC advises making a material connection to a brand clear and hard to miss. Requirements can vary by jurisdiction and platform, so brands and creators should review the applicable rules for their campaign.

Hive Sales campaign planning guide

Influencer partnership brief template for brands

A clear influencer partnership brief helps a brand and creator decide whether a campaign fits before either side commits. Copy this outline into your next campaign: define the objective, audience, deliverables, budget, timing, approval process, disclosure, content usage, and the outcome you will measure.

1. Start with one campaign goal and a specific audience

Write one outcome the campaign is meant to support, such as product awareness, qualified site visits, trial signups, or a launch event. Then describe the audience in plain language: who they are, what problem the product solves for them, and why this creator's audience may care. Give creators factual product details and any claims that have been approved for use. Do not ask a creator to make claims the brand cannot support.

Campaign objective and the one action you want viewers to take
Audience, product facts, offer details, and destination link
What makes the creator a relevant fit beyond follower count

2. Name every deliverable and leave room for the creator's voice

A deliverable should be concrete enough to price and review: platform, format, quantity, required facts, publication window, and any links or codes. Separate non-negotiable brand requirements from creative direction. The creator should know what must be accurate, while retaining room to explain a product naturally to their audience.

Example: one 30–60 second TikTok video, one Story reminder, and one tracked link
Required product facts, prohibited claims, and any brand-safety constraints
Whether drafts are required, how many revision rounds are included, and who gives final approval

3. Agree the commercial terms before production starts

State the creator fee, what expenses or products the brand provides, payment timing, delivery date, and publication date. Content usage is a separate commercial term: say whether the brand may repost the work, use it in paid advertising, edit it, or license it to partners. Specify channels, territories, duration, and any exclusivity period instead of treating usage rights as a vague checkbox.

Creator fee, reimbursable expenses, product shipment, and payment milestone
Delivery date, publication window, review turnaround, and what happens if timing changes
Organic reposting, paid media, editing permissions, territory, duration, and category exclusivity

4. Include disclosure and reporting in the brief

For U.S.-facing endorsements, the FTC says a material connection with a brand should be clear and hard to miss. A paid fee, gifted product, discount, or other valuable benefit can require a disclosure. Decide the disclosure language and placement before production, but make clear that the creator remains responsible for their own compliance. Set a reporting window and the metrics both sides will share after publication, such as views, clicks, code uses, or attributed purchases.

Use clear language such as ad or sponsored where viewers will see it with the endorsement
Put the disclosure in the video or image itself when the endorsement appears there, not only in a profile or hidden caption area
Agree on a reporting window, tracked link or code, and the limits of any attribution method

Questions people ask

What should an influencer partnership brief include?: Include the campaign goal, audience, product facts, deliverables, creator fee, timeline, approval process, disclosure expectations, content usage rights, and reporting plan. The final agreement should reflect the terms both sides approve.
Should a brand tell a creator exactly what to say?: Give creators the factual requirements and the campaign objective, then allow room for their own voice. The brief should identify approved claims and any statements that must not be made, rather than asking for an unreviewed script to be presented as a personal opinion.
Are usage rights included in an influencer fee?: Do not assume they are. Spell out whether the brand can repost, edit, or use the content in paid media; where it may run; and for how long. The creator fee and content usage are separate terms to agree before work starts.
How should paid influencer content be disclosed?: The FTC advises making a material connection to a brand clear and hard to miss. Requirements can vary by jurisdiction and platform, so brands and creators should review the applicable rules for their campaign.

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