Sponsorship contract: the eight clauses that decide what you get paid

1. Scope and deliverables

The contract must say what you publish, where, when and with what characteristics. 'A video on Instagram' is not enough: platform, format, length, whether it is dedicated or a mention, and whether it includes support stories. Every deliverable carries a delivery date and a publication date.

Also fix the number of revisions included and the deadline for receiving feedback. One round is usual; two, if there is production. Every additional round is invoiced. Without this, a brand can request changes indefinitely and the project stops being profitable.

2. Usage rights

A licence needs four pieces of information: term, territory, channels and whether it allows paid media. 'Usage rights on social media' is an empty phrase that ends up meaning whatever the brand needs. Write 'organic use on the brand's accounts for 90 days, worldwide territory, no paid media' and add the price of extending each dimension.

Perpetual transfer or use in paid media are not a minor extra: they can multiply the value of the piece. If the brand asks for perpetual rights, charge for them or limit use to a specific campaign. The material remains yours; the brand receives a licence, not ownership.

3. Exclusivity and non-compete

Exclusivity must define the category, the specific brands, the territory, the channels and the duration. 'Do not work with the competition' with nothing else is an open clause that can block you for months. Narrow it: 'exclusivity against these three coffee brands in Spain for 60 days, on Instagram only'.

If the brand wants to renew exclusivity, it must ask before the window ends and pay for the renewal. An automatic renewal clause with no price leaves you with no room to renegotiate.

4. Payment, cancellation and kill fee

The contract must carry the amount, currency, taxes, schedule and due date. Net-30 is usual; net-60 or net-90 are offset with price or a deposit. Add late-payment interest and the right to suspend deliveries if the invoice is overdue.

Cancellation is also agreed. If the brand cancels before publication, charge a percentage for the calendar hold and the work done; if it cancels afterwards, invoice 100%. The kill fee protects the time you stopped selling to others. For force majeure, agree rescheduling without penalty and written notice.

5. Approvals, metrics and data

Define a maximum deadline for the brand to approve the content. If it does not reply within that period, it is deemed approved or the publication is rescheduled, but you are not required to deliver for free the following week. Approval cannot be indefinite or turn into a continuous creative review.

Do not guarantee results. You can commit to estimated reach, number of pieces and dates; not sales or ROI. Deliver aggregated campaign metrics and do not share personal audience data. If the brand wants a pixel or access to your account, let it be with an access contract and a clear limit.

6. What not to sign

Do not sign perpetual rights without a price, unlimited revisions, exclusivity with no category or term, unilateral cancellation without a kill fee, or a morality clause so broad that it allows termination after publication. Nor accept payment conditional on the brand being paid by its client.

If the contract is the brand's and you cannot change the clauses, send a counterproposal with the three that affect you most. A reasoned no in time costs less than a badly closed project. For small amounts, an email with the accepted quote and these conditions may be enough; for large campaigns, have a professional review it.

The one-page annex that travels with the contract

When the brand's contract runs twenty pages, add a one-page annex: deliverables, dates, amount, payment terms, rights and exclusive category. It is signed alongside the main document and lets both sides see in thirty seconds what has been bought.

It also works when the template is old and generic: the annex makes the campaign specific without rewriting the whole document. If the two conflict, state in writing which prevails, because an annex that says nothing about hierarchy becomes another text to argue over.

Keep the signed version in the same folder as the invoice. In a claim, having contract, annex and invoice together saves you the most expensive conversation: reconstructing what was agreed and when.

• Deliverables, dates and amount on one page.
• Prevalence clause over the template.
• Contract, annex and invoice in one folder.

Cancellation, postponement and force majeure

The contract must say what happens if the brand cancels after you have held the date: the percentage retained depending on notice, and what happens to material already produced. Without that clause, a late cancellation is argued case by case and you always lose.

Separate cancellation from postponement. A postponement keeps the amount and moves the date; a cancellation with less than a week's notice should pay for the full production, because that slot can no longer be sold.

• Percentage retained according to notice.
• Postponement: same amount, new date.
• Under 7 days: full production.