As brand collaborations with today’s top social media influencers become an increasingly effective and prevalent way for companies to connect with large, engaged audiences, outlining expectations (such as campaign schedules, content requirements, payments, and usage rights) in a working influencer agreement is the best way to ensure that the partnership is beneficial and executed well for all parties involved. Having a plan—and getting it in writing—regarding the details of an influencer marketing campaign will help keep both brands and social media stars moving in the same direction and help avoid future complications.
Both social media influencers and brands have a lot invested in influencer marketing collaborations, and influencers agreements serve to protect the interests of all parties, define ownership and usage rights of materials, and clarify campaign expectations. As recent legal actions by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (i.e. FTC, the governing body that protects consumers from deceptive advertising and unfair business practices) illustrates, crafting an airtight influencer agreement complete with the requisite FTC stipulations can be largely helpful to both digital influencers (e.g. YouTubers, Instagrammers, Viners, Snapchatters, bloggers), content creators, audiences, and brands.
While there may be some ambiguity in what constitutes as adequate disclosure, Federal Trade Commission Endorsement Guides clearly state that disclosures should be clear, unambiguous, and visible to all consumers. According to federal guidelines, hashtags like #ad and #sponsored are acceptable ways to label sponsored content, but to avoid legal complication, brands need to be explicit in telling influencers exactly how to properly disclose advertisements or brand/brand sponsored marketing material.
For more information on the Federal Trade Commission’s guidelines regarding influencer marketing campaigns, see our article here.
Depending on the nature of the campaign (i.e. whether it’s a one-off collaboration, includes multiple social media platforms or not), influencer agreements need to be tailored accordingly. For example, influencer agreement verbiage for a YouTube influencer campaign will vary from a blog only one (e.g. specifying the brand mention within a certain timeframe of the video is pertinent to YouTube campaigns).
To align expectations, and craft campaign timetable of deliverables between social media influencers and brands, influencer agreements containing the following points will help to ensure seamless collaboration. We’ve included the salient agreement points (in bold) followed with a sample text and/or explanation.
Since 2011, Mediakix has helped the world’s most recognizable brands concept, execute, and scale marketing with top YouTubers, TikTokers, Instagrammers, bloggers, and more. For an in-depth look at how top brands launch effective and standout influencer marketing campaigns, see our free whitepaper strategy guide “10 Steps To Influencer Marketing.”