An influencer contract template should do one job: turn a friendly brief into a deal both sides can rely on. In the UK that means twelve clauses, from deliverables and approvals to usage rights, disclosure and payment. Get them right and you avoid the three fights we see most often: who owns the content, how long the brand can use it, and when the creator gets paid.
This guide gives you the full template, explains what UK law and the regulators actually require, and ends with a checklist you can use before anything is signed. It follows on from our guides to finding the right influencers, writing the brief and setting the fee. It is practical guidance, not legal advice, so have a lawyer check anything high value.
The short version
- The creator owns the content by default. Under UK copyright law the author is the first owner, so the brand only gets what the contract grants in writing.
- Usage rights need a scope. List the channels, paid use, territory and duration. An exclusive licence or an assignment must be in writing and signed.
- Approval rights make it an ad. If the brand pays and controls the content, the ASA expects a clear “Ad” label upfront, and both sides are responsible.
- Put payment days in the contract. With no agreed date, UK law treats an invoice as late after 30 days and lets the creator claim interest and fixed compensation.
- Add an AI clause now. The ISBA and IMTB code says AI tools will not be used to replicate an influencer’s likeness, voice or image without explicit consent.
What is an influencer contract?
An influencer contract (also called an influencer agreement) is the written deal between a brand, or its agency, and a creator. It sets out what the creator will make, when it goes live, how the brand can use it and what the creator is paid. The brief tells the creator what good looks like; the contract makes it enforceable.
You do not need to start from a blank page. ISBA publishes free influencer contract templates, including a long form agreement and a micro influencer version, and says they “are available for the entire industry to use”. The ISBA and Influencer Marketing Trade Body Influencer Marketing Code of Conduct (version 4, November 2024) sets the behaviour both sides should expect. Use those as your base and adapt the clauses below to the campaign.
The influencer contract template: 12 clauses
Here is the template we use as a starting point. Each clause has a plain English summary of what to write and the mistake we see most often.
| Clause | What to include | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Parties and term | Who is contracting (the creator, their limited company or their agent), start date, end date, and the campaign name. | Contracting with an agent but not checking they can bind the creator. |
| 2. Deliverables | Number of posts or videos, platform, format, length, live dates and any stories, links or pinned comments. | “Some content on Instagram.” Vague deliverables cause most disputes. |
| 3. Creative brief | Refer to the brief as a schedule: key message, must include, must avoid, brand guidelines. | Scripting every word, which kills performance and makes the post feel like an ad. |
| 4. Approvals | How many review rounds, how long each side has to respond, and what counts as approval. | Unlimited revisions with no response deadline. |
| 5. Disclosure | The creator labels the content “Ad” upfront and uses the platform paid partnership tool. The brand checks it. | Accepting “gifted”, “collab” or a label hidden in hashtags. |
| 6. Ownership and usage rights | Creator keeps copyright; brand gets a written licence listing channels, paid use, territory and duration. | Saying “the brand owns everything” without a signed written assignment. |
| 7. Paid amplification | Whether the brand can boost the post through partnership ads, Spark Ads or whitelisting, and for how long. | Running ads from the creator’s handle with no clause and no extra fee. |
| 8. Exclusivity | Named competitors or a narrow category, and a clear window before and after the campaign. | A whole sector blocked for a year for the price of one post. |
| 9. Fees and payment | Fee per deliverable, what triggers each invoice, payment days and late interest. | Leaving payment terms blank and then paying at 90 days. |
| 10. Moral rights and edits | Whether the brand can cut, caption or edit the content, and a written waiver if needed. | Re editing a video for ads without the creator’s agreement. |
| 11. AI and likeness | No use of the creator’s face, voice or likeness in AI generated content without separate explicit consent. | Training or cloning from creator content because the licence was broad. |
| 12. Reporting, conduct and exit | Screenshots of analytics by a date, conduct standards both ways, termination and what happens to fees. | A morality clause that only runs one way. |
Advertain guidance. Adapt to the campaign and have a lawyer review high value or long term deals.
How to write an influencer contract in 7 steps
1. Lock the deliverables and dates
Write each deliverable as a line item: platform, format, length, number, live date and anything extra such as a link in bio for seven days. Attach the brief as a schedule so the creative direction is part of the deal without bloating the main contract.
2. Set a fair approval process
Agree how many review rounds there are (we suggest two), how quickly the brand will respond, and what happens if it does not. Remember that approval rights change the legal position. The CAP influencers’ guide says content is an ad when the brand has paid and had “some form of editorial ‘control’ over the content, including final approval”, and it adds that “any incentive, even if it’s not money, counts as a ‘payment’”.
3. Write the disclosure clause
The ASA wants “a clear and prominent ‘Ad’ label upfront” and tells creators to avoid labels such as “gifted” or “collab”. Responsibility is shared: “Both you and the brand are responsible for ensuring that content is properly disclosed.” The CMA’s guidance for brands goes further and warns that a brand is “at risk if you continue working with” a creator who repeatedly fails to label paid content. On YouTube, the contract should also require the creator to tick the paid promotion box, which shows a disclosure message for the first 10 seconds.
“Both you and the brand are responsible for ensuring that content is properly disclosed.”
CAP, Influencers’ guide to making clear that ads are ads
4. Define ownership and usage rights
This is where most disputes start. Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, “the author of a work is the first owner of any copyright in it” (section 11). A freelance creator is not your employee, so they own what they make unless they sign it over. An assignment “is not effective unless it is in writing signed by or on behalf of the assignor” (section 90), and an exclusive licence must also be “in writing signed by or on behalf of the copyright owner” (section 92).
Most brands do not need ownership. They need a licence that says where the content can run (organic, paid social, website, email, out of home), in which countries and for how long. Price each extension separately; our UK influencer rates guide covers what usage typically adds.
5. Agree paid amplification and exclusivity
If you want to boost the creator’s post, say so in the contract and say for how long. TikTok’s Content Suite help page says video level authorisation lets brands use a specific video “for 365 days”, while account level authorisation allows “ongoing use until you turn it off”. Match those settings to the term you paid for. For exclusivity, name the competitors or a narrow category and set a window. The ISBA code asks brands to “note exclusivity requirements and commitments” upfront, and the creator should be paid for the work they turn down.
6. Put payment terms in writing
Late payment is one of the most common creator complaints. In a 2024 Lumanu survey of more than 500 influencers, 48% said they had been paid late that year. In a Tipalti survey of 1,231 US and UK creators, 59% said they had ended partnerships because of bad experiences (both are vendor studies).
How often creators are paid late
UK law gives creators leverage when a contract is silent. If no payment date is agreed, GOV.UK says the payment is late 30 days after the invoice or delivery, and the supplier can charge statutory interest of 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, plus fixed compensation.
| Invoice value | Fixed late payment compensation |
|---|---|
| Up to £999.99 | £40 |
| £1,000 to £9,999.99 | £70 |
| £10,000 or more | £100 |
Source: GOV.UK, claiming debt recovery costs. Applies to business to business debts, on top of statutory interest of 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, unless the contract sets its own late payment interest.
Tighter rules are coming. In March 2026 the government announced a 60 day cap on payment terms when large firms pay smaller suppliers, through the Commercial Payments Bill. According to the Small Business Commissioner, the Bill entered the Lords on 19 May 2026 and is not yet law. Our advice: write 30 days from invoice into the contract, name the trigger for each invoice (signature, go live or report), and pay on time. The ISBA code commits brands to “make every effort not to let payment drift”.
7. Cover edits, AI likeness and the exit
Creators who direct their videos have a moral right not to have their work “subjected to derogatory treatment” (section 80). If you plan to cut a video down for ads, get a written waiver; the Act says a waiver must be “in writing signed by the person giving up the right” (section 87). Add an AI clause too. Clause 11.5 of the ISBA and IMTB code says “Deepfake technology or AI tools will not be used to replicate an influencer’s likeness, voice, or image” without “their explicit consent”. Finish with termination rights, a conduct clause that runs both ways, and what happens to fees if the campaign is cancelled.
Gifted products and tax: what to tell creators
Gifting is not a way around a contract. The CAP guide treats any incentive as payment, and HMRC’s guidance for content creators says creators must include “the value of any gifts or services you received from promoting products online” because they count as income. If you send product in return for content, put it in a short written agreement with the same disclosure, usage and AI clauses.
Influencer contract checklist before you sign
- Every deliverable has a platform, format, number and live date.
- The brief is attached as a schedule.
- Approval rounds and response times are written down.
- The creator will label the content “Ad” upfront and use the platform disclosure tool.
- Usage rights list channels, paid use, territory and duration, and any exclusive licence is signed.
- Exclusivity names competitors and a window, and is paid for.
- Payment days, invoice triggers and late interest are clear.
- Edits, moral rights and AI likeness are covered, with explicit consent for any AI use.
Want this handled end to end? See our work with brands such as Red Bull, Gymshark and Formula E, or talk to us about your next creator campaign. For the bigger picture, read our guide to creator marketing in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What should an influencer contract include?
At minimum: the parties and term, deliverables and dates, the brief, approvals, disclosure, usage rights, paid amplification, exclusivity, fees and payment terms, edits and moral rights, AI likeness, and reporting and termination. The 12 clause template above covers each one.
Is there a free influencer contract template in the UK?
Yes. ISBA publishes free influencer contract templates for the whole industry, including a micro influencer version. Pair one with the ISBA and IMTB Code of Conduct and the clauses in this guide.
Who owns the content in an influencer agreement?
The creator, unless the contract says otherwise. UK copyright law makes the author the first owner, and any assignment or exclusive licence must be in writing and signed. Most brands only need a defined usage licence.
When should influencers be paid?
Whenever the contract says, so agree a date. If none is agreed, UK law treats a business invoice as late after 30 days. We recommend 30 days from invoice with clear triggers for each payment.
Do gifted collaborations need a contract?
It is strongly advisable. Regulators treat gifts as payment when content is expected, HMRC treats them as income, and you still need usage and disclosure terms.
