Sponsorships you will not regret

The offer arrives, the number looks good, and there is a contract attached that you were not expecting to read. This chapter is about the handful of clauses that decide whether you will still be happy about this in six months.

It is orientation, not legal advice. For anything significant, have it read by a lawyer where you live.

Read it, all of it, before the number

The commonest expensive mistake is agreeing to the fee in a message and then discovering the terms afterwards. Once you have said yes to the money, pushing back on terms feels like haggling and you will do less of it.

Reverse the order. Ask for the agreement first, read it, then talk about money.

Exclusivity is the clause that costs the most

An exclusivity clause says you will not work with competitors. The three questions are:

• How broad? "No other energy drinks" is reasonable. "No other beverages, food or lifestyle brands" is most of your future income.
• For how long? A month after delivery is normal. Twelve months for one stream is not.
• Where? Some clauses cover every platform you use, including ones that had nothing to do with the deal.

Exclusivity is worth real money. If they want it, it should be reflected in the fee, and if they want it broad and long, it should be reflected a lot.

Deliverables: say exactly what you will do

Vagueness here always resolves in the other party's favour, because they are the one who signs off.

Write it down in countable terms: how many streams, how long the segment is, which week, what goes in the panels and for how long, how many posts on which platform, and whether a clip has to stay up afterwards.

Then look at the list and ask whether you would be happy doing this for the fee if the product turns out to be dull. The answer should be yes, because it might.

Approval and control

Two clauses to watch:

• Approval of content. Some agreements let a brand approve what you say or require a script. That can be fine for a read; it is not fine if it extends to the rest of your stream.
• Usage rights. Brands often want to reuse your footage in their own advertising. Ask where, for how long, and whether they can edit it. "Anywhere, forever, edited however we like" is a much bigger thing to give away than it looks — and it is worth more money than the placement.

Payment terms

• When. "Net 30" means thirty days after invoicing, not after the stream. Net 60 and net 90 exist and are common with larger companies. Know which one you signed before you spend it.
• Part up front, for anything substantial. Fifty per cent before delivery is a normal ask and a good filter: a company that refuses any prepayment is telling you something.
• What happens if they cancel after you have blocked out the date. A kill fee clause is standard in other media and entirely reasonable here.
• Who pays fees and taxes. Cross-border payments have costs. Agree who absorbs them.

Disclosure is not optional

Paid content has to be labelled as such. The exact wording and placement are set by the rules where you and your audience are, and platforms have their own requirements on top.

Two practical points:

• Say it out loud, at the start, in plain language. "This part of the stream is sponsored by X." A tag in a description nobody reads is not disclosure in spirit and often not in law either.
• Never agree to hide it. A brand that asks you to soften or omit disclosure is asking you to take on their regulatory risk, and the exposure lands on you, not them.

Your audience does not resent sponsorship. They resent being deceived — and a clearly labelled ad you are visibly comfortable with costs you nothing.

The gut check

Before you sign: would you be embarrassed if your most cynical regular saw this contract?

If the product is one you would not use, the clause is one you do not understand, or the fee is one you would be ashamed to admit, decline. There will be another one, and the reputation you keep is the thing that makes the next one possible.

Next: how to post everywhere without letting it eat the week.