Legal’s a vibe killer.
You finally find the perfect creator.
They love the product.
The vibes are immaculate.
Then someone says:
“Can we get a contract reviewed before they post?”
🪦
Now, I’m not a lawyer. But after 300+ campaigns, we’ve learned how to keep things fast, friendly, and legally sound — without slowing everything down.
Here’s the 80/20 of influencer legal.
1. Usage Rights (You Probably Don’t Have Them)
Just because someone posted about your product doesn’t mean you can use that content in ads or on your site. You need explicit permission.
Here’s what we do:
DM or email: “Mind if we reuse this on paid ads and organic channels?”
If they say yes: screenshot and file it
If they ask for a fee: negotiate (but seeded creators often say yes for free)
Pro tip:
If you’re seeding, ask after the content goes live. The creator’s proud of it and more likely to say yes.
3. Whitelisting & Paid Usage = Contract Time
If money or ad access is involved — get it in writing.
At a minimum, your agreement should include:
What content is being used
How long it will run
Where it will be used
Purpose (ads, organic, etc.)
Payment terms
If it’s whitelisting, add:
Meta access steps
Permission to refresh content without re-approval
Lightweight creator agreements work well — skip the scary 9-page PDFs.
4. Seeding ≠ Gifting
A gift implies an exchange: “We’ll send this if you post.”
Seeding = no strings attached.
That’s why it’s legally cleaner.
Watch your wording:
“We’d love to send this in exchange for a post!”
“We’d love to gift this — no obligation, just excited to get your thoughts.”
Keeps goodwill high and compliance even higher.
5. Exclusivity = Always Paid
Want a creator to avoid promoting your competitors?
That’s fine — but it must be compensated.
Options:
Flat fee for 30/60/90-day exclusivity
Higher affiliate commission during exclusivity
Bundle into a larger partnership
Just don’t expect exclusivity for free.
TL;DR
Most of what you need isn’t in a contract — it’s in how you communicate.
Clear terms
Light touch
Always on record
That’s how you stay compliant and creator-friendly.
Need help turning this into your influencer legal playbook?
Contact us — we’ve done it 300+ times.