Influencer Marketing Agreement: Why You Aren't Friends During Contracting

Mike Newton, an influencer marketing strategist, breaks down exactly how brands should approach contracts with creators using two philosophical principles and one tactical framework. His first claim is deliberately provocative: you are not friends during the contracting process, and your job is to protect your position for the rare scenario where something goes wrong. His second principle immediately complicates that, because winning every clause by exploiting a smaller creator can poison the relationship you actually need to make the partnership work.

On the tactical side, Newton identifies exclusivity, licensing, and usage as the clauses that almost always trigger redlines, and he recommends entering every influencer marketing agreement with a clear aspiration and a defined walk-away point for each of those areas. He also flags a common deal-killing mistake: letting creators see contract language for the first time without any prior conversation about expectations.

Watch to understand how to warm a creator up before the document lands so nothing in the fine print comes as a surprise.