If any of these are in your next contract, push back. These are the most common — and most expensive — clauses we catch.
01
Unlimited or perpetual usage rights
Brand asks for "all rights, perpetual, worldwide." Translation: they own your face in their ads forever — for one flat fee. They can re-use the same content five years from now on a billboard you've never seen, in a country you've never been to, and you don't see another cent.
Negotiate to: a 6-12 month window with renewal option. Industry standard is 90 days for organic, 6 months for whitelisting. Anything beyond that should cost 25-50% extra per period.
02
IP assignment instead of license
If the contract says you "assign" the IP rather than "license" it, you're giving up ownership of your own content forever. You can't repost it. You can't include it in your portfolio. You can't even reference it in your own media kit without the brand's permission.
Negotiate to: license, never assign. A license gives the brand the right to use the content; assignment makes them the owner. Always license, with a clear scope and term.
03
Exclusivity without a compensation bump
An exclusivity clause means you can't work with competitor brands — sometimes for the duration of the campaign, sometimes for months after. Either way, it's blocking your future income.
Negotiate to: exclusivity costs an extra 25-50% on top of base rate, with a clear category definition ("direct competitors in [specific niche]" not "any beauty brand"). If they want it free, that's a red flag worth walking away from.
04
NET-60 or NET-90 payment terms
Standard creator industry is NET-15 or NET-30 — payment due 15 or 30 days after invoice. NET-60 or 90 means you're floating 2-3 months of cash for the brand. For a $3,000 deal that's not just inconvenient — it's an interest-free loan to a company that doesn't need one.
Negotiate to: NET-30 max. If they insist on NET-60+, add a 5-10% late-payment surcharge for anything past day 30. Or require 50% upfront.
05
Approval windows with no deadline
Brand "reserves the right to request revisions" — but the contract doesn't say how long they have to give feedback. You deliver, they go silent for 3 weeks, you can't invoice, you can't move on. Repeat through every revision round.
Negotiate to: a 5-business-day approval window per round. If the brand misses the window, content is considered approved and the invoice clock starts. Cap revisions at 2-3 rounds; additional rounds billed hourly.