Blogger Collaboration Agreement Template (US)

Make disclosure an obligation, not an afterthought

Under the FTC's Endorsement Guides, a connection between an endorser and the seller that might materially affect the weight or credibility of the endorsement, and that the audience would not reasonably expect, must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. A material connection is not only cash: free or discounted products, early access, the chance of being paid, a competition entry, or a personal or family relationship can all qualify.

This template requires the creator to disclose the relationship in each piece of content, in the format the platform and the Guides call for, positioned so the audience sees it without hunting — and gives the brand the right to require a correction if a post goes out without it. It also prohibits the practices the FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials targets: fake reviews, reviews by people who never used the product, and incentives conditioned on writing a review with a particular sentiment.

Say exactly what is being delivered

Most creator disputes are scope disputes. This template records the deliverables individually: platform, format, quantity, minimum duration for video, posting window, hashtags and links required, and whether stories or short-form content must stay live for a stated period.

It also handles approvals properly — one round of feedback within a stated number of business days, with silence treated as approval — because an open-ended approval right is how a two-week campaign becomes a two-month one. And it states who supplies what: product, briefing, brand assets, tracking links and discount codes.

License the content instead of taking it

The content the creator makes is theirs unless the agreement says otherwise. A brand that wants to repost it, run it as an advertisement, or use it on its website needs a licence, and the scope of that licence is where the real money is: organic reposting on the brand's own channels is worth far less than perpetual paid-media use.

This template makes the licence explicit — the media it covers, the territory, the duration, whether it is exclusive, and whether paid amplification is included — with a separate fee line if paid-media use is added. It also confirms the creator keeps ownership, records any music or third-party material that needs its own clearance, and covers the creator's own moral-rights and personal-image position.

Set exclusivity by category and by time

'No competitor work' with no boundaries is unenforceable in practice and unfair in principle. This template asks for the competing category to be named, the exclusivity period to be stated with start and end dates, and any pre-existing commitments to be listed so nobody is surprised.

It also deals with the practical questions that follow: whether the creator may work with competitors after the period ends, whether existing content mentioning a competitor must come down, and whether exclusivity is compensated separately — which it usually should be.

Get paid, and get the tax paperwork right

The agreement records the fee, whether it is per deliverable or for the package, expenses, any performance bonus and how it is measured, the invoice date and payment terms, and the payment method. For US brands paying US creators, it also covers the tax paperwork: the creator supplies the taxpayer identification form before the first payment, and payments to non-employee creators are reported on an information return.

Where the creator is outside the United States, or the brand is, the template records the residence position and prompts the parties to confirm the correct withholding form and any treaty position — the point at which many first-time creator deals stall.

Collect the creator's information lawfully

The source document's actual function — gathering a creator's contact details and audience information — belongs in this document as a schedule, done properly. This template records the creator's legal name and trading name, contact details, platform handles, audience metrics as declared by the creator, rate card, invoicing details and any agency representation.

It also says why each item is collected, how long the brand keeps it, and that audience figures are the creator's own declaration rather than verified data — which is both honest and useful, because inflated follower counts are the most common misrepresentation in creator marketing.

Clause-by-clause guide

Parties and creator schedule

The brand, the creator, their trading name and agency, and the platform handles and declared audience metrics.

Campaign and deliverables

Each piece of content by platform, format, quantity, duration, posting window and required links or hashtags.

Brief, assets and approvals

What the brand supplies, one round of feedback within a stated window, and silence treated as approval.

Disclosure of the material connection

The disclosure the creator must include, where it must appear, and the brand's right to require a correction.

Honest endorsement

The creator must actually have used the product, must give their genuine opinion, and no incentive is conditioned on a particular sentiment.

Content licence

Media, territory, duration, exclusivity and whether paid amplification is included, with a separate fee where it is.

Ownership and third-party material

The creator keeps ownership of the content, and any music or third-party material needing clearance is identified.

Exclusivity

The named competing category, the period, existing commitments and whether exclusivity is separately paid for.

Fees, expenses and payment

The fee basis, any performance bonus and how it is measured, invoicing, payment terms and method.

Tax information

The taxpayer form supplied before the first payment and how payments are reported.

Independent contractor status

Confirms the creator is not an employee and controls how the work is produced within the brief.

Compliance and takedown

Platform rules, advertising law, and the process if a post has to be corrected, amended or removed.

Confidentiality

Protects unreleased products and campaign plans, with an embargo date where one applies.

Termination and kill fee

How either side ends the deal, what is payable for work already done, and what happens to content already posted.

Personal data

What information the brand collects about the creator, why, and how long it is kept.

US compliance checklist

Creator marketing is advertising, and the advertising rules apply to the brand and the creator both.

• Disclose the material connection clearly and conspicuously

  Where a connection between endorser and seller might materially affect the weight or credibility of the endorsement and is not reasonably expected by the audience, it must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. Payment, free or discounted product, early access and personal relationships can all count.

  16 CFR 255.5 — disclosure of material connections

• Meet the clear-and-conspicuous standard for the medium

  The Endorsement Guides define what clear and conspicuous means, including that a disclosure in a video should be in the video and one in audio should be in the audio. A hashtag buried among twenty others does not meet the standard.

  16 CFR Part 255 — Endorsement Guides

• Do not incentivise reviews with a particular sentiment

  The FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials prohibits fake or false reviews, reviews by people without genuine experience of the product, and compensation or incentives conditioned on writing a review expressing a particular sentiment.

  FTC — Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule Q&A

• Monitor the campaign

  A brand that pays for endorsements is expected to have a programme to tell creators what is required and to check what they publish. Build the monitoring and correction process into the agreement rather than relying on goodwill.

• Substantiate product claims

  Claims a creator makes about what a product does need support in the same way the brand's own advertising does. Give the creator a claims list showing what may and may not be said.

• Collect the tax form before the first payment

  Obtain the creator's taxpayer identification form before paying, and report payments to non-employee creators on the appropriate information return. For creators outside the United States, confirm the correct withholding form and any treaty position.

• Check platform rules and any sector rules

  Each platform has its own paid-partnership tools and rules, and some sectors — health, financial products, alcohol, supplements, children's content — carry additional restrictions on who may advertise and how.

• Handle the creator's personal data properly

  Collect only the creator information you need, say why you are collecting it, and set a retention period. Where the creator is outside the United States, their own data-protection law may apply to the relationship.

How to complete the collaboration agreement

1. Complete the creator schedule. Add the creator's legal and trading name, contact details, platform handles, declared audience metrics and any agency representation.
2. List the deliverables. Record each post by platform, format, quantity, minimum duration, posting window and required links, hashtags or codes.
3. Set the approval process. Enter the number of feedback rounds and the response window, so approvals cannot drift.
4. Define the licence and exclusivity. Choose the media, territory and duration of the content licence, whether paid amplification is included, and name any exclusivity category and period.
5. Set the fee and payment terms. Add the fee, expenses, any performance bonus, the invoice date, payment terms and method, and confirm the tax form is on file.
6. Confirm the disclosure wording. Agree the exact disclosure the creator will use and where it will appear, then sign — both parties keep a copy.

Frequently asked questions

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