The brand didn't pay you.Here's what to do, step by step.

1. First, check what was actually agreed

Before you chase anyone, spend twenty minutes getting your facts straight. It makes every message after this one stronger.

• Find the agreement

  A signed contract, an email confirming the deal, or a DM thread. Screenshot everything now, with dates and usernames visible. Brands' accounts get renamed and messages get deleted.

• Check the payment terms

  Did you agree net 30? Net 60? Payment on posting? If the terms haven't run out yet, the brand isn't late. Work out the exact date the payment becomes overdue.

• Check you invoiced properly

  Many "late" payments are invoices that never entered the system: sent to the wrong address, missing a purchase order number, or never uploaded to the supplier portal. Ask your contact where invoices go, and check yours against our influencer invoice template.

• Know who owes you

  If an agency hired you, your contract is probably with the agency, not the brand. The agency owes you, even if the brand hasn't paid it yet, unless your agreement says otherwise.

• Collect proof you delivered

  Links to the live posts, screenshots of the brand approving the content, and your insights from the posting date.

2. Chase it: three messages that get invoices paid

Keep everything in writing, ideally email, so you have a record. Stay polite in every message: you may need to show these to a court, a platform or the brand's own management. Change the bracketed details and send.

Day 1 after the due date: the friendly reminder

Hi [name],

Hope the campaign went well! A quick note that invoice [number] for [deal / deliverables], [amount], was due on [date] and I haven't received it yet.

I've attached it again in case it got lost. Could you let me know when it's scheduled for payment, or if you need anything else from me to process it?

Thanks,
[your name]

Day 7: the firm follow-up

Hi [name],

Following up on invoice [number], [amount], which is now [7] days overdue. The content was delivered as agreed on [date]: [links].

Please confirm the payment date by [date, 3 business days from now]. If someone else handles supplier payments, could you put me in touch with them?

Thanks,
[your name]

If your contact goes silent, copy in someone else at the company: a marketing manager, the founder, or a general accounts or finance address from the brand's website. A new person reading the thread often fixes in a day what your contact ignored for a month.

Day 14: the final demand

Hi [name],

Invoice [number] for [amount] is now [14] days overdue. I delivered the agreed content on [date] ([links]) and you approved it on [date].

Please pay the full amount by [date, 7 days from now]. If it isn't paid by then, I'll [withdraw your rights to use the content under our agreement / file a claim in small claims court / report the matter to (platform)] without further notice.

[your name]

Only name a step in your final demand that you're actually prepared to take. Empty threats teach a brand that it can wait you out.

3. Escalate: final demand, usage rights and platforms

If the deadline passes, you have more options than most creators realise.

• Withdraw usage rights, if your agreement allows it

  If your contract says the brand's right to reuse your content (in ads, on its website, on its own social accounts) starts only once you're paid, an unpaid brand has no right to use it. You can tell the brand in writing to stop, and use the platforms' copyright reporting tools if it carries on. Read your agreement carefully first: if it says the post must stay up for a set time, taking it down could put you in breach.

• Report the brand where you met

  If the deal came through a creator marketplace or an agency platform, report it there. Many marketplaces have payment rules and can suspend brands that break them.

• Talk to other creators

  Look at who else the brand has tagged or worked with, and ask whether they were paid. You may find you're not the only one, which helps any claim. Stick to facts if you share your experience publicly: what was agreed, what you delivered, and that you haven't been paid.

• Small claims court

  For amounts typical of creator deals, small claims court is designed for exactly this: low fees, simple forms, and no lawyer required in most places. The limits and rules vary, so look up your local court. It's most practical when the brand is in the same country, and ideally the same state, as you.

• A lawyer's demand letter

  For bigger deals, a short letter from a lawyer is often enough to get an invoice paid, because it shows you're willing to go further. Compare the cost against what you're owed.

4. The law on the creator's side

Several places now have laws that protect freelancers from late and missing payment. Whether a brand deal counts as freelance work depends on the facts, but if you're an independent creator paid by a business for content, they're worth knowing about.

California: Freelance Worker Protection Act

In force since January 2025, it applies to freelance work worth over US$250 for one hiring party in a four-month period. You're entitled to a written contract setting out the work, the rate and the method of payment, and to be paid by the date in the contract or, if there isn't one, within 30 days of completing the work. Freelancers who aren't paid can claim damages of double the agreed payment, plus costs and attorney's fees.

New York and Illinois

New York City has had its Freelance Isn't Free Act since 2017, and New York State brought in its own version in 2024 for work of US$800 or more. Illinois' Freelance Worker Protection Act has applied since July 2024 to work of US$500 or more over 120 days, with 30-day payment unless the contract says otherwise and double damages for non-payment.

United Kingdom: statutory late payment interest

Under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act, a business that pays another business late can owe interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate, plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 depending on the size of the debt. If you invoice as a business, you can add this to an overdue invoice. Where no payment date was agreed, the payment is late 30 days after you delivered or invoiced, whichever is later.

Elsewhere, ordinary contract law still applies: if you agreed a price for work and delivered it, you're owed the money, contract or not. A local small claims or consumer advice service can tell you the rules where you live.

5. When the brand says the work wasn't good enough

Sometimes the brand isn't ghosting you. It's refusing to pay because it says the content didn't match what it asked for: wrong talking points, the product barely visible, the post went up late, the views were too low.

These disputes almost always come down to what was agreed in writing. If the deal was "one 30-second Reel showing the product, posted in March", and you posted that, the brand can't refuse to pay because it hoped for more views, unless performance was part of the deal. If the brief was vague, both sides can honestly believe they're right.

• Go back to the brief

  Line up what you were asked for, point by point, against what you delivered. Offer to fix anything that genuinely missed the brief.

• Separate taste from terms

  "We don't love the vibe" is a creative opinion. "The product isn't in the video" is a missed requirement. Only one of them is a reason not to pay.

• Offer a revision, not a discount

  One round of changes within the original brief is reasonable. An open-ended request to keep redoing work is not, which is why the number of revisions belongs in the agreement.

6. Was it a real brand? Spotting fake brand deals

Some unpaid deals were never real deals. Fake brand collaborations are a common way to get free content, take over creators' accounts, or steal money outright. Watch for:

• A login link to see the brief

  A real brand sends the brief in the message or as a document. A link asking you to log in to Instagram, TikTok or Google to "view the campaign" is a phishing attempt to take over your account.

• You pay first

  A "registration fee", shipping costs for the product, a paid course to "qualify". Brands pay creators, not the other way round.

• An overpayment

  A cheque or transfer for more than the agreed amount, with a request to send back the difference. The original payment bounces after you've sent yours.

• Free content dressed up as exposure

  "Post first and we'll pay based on performance" or "we'll send payment once we see the results". There's no deal to enforce.

• A lookalike sender

  A Gmail address or a handle with an extra underscore. Find the brand's real website yourself, not from the message, and check the email domain matches.

• Pressure to decide now

  "This offer expires in two hours." Real campaigns have timelines, but they don't need an answer in the next ten minutes.

The simplest test of all: ask the brand to pay before you start. A real brand will negotiate. A scammer will disappear, because there's no money behind the offer.

7. Make sure it never happens again

Everything above is what you do after something has gone wrong. It takes time, it's stressful, and even when it works you're often paid months late. The only reliable fix is to change the order: the brand pays, then you post.

1. Put the deal in writing before you start: deliverables, dates, revisions, usage rights and price. Our influencer contract template covers all of it.
2. Ask for payment before you start. Full payment held until approval is best, a 50% deposit is the minimum. Here's how to ask, with scripts.
3. Don't start work, order props or book a location until the money is there.

Already in a dispute on a HotInfluencer deal? See Help for what to do.