What to confirm before you film anything
Five things, before you shoot a single clip: the hook direction, the do's and don'ts, the exact deliverable, usage rights, and the deadline. If any of those live only in your head, you're filming on a guess.
Most first briefs are thin — a paragraph, a product link, "we'd love an authentic feel." The gap between what the brief says and what the brand imagines is where first deals go sideways. One message closes it:
"Quick questions before I film so I nail this on the first pass: is there a hook or angle you want me to lead with, or do you trust me on that? Any do's and don'ts — words you avoid, claims I can't make, competitors I shouldn't show? And to confirm: one 30–45 second 9:16 video, organic use only, due the 14th?"
Asking this doesn't make you look green — brief-gap questions are what make you read as experienced. A brand's quiet fear with a new creator is a video they can't legally or safely use.
Two more checks: if they're shipping product, count the deadline from product-in-hand, not from the yes. And if ads, Spark Ads, or whitelisting come up, pin down usage rights before you film — paid usage is priced differently.
What needs to be in writing on a first deal
You don't need a formal contract for a small first deal — you need a recap email the brand replies "confirmed" to. An email thread is a real paper trail, and for a single-video deal it's enough.
Right after you agree — call, DMs, wherever — send six lines:
- Deliverable: one 30–45s 9:16 video, edited, captions on
- Rate: the number and the currency
- Usage: organic only, or paid — and for how long
- Revisions: one round included
- Deadline: the date, counted from product arrival
- Payment: invoice on final approval, due in 14 days
The revisions line is the one beginners skip — and the one that saves you when "small tweaks" threatens to become a fourth re-edit.
If the brand sends their own agreement instead, read the usage and exclusivity clauses before signing — "perpetual usage across all channels" is not a standard freebie, and broad exclusivity can quietly block you from every competitor in your niche. Either way, a recap email the brand confirms is your contract.
Sending drafts and handling revision requests
Send one strong draft, not three options. Options invite committee edits; one confident cut invites a yes. Attach a line of context and a specific ask:
"Here's the draft — hook per the brief, product demo at 0:08, CTA at the end. Anything you'd like tweaked? Happy to do the included revision round."
When notes come back, sort them into two piles. In-scope tweaks — trim the intro, swap a line, brighten a shot — you do fast and cheerfully. New asks — a second concept, alternate hooks, a reshoot in a new location — are new work: "Happy to! That's beyond the revision round we agreed, so I'd quote it as a small add-on — want me to?"
Vague feedback gets a question, not a re-edit — "can it pop more?" means nothing until you know if it's pacing, brightness, or the hook. One clarifying question saves three wrong versions.
Then move fast: acknowledge notes the same day, deliver the revised cut within 48 hours. Speed and grace on revisions get remembered longer than the revisions themselves.
Invoicing and when you actually get paid
Invoice the day the final cut is approved — not when you remember, not when they ask. Payment terms run from the invoice date, so every day you wait, you add to your own wait.
Keep the invoice boring and complete:
- Your name (or business name) and contact details
- An invoice number — start at 004 if 001 feels revealing; nobody checks
- The brand's business name, not just a first name from DMs
- One line item that matches the recap email word for word
- The usage terms repeated as a note
- Payment method and a due date
On terms: due on receipt or net 14 is fair for a single video. Bigger brands often pay net 30 regardless — that's their accounts-payable process, not a judgment of you.
If the due date passes, send one calm nudge: "Bumping this — invoice 004 was due on the 21st. Could you let me know when it's scheduled?" Late payment is usually AP slowness, not malice. Chase like a professional, not a hostage negotiator.
The follow-up that turns one deal into a second
The second deal is usually decided about two weeks after the first one ends — and most creators spend that window in silence. Deliver, get paid, vanish. Which means the aftercare message has almost no competition.
Two weeks after the brand posts your video — or after delivery, if they haven't posted — send this:
"Hey [name] — how's the video performing on your end? If the hook held, I've got an idea for a follow-up: a [specific format] hitting [the angle we didn't cover]. Want a quick outline?"
The performance question invites them to share numbers, which restarts the conversation. The specific idea beats availability — "let me know if you ever need anything" produces nothing, because it hands them the job of thinking.
Keep a note per client too: what they liked, what they changed, who paid on time. Three clients in, that file is the difference between starting every month cold and having a book of business.
Repeat business is decided after delivery, when everyone else goes quiet. Run the boring middle well — questions before filming, terms in writing, capped revisions, a same-day invoice, one smart follow-up — and your first deal quietly funds your second.
FAQ
What if the brand goes quiet after I send the final video?
Give it two or three business days, then nudge with a gentle default: "Just checking the final landed — happy to tweak anything, otherwise I'll send the invoice over Friday." Silence usually means busy, not unhappy; a soft deadline moves things along without pressure.
Should I ask for money upfront on a first deal?
Most single-video first deals pay on delivery, and pushing for a deposit can add friction a brand-new relationship doesn't need. Once scope includes multiple videos or paid usage, a 50% deposit is standard — ask without apologizing.
Can I share the video on my own account or in my portfolio?
Ask — it depends on what you agreed. Most brands are glad to have the work in your portfolio once they've posted it; sharing it on your own account is a separate conversation, and never pre-empt their launch.
The brand wants "one more quick video" for free. What do I say?
Answer with warmth and a quote: "Glad you're loving the content! A second video would be [your rate] — want me to hold time this week?" Free extras on deal one set the price of every deal after it.