How to Invoice a Brand as a Creator
To invoice a brand, send a dated, numbered invoice to the person or address the brand's finance team gives you, listing each deliverable, the agreed price, the payment terms (for example, net 30) and how to pay you. Before that, most brands need you set up as a vendor: a W-9, your payment details and often a purchase order (PO) number that has to appear on the invoice.
Most late creator payments aren't about the brand refusing to pay. They're about an invoice that went to the wrong inbox, was missing a PO number, or arrived before you were in the vendor system. This guide covers when to invoice, what accounts payable (AP) needs, and the steps in order.
Who actually pays you
Your marketing contact approved the deal, but they usually don't pay you. At most mid-size and large companies, payment runs through accounts payable, a finance team that matches your invoice to an approved purchase, checks that you're a set-up vendor, and schedules payment on its payment run.
AP doesn't know your video went live. It knows whether:
- you exist in its vendor system,
- your invoice matches an approved PO or contract,
- the invoice has the information its process requires, and
- the payment terms have run.
If any one of those fails, the invoice can sit. So the job is to make your invoice easy to approve.
Smaller brands may have no AP team at all. The founder or marketing lead pays you directly. The same information still helps.
If an agency or talent network booked you, the agency is usually the one you invoice, not the brand. Your contract should say who the paying party is.
When to invoice
Invoice when your contract says you can. Common triggers:
- On signing. A deposit, often for a first-time partnership. Influencer Marketing Hub describes a 50/50 structure (half on signing, half on delivery or posting) as a common practice among talent managers and creators (Influencer Marketing Hub).
- On delivery or posting. The most common trigger for a single sponsored video or post.
- On milestones. For multi-part campaigns, one invoice per deliverable or phase.
- Monthly. For ongoing ambassador deals, invoice on the same day each month.
If the contract doesn't say, invoice the day the content goes live and send the live link with it. Payment terms usually start from the invoice date or the date the invoice is received, so a late invoice is a late payment.
Don't wait to bundle several deals into one invoice for the same brand unless they asked you to. Each delay restarts the clock.
What a brand's AP team needs
A W-9
U.S. brands generally ask for a Form W-9 before paying you. The IRS says the form is used to provide your correct Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) to a person who has to file an information return with the IRS (IRS: About Form W-9). That return is usually a 1099-NEC if you're paid enough in the year. For tax year 2026, the 1099-NEC threshold is $2,000 (IRS Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC). Our guide to 1099 forms for content creators covers the details.
A few points creators often ask about:
- SSN or EIN. Sole proprietors can use a Social Security number or an EIN. Many creators get a free EIN from the IRS so they don't hand their SSN to every brand.
- Single-member LLCs. The IRS says the W-9 for a single-member LLC that hasn't elected corporate treatment should show the owner's SSN or EIN, not the LLC's EIN (IRS: Single Member LLCs).
- Send it securely. A W-9 contains your TIN. Use the brand's vendor portal or a secure upload if one exists, rather than a plain email attachment.
Have a signed, current W-9 ready as a PDF before your first deal so you're not scrambling when AP asks. STAKD's W-9 generator produces one from your details.
Vendor setup
Larger companies often require you to be added as a vendor before any invoice can be paid. Expect some of:
- a vendor or supplier form (legal name, business name, address, contact email),
- banking details for ACH or wire,
- sometimes an account on the company's supplier or vendor portal,
- occasionally a certificate of insurance or a signed supplier code of conduct.
Ask your contact at the start: "Is there a vendor setup process I should start now?" Vendor onboarding can take days or weeks, and it often has to be done before your invoice can even be submitted.
A PO number
A purchase order is the brand's internal approval to spend the money. If the brand uses POs, AP may reject or hold any invoice that doesn't show the PO number. Ask your contact for it once the contract is signed, and put it on the invoice exactly as given.
If they say "we don't use POs," note that in your records so you're not chasing a number that doesn't exist.
Payment terms
Payment terms tell AP when the invoice is due. Net 30 means due 30 days after the invoice date (or receipt, depending on the contract). Brands also use net 45, net 60 and longer. Influencer Marketing Hub reports that brands "routinely push Net-60, Net-90, or even Net-120" (Influencer Marketing Hub).
The terms on your invoice should match your contract. If they don't, AP will follow the contract. Negotiate terms before you sign, not on the invoice. Our guide to what to do when a brand pays late covers what happens after the due date.
How to invoice a brand, step by step
1. Confirm the paying details before you start the work
When the deal is agreed, ask:
- Who should the invoice be addressed to (legal company name and address)?
- Which email or portal should it go to?
- Do you need a PO number on it? What is it?
- Do you need a W-9 and vendor setup? Where do I send them?
- What are the payment terms, and do they start from invoice date or receipt?
- How do you pay: ACH, wire, check, PayPal?
Put the answers in your deal notes (in STAKD, the campaign's notes, so they're in front of you when you build the invoice). This one email prevents most payment delays.
2. Send your W-9 and complete vendor setup
Do this as soon as the contract is signed. Don't wait until the content is live.
3. Build the invoice
Your invoice needs, at minimum:
- your name or business name, address and email,
- the brand's legal name and billing address,
- a unique invoice number and the invoice date,
- the PO number and campaign name,
- each deliverable as its own line, with any usage rights or exclusivity on separate lines,
- the total due,
- payment terms and the due date written out ("Net 30, due December 4, 2026"),
- how to pay you.
Our influencer invoice template walks through every field with a filled-in example. If the deal is a campaign in STAKD, the invoice starts pre-filled with the brand's details and the campaign's deliverables and amounts, and the PO number and terms go in the invoice notes.
4. Match the contract exactly
AP compares your invoice to the contract or PO. Use the same company name, the same deliverable descriptions and the same amounts. If the contract says "one 60–90 second integration," don't invoice for "YouTube video."
If the scope changed during the campaign (an extra Story, a longer usage window), get the change confirmed in writing first, then invoice for it as a separate line or a separate invoice.
5. Send it to the right place, with proof of delivery
Send the invoice as a PDF to the AP address or portal, and copy your marketing contact. Include in the email:
- the invoice number, amount and due date in the body,
- the PO number,
- links to the live content.
Subject line example: "Invoice #1042 – [Brand] x [Your Channel] – PO 45001234 – due Dec 4."
6. Confirm it was received
A few business days after sending, ask your contact or AP to confirm the invoice is in their system and approved for payment. Catching a problem in week one is far better than finding it on day 31.
7. Track it until it's paid
Write down the due date and check it. When payment lands, match it to the invoice and mark it paid. If it doesn't land, follow up the day after the due date. An invoice in STAKD with a due date shows as overdue once that date passes, so the follow-up doesn't depend on remembering.
Common invoicing mistakes
- Invoicing the marketing contact only. They forward it eventually. AP pays.
- Missing PO number. One of the most common reasons an invoice is held.
- Wrong legal name. "Acme" on Instagram might be "Acme Consumer Products, LLC" on paper. Use the contract name.
- One vague line. "Brand deal – $3,000" makes AP ask questions. Itemize.
- No due date. Write the actual date, not just "net 30."
- Reusing invoice numbers. Every invoice needs a unique number, in order.
- Invoicing late. Payment terms usually don't start until the invoice exists.
Keep a copy of everything
Save the signed contract, your W-9, the sent invoice PDF, the sending email and the payment confirmation together for each deal. You'll want them if a payment is late, if a 1099 doesn't match your records, or when you do your books. Our guide to bookkeeping for content creators covers how to organize them.
How STAKD handles this
Most invoicing delays come from details that live in different places: the deliverables in the contract, the PO number in an email, the due date in your head. STAKD keeps the invoice attached to the deal it belongs to:
- Invoices from campaigns. Each brand deal is a campaign with its deliverables, amounts, notes and linked brand contact. Create an invoice from the campaign and it's pre-filled with the brand's name, contact and address and the deliverables you pick, each as its own line. Your business details, logo and payment instructions are saved once and appear on every PDF.
- Sending through Gmail. Send the invoice from your connected Gmail with the PDF attached, to the AP address or your contact.
- Status tracking. Each invoice is tracked as draft, sent, paid or overdue, and invoices stay linked to their campaign, so you can see what's been billed for a deal.
- Overdue reminders. For an overdue invoice, STAKD drafts a payment-reminder email with the invoice number, amount and due date. You review it and send it yourself; STAKD doesn't chase payments automatically.
- Contracts and W-9. Upload the contract and AI pulls out key terms such as deliverables and payment terms, which is what AP will compare your invoice against. The W-9 generator covers the form AP asks for first.
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