Getting paid: Net 30, invoices, late fees and the nudge that works

Payment terms, decoded

• Net 15 / Net 30 / Net 60: days from the invoice date until the money is due. Not from the post date. Not from when they 'process' it. From the invoice.
• On delivery: due when you hand over the content, before it goes live. Rare, and worth asking for on first deals with a brand you do not know.
• 50/50: half on signing, half on delivery. The best standard. The deposit is what makes a kill fee real.
• Upon publication: due when the post is live. Fine, if the contract also says Net 15 from that date.

What an invoice needs to get paid

Accounts payable teams pay invoices that match what they were told to expect. Give them nothing to question.

• The brand's legal entity name and billing address, from the contract, not the Instagram handle.
• A PO number if they issued one. Ask for it at signing; a missing PO is the top reason invoices stall.
• Line items that match the contract wording: '1 x Instagram Reel, per Agreement dated Sept 3.' Not 'content.'
• The invoice date, the due date written out, and the terms ('Net 30').
• A payment link or full bank details. Every extra email to ask 'how do we pay you' is another week.
• Your W-9 attached on the first invoice to any US brand. They cannot pay without it.

Late fees

A late fee is enforceable when it is in the signed contract. 1.5% a month (18% a year) is the standard and courts accept it. Adding one to an invoice after the fact is a request, not a right. Put it in the contract, put it on the invoice, and most brands will pay on time to avoid the conversation.

The nudge that works

Day 1 past due, one email, to the person who signed the deal and the accounts payable address if you have it:

• Subject: Invoice 0041, due Sept 30
• Hi Dana, a quick one. Invoice 0041 for the September Reel was due Sept 30 and I have not seen it land yet. Could you check where it is in the queue? Invoice and W-9 attached again in case they are easier to find here. Thank you.

Then again on day 7 and day 14, same tone, shorter each time. Polite, specific, with the attachments. Brands pay the invoice they can find. Creator OS sends these for you: who owes you, one tap, the nudge already written.

Keep reading

• The brand deal contract checklist: 14 clauses to read before you sign
• How to reply to a brand email (three templates that get a number)
• What to put in a media kit (and what brands skip)