How to invoice a brand as a creator

The post is live, the brand is happy, and now there is one step left: the invoice. It is the step most creators find awkward, and the one brands need to get right before they can pay you.

A clear invoice gets paid faster. A vague one waits in someone's inbox while they ask questions.

Before you send it

Most invoice problems start before the work. It begins with a clear rate card and a quote the client says yes to. Check you have these in writing, even in an email or a DM:

• The deliverables: what you will make, how many, on which platforms.
• The price, and the currency.
• The dates: when you post, and when the invoice is due.
• Who to invoice: the brand, or the agency working for the brand. They are often not the same.
• Where to send it: a name and an email in their finance team, not only your contact in marketing.
• Where they found you: if a brand came from your link in bio, your Rates and terms are already there for them to point to.

If a brand works through an agency, the agency usually pays you. Ask early: "Who should I send the invoice to, and do you need a purchase order number on it?"

What every invoice needs

These are the basics, wherever you live:

• The word "Invoice" and a number. Use a simple sequence: 0001, 0002, 0003.
• The date you issue it, and the date it is due.
• Your details: your name or business name, your email, and your address if your country asks for it.
• Their details: the company name and the billing contact.
• What you are charging for, one line per item.
• The total, and the currency.
• How to pay: a payment link, or bank details.
• A purchase order number, if they gave you one. Big brands often cannot pay without it.

The lines that are special to brand work

A plumber's invoice and a creator's invoice look alike, until you get to the lines. Brand work has a few of its own:

• Deliverables, one per line. "Instagram Reel, 45 seconds, posted 3 Nov" reads better than "Content, 1".
• Usage. If the brand can use your video in its own ads, or for longer than usual, that is worth its own line and its own price.
• Exclusivity. If you agreed not to work with their competitors for a time, say so and charge for it.
• Extra rounds of changes, if they asked for more than you agreed.
• Expenses, if agreed: props, travel, a product you had to buy.

Deposits and balances

For a new client, or any deal over a size you choose, ask for part of the money before you start. A common split is 50% up front and 50% on delivery.

It works best as two invoices:

1. The deposit invoice, sent when the deal is agreed. You start when it is paid.
2. The balance invoice, sent when you deliver. It shows the full total, the deposit already paid, and what is left.

Each one gets its own number and, once paid, its own receipt. Here is how to ask for a deposit without it feeling awkward.

Sending it and getting paid

• Send it the day you deliver, or on the date in your agreement. Not a week later.
• Use a short email: "Hi Alex, here is invoice 0042 for the October campaign, due 17 November. You can pay online from the link. Thank you, it was a pleasure to work on."
• Give a way to pay online. A link where they can pay by card is faster than bank details they have to copy into their own system.
• Send a receipt once it is paid. It closes the loop, and their finance team will thank you.

Paying from another country. Many creators work with brands abroad: a creator in Nairobi with a brand in London, or one in Manila with a brand in Sydney. Our guide to getting paid by clients abroad compares the ways.

• Agree the currency before you start.
• Know how much it costs you to receive money from abroad, and include it in your price.
• A card payment link is often simpler for the brand than an international bank transfer.

In Piku, an invoice starts from your Rate, so the lines are already written. The brand pays online from a link, a receipt sends itself when the money lands, and reminders go out without you chasing. The fee is 2% of the payment, never more than $25.

When they pay late

Late payment is common with big companies. It is rarely personal. Have a plan:

1. Three days before the due date: a short, friendly note that it is due soon.
2. On the due date: "Just checking this reached the right person."
3. One week late: ask directly when it will be paid, and whether anything is missing, such as a purchase order number.
4. Two weeks late: write to your contact and their finance team together. Mention the terms you agreed.
5. After that: your agreement decides. Some creators add a late fee to their terms for next time.

Our payment reminders post has the exact words for each step, by email and DM.

Stay polite at every step. You may want to work with this brand again.

Questions