How to Invoice Brands

What better feeling is there than PAYDAY? Getting paid feels good - but asking for money is awkward and uncomfortable yet it’s one of the most integral parts of being a creator. The first step in getting paid is sending an invoice.

An invoice is a bill you send to a company after you’ve completed work for them (such as creating content). The terms of when and how you get paid should be outlined in your contractor agreement - during the deal phase, make sure you’re paying close attention to the expectations and timeline for getting paid.

Work your rate into the contract (you can always use our Pricing Calculator to make sure you’re being paid a fair rate) ahead of time so there’s no confusion and try to negotiate for “net 30” (some creators get paid half upfront, but the industry standard is net 30). Net 30 means 30 days after project completion. Other terms include net 45 and net 60, but net 30 is most ideal as it gives you enough time to get your post analytics without so much time passing that your content is forgotten.

If you’re ready to get paid and send one in a way that is quick, easy, and professional.

What Goes on an Invoice?

1. Your information: Full Name and Contact info (address, phone number, and email)‍

2. The Brand’s information: Your contact within the company and their info (full name, title, contact info) and Company address‍

3. Payment Details:

- Date of invoice: When is the campaign considered “completed” for billing? This should be written in your contract

- Terms: Net 30 or whatever is agreed upon in your contract

- Payment method: how you want to get paid - if it’s Paypal, provide your Paypal email. If it’s Venmo, provide your handle!

- Optional: Invoice number (you make this for yourself for internal tracking)‍

4. Itemized list of services: Make sure to list every single post you made for the brand as well as it's cost‍

5. Analytics: For most influencer campaigns, brands want to see post analytics.

- Add 24-48 hours analytics

- Highlight your favorite comments (if your numbers aren’t huge, having engaged followers goes a long way)

- Screenshots and campaign insights

How Do You Make an Invoice?

There’s a few different ways to make an invoice depending on how much work you want to put in. You can make a pretty simple one with Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Canva has some nice templates and you can really do anything with Photoshop. The pros of these tools are that you can create a super customizable invoice and edit as you please. The cons are that they take some time and that you have to manually make changes each time you create a new invoice.

However, if you’re looking for a product that provides all the necessary fields you need to fill out so you’ll automatically know what information to include, Beacons has an app for that!

Our Invoicing tool is a simple way for you to just type in some information and automatically generate a visually stunning PDF that you can send directly to brands. What’s more is we will help you track the invoice and send automatic reminders if needed - it's truly as easy as 1-2-3:

How to Send Reminders

Businesses are inherently busy and don’t always remember to pay creators on time. Sending pre-payment reminders and follow ups are always helpful to bring attention to your invoice. For tips and email templates, refer to our guide on How to Get Paid on Time!

We suggest sending a few reminders:

1. A short ‘upcoming payment’ notice a few days prior to due date

2. A quick reminder email on the due date

3. A polite email requesting overdue payment 1 week past due date‍

4. A serious reminder 2-3 weeks after the due date