Contracts · 10 September 2026 · 6 min read
Seven Clauses Brands Forget in Talent Contracts
Most problems don't start on set — they start in the gaps in the contract. From usage rights to the morality clause.
1. Usage: where, and for how long
The most commonly skipped clause. "A commercial" is not enough: the channels, the territories and the exact period have to be written down. Continuing to run the material after the window closes is a breach, not a grey area.
2. Exclusivity and competitor restrictions
Whether the talent may work with another brand in your category while the contract runs. And define "category": for a drinks brand, does it mean fizzy drinks or every beverage? This ambiguity produces more disputes than anything else.
3. The approval process
Does the brand approve before publishing, how many rounds of revisions are included, and how many working days does approval take? If this isn't written down, launch day turns into a phone chain. Leaving revisions unlimited isn't healthy for either side either.
4. Posting schedule and permanence
When does the content go live, and how long does it stay up? A story disappears in 24 hours; a post can be deleted the next day unless the contract says otherwise. Spell out the minimum time it must remain.
5. The morality clause
What happens if the talent ends up in a situation that embarrasses the brand mid-campaign? Can you pull the campaign, can payment be suspended? Nobody enjoys raising this, and nobody who skipped it has been glad they did.
6. Payment schedule
A schedule split across signature, shoot and launch protects both sides. Paying everything up front leaves the brand exposed; paying everything at the end leaves the talent exposed.
7. Who owns the raw footage
Who owns the raw material from the shoot, and can it be reused in a later campaign? If it can, is that charged separately? Left out of the contract, it becomes a negotiation you have already lost leverage in.