Brand Deals 101: How to Track Pitches, Rates and Payments as a UGC Creator

Your first brand deal feels like a milestone. Your fifth feels like a juggling act. By your fifteenth, you might be scrolling back through DMs at midnight trying to remember whether that invoice was paid, which draft they approved, and whether you're allowed to reuse the footage.

The creators who grow steadily aren't always the most talented. They're the most organised. Brands notice who delivers on time, remembers the brief, and invoices cleanly, and those are the creators they book again.

Here's how to become one of them.

1. Treat every pitch as a record

Whether you're pitching or being pitched, log it the moment it starts:

• Brand name and contact
• Where the conversation happened (email, DM, agency)
• What they want
• Date and status: pitched, negotiating, confirmed, declined

A simple pipeline turns a chaotic inbox into a clear view of what's coming. It also shows you your conversion rate, which is gold when you're deciding where to focus.

2. Know your rates before anyone asks

The weakest moment in any negotiation is being asked "What's your rate?" and having no answer ready.

Build a simple rate card for yourself, covering:

• Base content: one video, one set of photos
• Add-ons: extra hooks, raw footage, rush turnaround
• Usage rights: paid ads, time periods, platforms
• Exclusivity: not working with competitors for a set time

Usage and exclusivity are where many new creators leave money on the table. If a brand wants to run your content as an ad, that's worth more than organic use. Price it that way.

3. Capture the brief in one place

For each confirmed deal, write down exactly what was agreed: deliverables, formats, key messages, dos and don'ts, deadlines and number of revisions. When a brand comes back asking for "one more version", you'll know whether that's included or extra.

4. Track deliverables like a pro

A clear deliverables tracker shows, at a glance, what's due, what's in draft, what's awaiting approval and what's live. Nothing slips, and you never have to send the dreaded "sorry, when was this due?" email.

5. Follow the money, all of it

Payment is where things most often fall through the cracks. For every deal, log:

• Invoice number and date sent
• Amount and currency
• Payment terms (30 days, on delivery)
• Date paid

Then check it weekly. A polite follow-up on day 31 is professional. Discovering an unpaid invoice six months later is painful.

6. Review what's working

Once a quarter, look back: which brands paid best, which were easiest to work with, which content types you enjoyed most. That's how you move from taking every deal to choosing the right ones.

Built for creators: PAID.

We created PAID. as a dedicated brand-deal and UGC planner, so every pitch, brief, deliverable and payment has a proper home. It's a 180-page hyperlinked digital planner, designed to make you feel as professional behind the scenes as you look on camera.

Pair it with WHAT WORKS., our social media analytics planner, and you'll have your deals and your data side by side, which is exactly what you need when a brand asks for your numbers.

Your next step

Open your notes app and list every active brand conversation. Just the names and statuses. You'll feel lighter immediately.

When you're ready for a system that grows with you, explore PAID..