Legal Contract for Australian Creators
One of the biggest mistakes I see small business owners and content creators make is neglecting to have a (legally binding) contract in place before working together. This is something that you should both be considering and signing before product is sent to a creator!
Does it guarantee that a person won’t take advantage of you or ghost you soon after receiving the product/payment?
No
But you’ll have a muchhhh better chance of disputing the behaviour if there was a contract in place from the outset.
A contract/work agreement/service agreement outlines all the nitty gritty of a brand collaboration:
Who owns the IP of the content?
Can it be used in ads or just organic usage?
Is the creator obligated to post the content?
These are just some of the terms and conditions you’ll find in an influencer agreement.
The best thing I ever did for my business (as an australian content creator and freelance model) was to purchase a properly drafted contract from an Australian solicitor. I’ll share their details with you in a second so you can get yourself ‘legally legit’ too.
I know it also sets me apart from all the other content creators out there because it shows I take my business seriously - it’s not just a hobby for me - and makes me more professional and trustworthy. If you are a brand reading this, the same applies to you. The brand looses a bit of credibility in my eyes when they ask to use my contract because they dont’ have one yet. Unless you are a brand new business and this is one of the first collaborations you are doing (totally okay in that case!) you really should have your own terms and conditions for engaging with content creators and influencers.
If you dont, that’s okay; this is why I wrote this blog post for you.
I made a video walking through what this contract looks like on my instagram and you can view it here but if you’re more of a word-nerd, carry on here. I chose (Australian based) Foundd legal & after speaking to a few other solicitors I quickly realised this was going to the best option & the most economical way to work with a solicitor. They specialise in done-for-you legal templates that you simply fill in the blanks for -with each project.
I’m an affiliate now so if you put my surname in the discount code box ACHELLES you’ll get about $100 off the purchase price (or, 20% ish). This is the exact contract I purchased and use! There is also a model release form if you’re a freelance model like me or you’re a brand who wants to use a model without representation. Cool, cool!
Once you purchase your template, you’ll receive a link to download and you can save it to your computer.
This is really great value when you compare to another Australian solicitor who quoted me $2000 for 1 contract. I spoke with 3 solicitors before choosing FOUNDD. These templates are written by an Australian solicitor (important, because we want it to be relevant to the country we live and work in) and includes everything you need to keep you safe as a content creator or UGC creator.
Before I leave you, I just wanted to let you know that I couuld’t afford a proper contract right away when I started my content creation business. Instead, I wrote a simple 3 page terms and conditions in canva and I used that for the first YEAR of my business. However, I dont recommend leaving it as long as I did.
Ensure you’re safe, you won’t get ‘sued’ and you’re legally legit by shopping these handy legal templates from Foundd Legal.
Much love,
Bec
Instagram: @Thatachellesgirl
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