10/09/2026
Pt. 1 covered the obvious ones. But brands keep sneaking in clauses that quietly cost creators money and freedom in ways most people never catch.
Here are the ones I still see regularly:
✔️ Permanent rights to your likeness. Some contracts include the right to use your face and voice in future content — including AI generated versions of you. Usage of my likeness is tied to the agreed content, duration, and platforms only. Anything beyond that is a new fee.
✔️ One sided non-disparagement clauses. You cannot say anything negative about the brand ever again — but they can say whatever they want about you. It applies to both parties equally or it gets removed.
✔️ Whitelisting buried inside a basic UGC rate. Running paid ads through your personal account using your audience is not a standard inclusion. It is a separate service and a separate invoice.
✔️ Approval clauses with no deadline. No stated timeline means they can sit on your content indefinitely and block payment. I add a 5 to 7 working day approval window — no feedback means approved.
✔️ Confidentiality extending to your portfolio. Protecting their brief is fair. Preventing you from ever showing the finished video in your portfolio is not.
A contract is a negotiation not a take it or leave it. Every clause can be pushed back on.
You just have to know you are allowed to 🤍
Comment “KIT” and I’ll send you my free UGC Beginner Kit!