Influencer Contract Template for Indian Brands (Free, Clause-Annotated)

Name both legal parties, not just Instagram handles — the brand's registered entity and the creator's full name (and their agency if they have one). Then define the deliverables with painful precision: '2 Instagram Reels of 30–45 seconds, 1 Story set of 3 frames with link sticker, posted between 1–15 March 2026, from the handle @creator.'

Every dispute we have arbitrated traces back to vague deliverables. 'One promotional video' is not a deliverable; it is an argument waiting to happen. Include format, length, count, platform, posting window and handle, plus what happens to drafts that are not approved.

State the fee in rupees, whether it is inclusive or exclusive of GST, the payment split (a common structure is 50% advance on signing, 50% within 15 days of the last post going live), and who bears TDS deduction under the applicable section. If the creator is GST-registered, state that their invoice must carry a valid GSTIN.

Add a late-payment clause with an interest rate — 1.5% per month is standard and enforceable. Brands that pay late without consequences get deprioritised by every good creator they work with; creators who see a late-payment clause know they are dealing with professionals.

Default position: the creator owns the content, the brand gets a defined licence. Specify whether the brand may repost organically (usually yes, indefinitely), run it as paid media / whitelisting (should be a separate paid licence), and use it on their website, packaging or offline (needs explicit grant).

If the brand wants perpetual paid-media rights, price it. A common structure is organic reposting included, paid usage licensed at 30–50% of the base fee per 3-month period. Never leave this clause silent — it is the single most litigated gap in Indian creator deals.

Define the revision structure: typically two rounds of revisions on scripts/concepts and one on the final edit, with brand feedback due within 3 working days. State what counts as a revision versus a new brief — a change of product, concept or setting is a new brief and re-triggers fees.

Also bind the brand's side: if feedback is not delivered within the agreed window, the posting timeline shifts automatically. One-sided revision clauses are why creators pad their timelines by a week.

Require ASCI-compliant disclosure (#ad, #sponsored or the paid partnership label) as a contractual obligation, with non-disclosure treated as a breach. If your category has extra rules — alcohol surrogates, financial products, health claims — name them.

Add a mutual conduct clause: the creator will not post content that is unlawful or defamatory during the campaign, and the brand will not ask the creator to make claims the product cannot support. Keep morality clauses narrow and reciprocal or good creators will walk.

Cover termination for non-performance (undelivered posts after a cure period), what happens to advances (pro-rata refund for undelivered work), and a dispute ladder — good-faith negotiation, then arbitration in a named city, rather than open-ended litigation.

Finish with governing law (Indian law, named jurisdiction city), a counterparts clause allowing digital signature, and contact details for notices. These clauses feel like boilerplate until the day they are the only thing that matters.