Getting paid for a brand deal usually isn't blocked by anything complicated. It's blocked by small, avoidable gaps: a deliverable that was never written down, a due date that was never stated, an invoice sent to the wrong contact. None of this requires an accounting background to get right.
Get the commercial terms confirmed in writing before you post anything, even if it's just a message thread. The fee, the deliverables (how many posts, what format, any usage rights or exclusivity), and the payment timeline should all be agreed before you start, not negotiated after the content is live and your leverage is gone.
A usable invoice includes your name and contact details, the brand's name, a description of what you delivered (not just "Instagram post" but the actual campaign name), the fee, any GST or TDS lines that apply, the amount payable after deductions, a due date, and your payment details (UPI ID or bank account). That's it. Brands don't need a five-page document, they need enough information to process the payment without emailing you back to ask what it's for.
The most frequent one is invoicing without a due date, which leaves you with nothing concrete to reference when following up two weeks later. Close behind that is sending the invoice to whoever you've been chatting with, rather than the brand's actual accounts or finance contact, which can add days or weeks of delay while it gets forwarded internally.
A smaller but real one: reusing a generic invoice number, or none at all. A consistent numbering pattern makes it much easier for a brand's finance team to track your invoice against their own records, and it makes it easier for you to know at a glance which deals are still outstanding.
Create and track invoices for every brand deal in one place.
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