Keep Every Brand Deal in One Simple Sheet: A Plain Guide for Influencers

Working with brands is mostly small details. What you agreed to post, who you spoke to, which day it goes up, what the brand said about the video. Each detail makes sense when you hear it. A few weeks later, it can be hard to find.

There is a simple fix, and it needs no special tool. Keep every brand deal in one sheet. It can be a sheet on your computer or a ruled notebook. You give each brand deal one row, and you update that row the day you agree. That is the whole method.

This guide is for Indian influencers and creators who work with brands. Whether you do a few brand deals a year or a few every month, the method is the same.

Why one sheet beats old messages

Messages are made for talking, not for finding things. The detail you need is usually inside a long thread, between a thank-you and a question about something else. You scroll, you search a few words, you hope you picked the right ones.

A sheet works the other way round. Everything about one brand deal sits in one row, and every row has the same columns, so you always know where to look. You are not reading a conversation. You are reading a short list.

There is a second benefit. When you write a detail in your own sheet, you notice what is unclear. If you cannot fill in the go-live date, you know to ask the brand while the conversation is still fresh. An empty space in a row is a small, early prompt to ask.

One row per brand deal

Keep the rule simple: one row for each brand deal. If the same brand writes to you again later with a new idea, that is a new row. If one brand deal covers more than one post, keep them in the same row and write each post in the same place.

Use the same columns every time. You can write the headings across the top of a sheet or across the top of a notebook page: Brand, Contact, Agreed, Go-live and Posted are a good base, and you can add Follow-up and Status. Rows stay short, so you can read the whole sheet at a glance.

What goes in each row

• Brand: the name of the brand, as they write it.

• Who you speak to: the name of the person writing to you, and how they like to be contacted.

• What you agreed to post (in their words): the post or posts you said you would make, written the way the brand said it. If the brand said one video and one story, write exactly that.

• Go-live date: the day the post is meant to go up.

• Where it went up: where the post sits on your page, so you can find it again later.

• Follow-up: anything you or the brand said you would do next, such as sending a photo or checking a detail.

• Status: one of three words: waiting, agreed or posted. Use waiting while you are still talking, agreed once both sides are happy with the details, and posted once the post is up.

Update it the day you agree

A sheet only helps if it is up to date, and the easiest habit is also the smallest: fill in the row the day you agree, while the details are fresh. Open the sheet, add the row, write what was said, and set the status to agreed.

When the post goes up, change the status to posted and add where it went up. If the brand changes a detail later, do not rub out the old words. Add a plain note beside them with the new words and the day you heard, so you can see what changed.

Keep it where you can find it

A sheet is only useful if you can open it quickly. Choose one place for it and keep it there. A ruled notebook you carry with you, a sheet on your computer, or a printed sheet in a folder can all work. Pick the one you will really open.

If the sheet lives on a computer, save it where you can open it from the place you usually work, and give it a plain name, like Brand Deals. If it lives in a notebook, keep the notebook in the same spot every time, so you never have to search for it.

Two short examples

Here are two short, made-up examples of the same moment, before and after.

Before (example)

A brand writes again after a long gap and asks which post you agreed on and when it goes up. The details are buried in old messages. You scroll through long threads, read your own replies, and still are not sure whether the brand changed something later. You reply slowly, and you are a little unsure of your own answer. (example)

After (example)

A brand writes again after a long gap and asks the same thing. You open your sheet and find the row. It shows the brand, the contact, what you agreed to post in their words, the go-live date, and the status: posted. You reply in a few clear lines, with the right details, and you do not scroll at all. (example)

A habit, not legal advice.

Quick checklist

• Keep one row for every brand deal.

• Use the same columns every time.

• Write what you agreed to post in the brand's own words.

• Fill in the row the day you agree.

• Change the status to posted and note where it went up.

• Keep the sheet in one place you can open quickly.

FAQ

Should I keep a sheet if I only do a few brand deals?

Yes. A short sheet is easy to keep, and the habit is already there when more brand deals arrive.

What if the brand changes what we agreed?

Add a plain note beside the row with the new words and the day you heard them, and update the go-live date if it moved. Keep the earlier words visible as well, so you can read both side by side if you are unsure later.

Where should I keep the sheet?

In one place you will really open, such as a ruled notebook you carry or a sheet on your computer. The best place is the one you will not forget.

Do I need to write every message in the sheet?

No. Write the key details, not the whole message. One row should fit in a few short lines.

One more thing

AffiLink is a performance marketplace connecting brands, creators and influencers. You can find more plain notes for creators at affilink.xborglabs.com.