is my social media page a business?
Welcome to the Trust Pact where I’m sharing all the deets to help you legally protect your brand. I want you to make and KEEP these coins. There are lots of legal tools in place, and I’m here to help you understand them.
When I was first approached by brands as a motherhood influencer, I quickly realized that there was a big gap in protection for ME! Brands would slide in my DMs, offer me free products in exchange for a “few posts and a review.” They’d ask for my address, and next thing I knew… there would be hundreds of dollars worth of items at my door.
Sounds great.. Right?
Except… I’m a lawyer and I could NEVER imagine doing business with someone without a written agreement at minimum, but preferably a signed contract in place.
You see, I had QUESTIONS for these partnership: How much am I required to post? How often do I have to tag you? Will you be reposting this content? Will you be using it in ads? Can I work with multiple brands at one time? I needed to be sure that I had all of the details before I agreed to this deal!
Why? Because the moment you accept compensation – product or cash – you’ve entered into a contract.
It’s important to note that contracts aren’t just applicable to folks being compensated with cash for posts. Some nano and micro-influencers start off with “gifted” products and affiliate marketing. While getting free products can be exciting, those are still business collaborations.
Did you know that depending on the VALUE of the product and how often you receive it; those earnings may need to be reported?
That’s right. You may be required to fill out a W-9 form to be allowed to be an “affiliate” for your favorite brand.
Know why? Those brands are required to track all of their spending & transactions. They are protecting themselves legally and you need to do the same.
Join me next week as I dive into the terminology you’ll need to know and pay attention too as you are collaborating with these brands!
I want to see you succeed in making and KEEPING these coins, so click here to purchase the Trusted Legal Starter Kit™.
If you’re already an established influencer, and you’re ready to protect your brand, tap here to start your trademark registration service. Make sure you check out my service guide to learn more about the trademark process and how my firm works. To ensure that each client receives the attention they deserve, I only take 12 trademark clients per month, and slots go FAST!
If you’re not quite ready to make the investment, but you still want to make some efforts to protect your business, grab my free guide to conduct your own initial trademark search.
The information provided through the Trust Pact and social media are for informational purposes only. Nothing here should be taken as legal advice. Reading and/or engaging with this post does not create an attorney-client relationship. Do NOT comment or send me specific details about your legal situation via social media because I can’t guarantee confidentiality over those platforms. But, if you are ready to protect your business and brand, book a discovery call, and let’s get you together!
