Paying a creator for a post gets you the post on their account. Usage rights let you use that video somewhere else, like your ads, website or emails, for a set time. Whitelisting lets you run ads from the creator's own account. Both are priced on top of the fee, usually per 30 days.
Four ways to use a creator's video
| What it means | Who runs it | Typical cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic post | The video lives on the creator's account | The creator | Included in the fee |
| Repost | You share it on your own social accounts | You | Often included for 30 to 90 days |
| Paid usage | You run it as an ad from your account | You | +20 to 30% per 30 days |
| Whitelisting | You run ads from the creator's account | You, with their permission | +25 to 50% per 30 days |
What usage rights cover
Every usage agreement answers four questions:
- Where: paid social only, or also your website, emails, in-store screens, TV.
- How long: a start date, an end date, and what happens after.
- Which countries: one market or worldwide.
- Exclusivity: whether the creator can work with your competitors during that time.
The broader each answer, the higher the price. "Everywhere, forever, worldwide" is the most expensive deal you can sign, and rarely the one you need.
How whitelisting works
- The creator grants access in their app settings: Partnership Ads on Instagram and Facebook, Spark Ads on TikTok.
- You run the ads from your ad account, with your budget and targeting.
- The ad shows the creator's name and face, with a paid-partnership label.
- The creator can switch it off, and access ends on the agreed date.
Why whitelisting often beats your own ads
- It looks like a person, not a company, so people stop scrolling.
- The creator's social proof comes with it: their name, their followers, their comments.
- You can test it cheaply: boost the post that already worked organically before you spend on new creative.
What it costs
| How long you use it | Paid usage | Whitelisting |
|---|---|---|
| 30 days | +20 to 30% | +25 to 50% |
| 90 days | +30 to 50% | +50 to 80% |
| 12 months | +70 to 100% | Usually priced per month |
| Forever, everywhere | 2 to 3 times the fee | Rarely offered |
Tip: ads tire within a few weeks. Buy 30 to 90 days, and agree the price of an extension up front in case a video keeps performing.
What to put in the contract
- Channels the video can run on.
- Start and end dates for each channel.
- Territory: which countries.
- Whitelisting access: ads only from the creator's account, or also edits and new captions.
- Edits: whether you can cut, crop or add text, and who approves it.
- Exclusivity: which competitors, and for how long.
- Extension price if you want more time.
- Raw footage: included or not.
- End of term: paid ads stop; whether organic reposts can stay up.
Mistakes we see most
- Asking for "perpetual" by default. It costs two to three times the fee for months you will never use.
- Asking for ad rights after the video is live. Agree everything before filming.
- No clear start date. Does the clock start on posting day or on your first ad?
- Editing the creator's video without approval. It damages trust fast.
- Forgetting the disclosure label on whitelisted ads.
Frequently asked questions
Do we own the video if we pay for it?
Usually not. The creator keeps ownership and you license the video for an agreed use. A full buyout transfers ownership and typically costs two to three times the fee.
How long should usage rights last?
30 to 90 days for paid social. That covers the life of most ads, and an extension is cheap when the price is agreed in advance.
Is whitelisting the same as Spark Ads?
Yes, in practice. Whitelisting is the general term; Spark Ads is TikTok's name for it and Partnership Ads is Instagram's.
Can we edit the creator's video for our ads?
Only if the contract says so. Most creators allow trims and captions with their approval; bigger edits usually cost extra.
What happens when the usage period ends?
Your paid ads must stop. Whether organic reposts can stay on your channels depends on the contract, so write it down.