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Platform · Briefs and approvals
Influencer content approval, from brief to live post
Content approval is the step where you check a creator’s draft before it is posted. On Sup the creator uploads a draft, you approve it or ask for changes on one page, and nothing goes live without your yes. Our team writes the brief with you, chases the draft, gathers the notes and checks the live post against what you approved.
- 2 versions
- a draft takes before it is approved
- 9 days
- from a first draft to a fully approved one
- 25
- live posts checked against the brief and the approved draft
The median. 5 of 43 were approved first time.
The median of 43 approvals.
Before the creator was paid.
The process
Who reviews what, and how long it takes
Every guide says a good brief means fewer changes. None says how long approval takes. These are the steps on our campaigns, with the median time for each.
Step 1
Brief sent
17 hours
After the contract is signed.
Step 2
First draft
11 days
From the brief to the creator’s upload.
Step 3
Approved
9 days
From the first draft, through 2 versions.
Step 4
Live
26 hours
From approval to the live post.
Versions a creator uploaded
- 1 version1322%
- 2 versions2441%
- 3 versions1119%
- 4 versions or more1119%
Of 59 creators who uploaded a draft. A version is one upload of the video or the photos.
What the numbers say
- Most drafts need a second version. Only 12% were approved first time, so one round of changes is not enough to plan on.
- Allow about three weeks from the brief to an approved post: 11 days for the first draft and 9 days for approval, at the median.
- Every version adds a wait in both directions. Answer a draft the day it arrives to keep the date.
- 46 creators sent an idea for approval before filming. Agreeing the idea first is the cheapest way to avoid a reshoot.
How we counted. From the 76 creator agreements with a content record in our signing tool (50 influencer and 26 UGC). 59 creators uploaded a draft and 43 drafts are fully approved. "Fully approved" means the video or photos and the caption. Each step is its own median. Read on 5 October 2026.
Done for you
What our team does at each step
You write nothing and chase nobody. Your part is the brief’s content and a yes or a no on each draft.
- 01
We write the brief with you
One message, two or three must-haves, the things to avoid, the handles to tag and the link or code. It goes to every creator in the same form.
- Who:
- Our team
- You:
- Approve the brief
- 02
The creator sends an idea first
A line or two on what they plan to film. A wrong idea is caught before anyone films it.
- Who:
- The creator
- You:
- Can comment
- 03
The draft is uploaded to one place
The creator uploads the video or photos and the caption through a link. Each upload is kept as a version, so you can compare the second with the first.
- Who:
- The creator
- How long:
- 11 days after the brief, at the median
- 04
The draft is checked against the brief
Before it reaches you, the draft is compared with the brief’s requirements and the caption rules. 58 drafts have been checked this way.
- Who:
- Our team and the tool
- 05
You approve or ask for changes
On one page, with no login. You pick the version you prefer and write your notes. We turn them into one clear request to the creator.
- Who:
- You
- How long:
- The creator is promised an answer in two working days
- 06
We check the live post
The tool looks for the live post four times a day, then compares it with the brief and with the draft you approved. 25 live posts have been checked.
- Who:
- Our team and the tool
- You:
- Confirm the live post
Feedback
A note a creator can act on
A vague note leads to another version. Compare these two, written as examples.
Not useful
It leaves the creator guessing
Can we make it pop a bit more? It doesn’t feel quite on brand yet. Maybe try something different with the intro.
Point to the second
Give the time in the video. "The middle part" means a different five seconds to everyone who reads it.
Send one set of notes
Gather every reviewer’s notes before you reply. Notes that disagree cost a version.
Say what to keep
A creator who is told what works will not change it by accident in the next version.
A checklist to copy
What a reviewer should check
Approval is more than whether you like the video. These are the points that cause a takedown or a wasted ad budget when they are missed.
Checklist
Before you approve a draft
BEFORE YOU APPROVE A DRAFT The ad label [ ] The label is at the front of the caption, before any other text. [ ] In a video, the creator also says it is an ad or a paid partnership. The product [ ] The product is in shot when the brief says it should be. [ ] The name is said and spelled the way the brand writes it. [ ] Every claim is one the brand is allowed to make. No health, money or "best" claims that are not in the brief. Rights [ ] The music is cleared for advertising, if the post will run as an ad. [ ] No competitor's product or logo is in shot. [ ] Nobody appears who has not agreed to be in it. The details [ ] The brand's handle is tagged, and it is the right handle. [ ] The link or the promo code is the one in the brief. [ ] The format and the length match the brief. [ ] The caption has no spelling mistakes. Before it goes live [ ] The creator knows the posting date. [ ] You know who will check the live post against this draft.
The exact ad label for the United States and the United Kingdom is on the contracts page. The music point matters when the post will run as an ad: see Spark Ads and partnership ads.
Brief or contract
What goes in the brief, and what goes in the contract
Some tools treat the brief as the agreement. They do different jobs. The contract sets the terms and the brief sets the content. Four points belong in both.
| In the brief | In the contract | |
|---|---|---|
| The message and the must-haves | Yes | No |
| Things to avoid, and claims not to make | Yes | No |
| Handles to tag, hashtags, the link or code | Yes | No |
| What the creator makes | Yes, in detail | Yes, as the list the fee covers |
| The dates | The draft date and the posting date | The posting window |
| The ad label | The exact wording | The duty to use it |
| How approval works | Who to send the draft to | The reply time and the rounds of changes |
| Usage rights | A line saying how the content will be used | The terms, in full |
| The fee | No | Yes |
The same brief for four kinds of campaign
| Gifted product | Paid post | UGC for ads | Ambassador | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The goal | People try the product | Reach in one audience | Videos the brand runs as ads | The same face every month |
| The creator makes | One post, their choice of format | One Reel and two Stories | Three videos, not posted by the creator | Two posts a month for three months |
| Must-haves | Product in shot, brand tagged | Product in the first three seconds, the name said aloud | A hook in the first two seconds, no music | A new angle each month |
| Approval | None before posting, or a light check | Idea, then draft | Draft only | The first month in full, then drafts |
| Usage | Ask before reposting | The terms in the contract | Paid use is the point: 12 months is usual | Agreed for the whole term |
Examples written for this page. Build your own below.
Start here
Write the brief in two minutes
The same builder as our free brief template. Fill in the campaign and the brief writes itself as you type.
The campaign
In the larger boxes, put each item on its own line.
Your brief
CREATOR BRIEF: BRAND CO THE PRODUCT Recovery drink, berry flavour THE GOAL Get people who train to try the drink WHO IT IS FOR People aged 20 to 35 who go to the gym three or more times a week THE ONE THING TO GET ACROSS It helps you recover after a hard session WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU - 1 Instagram Reel of 30 to 60 seconds - 3 Instagram Story frames with a link MUST INCLUDE - Show the bottle in the first 3 seconds - Say the product name out loud - Film in a place you really train PLEASE AVOID - Health claims we have not approved - Other drinks brands in shot - Music you do not have the rights to CALL TO ACTION Use code ALEX15 for 15% off at brandco.com HANDLES AND HASHTAGS @brandco #ad DATES - Draft to us by 14 November 2026 - Post goes live on 21 November 2026 APPROVAL Send your draft to sam@brandco.com. We reply within 3 working days. Please do not post until we have approved it. DISCLOSURE Label the post clearly as an ad, at the start of the caption or with the platform’s paid partnership label. The rest is yours. Say it in your own words and film it your own way.
The full page, with what each part of a brief is for, is the influencer brief template.
Written by
Matt Greenwell, Co-Founder and CEO of Sup
Matt started Sup in 2024 with Hassan Munir. Before Sup he co-founded Storefront, the marketplace for booking pop-up retail space. Before that he worked at Goldman Sachs.
The process is the one Sup runs. The figures are counted from our signing tool, and no creator or brand is named. Updated 5 October 2026.
FAQ
Content approval questions
What is influencer content approval?
It is the step where a brand checks a creator’s draft before it is posted. The creator sends a draft, the brand approves it or asks for changes, and the post goes live only after approval. A full process also checks the live post against the approved draft.
How many rounds of changes are normal?
Two. 72 of our creator agreements that state a number allow two rounds. In practice the median draft on our campaigns went through 2 versions before it was approved, and 5 of 43 were approved first time.
How long does approval take?
Plan for more time than you expect. On our campaigns the median was 9 days from a creator’s first draft to a fully approved one. The creator’s first draft arrived a median of 11 days after the brief.
What happens if the brand is slow to reply?
The post date moves. Our agreement gives us two working days to answer a draft, and a slow answer does not cost the creator their fee. If the review makes the planned date impossible, both sides agree a new one.
Who approves when an agency runs the campaign?
The agency reviews first and its client signs off. The creator should still get one set of notes from one place. Two sets of notes that disagree lead to another version.
Should a brief include a script?
No. Give the one message, two or three must-haves and the things to avoid, and let the creator say it their own way. A scripted post reads like an ad.
Is a brief the same as a contract?
No. The contract sets the terms: the deliverables, the dates, the rounds of changes, the usage rights and the fee. The brief sets the content: the message, the must-haves and the things to avoid. The dates and the ad label belong in both.
What if the live post is different from the approved draft?
Then the creator has not delivered what was approved, and the fee is not yet earned. We compare each live post with the brief and with the approved draft before payment, and ask for a fix where they differ.
Can I ask for a reshoot?
Yes, within the rounds the contract allows, when the draft does not follow the brief. If the draft did follow the brief and you have changed your mind, expect to pay a reshoot fee. That is fair to the creator.
The rest of the platform
One team does all six
Contracts
The agreement our creators sign, clause by clause, and the terms that are usual in it.
Creator search
How we find creators for a brief, with one real shortlist and the reasons brands drop creators from it.
Tracking and reporting
One real campaign report, open to read, and where each number in it comes from.
Outreach
Where our outreach contacts stand today, why creators say no, and the emails we send.
Payments
How creators are paid, how long it takes on our campaigns and what you pay for.
The campaigns we run
UGC, Spark Ads and partnership ads, gifting, influencer posts, ambassador programs and TikTok.
Approving more than a few creators?
Sup writes the brief with you, chases every draft, gathers the notes and checks each live post against what you approved. You say yes or no, and you only pay for posts that go live.