What a usage window actually covers

Most arguments between a brand and a creator are about usage, and almost all of them start after the work is delivered. So every contract we send has the same four sentences, and we read them out on the brief call.

One: usage runs for twelve months from the day the piece is delivered, not from the day you first post it. A piece that sits in a folder for three months has nine months left.

Two: those twelve months are worldwide, paid and organic, on any platform. You can post it, boost it, cut it down and run it as an ad without asking again.

Three: the creator keeps the copyright and may post the piece on their own channels, unless the brief says otherwise. If you need exclusivity for a launch, say so before the shoot, not after.

Four: extending usage costs £30 per piece per year, and you can do it at any point, including after the twelve months have run out. If a piece is still working in month eleven, extending it is the cheapest content you will buy that year.

Two things the sentences do not cover, because they need the creator’s separate yes. Running an ad from the creator’s own account rather than yours, and using their face in print or out of home. We ask for both in the brief when a brand needs them, and most creators agree for a small extra fee.

When the window closes, paid placements have to stop. Organic posts can stay where they are; nobody expects you to delete last year’s feed.