1. Every post, ad and code that is live
- List each creator, each live post, each ad running with their face, and each discount code or affiliate link.
- Codes are the part teams forget. At least 46.5% of the sponsored YouTube videos we hold name a discount code, and a code keeps working until someone turns it off.
Source: Our own count of sponsored YouTube videos, sponsor_deals_per_deal
- Write down when each usage right ends, and who takes the post down when it does.
2. Who can pause, and how fast
- Our research on high stakes celebrity and creator deals lists four things to keep on file: a risk register, an approval process, a pause and escalation path, and the main communications contacts.
- The risk register for creators is short: each name, anything in their past posts you already know about, and what you'd do if it came up.
- Name one person on your side who can say "pause" alone, and put the same right in every creator contract. More on that in pausing or ending a creator deal.
Source: Our research report on proposal templates for enterprise wellness agencies, August 2026
3. The first thing you say, and where
- Write a holding line now: you've seen it, you're looking into it, and when you'll say more.
- Post it where the story is. When the story lives in TikTok comments, a statement on your website reaches almost none of the people reading it.
- Say who signs off on it, and keep that list to two people.
4. Who calls the creator and their team
- A creator rarely works alone. Their manager handles the deal, and their publicist handles the press.
“Publicists handle all media relations, press releases, interviews, and crisis management. They curate the celebrity's public image and manage their relationship with the press.”
Our guide to a brand's first celebrity partnership
- Keep the phone number of each creator's manager and publicist on the plan. The day you need it is the worst day to go looking.
- Brief your other creators before they read about it: what to post, or to post nothing for now.
5. Claims your affiliates might make
- Affiliates and creators can say things you'd never put in an ad.
“some affiliate content used claims that aren't even allowed for the category”
- Write the list of words your creators can't use (diagnose, cure, treat, and any claim your legal team hasn't approved), and check each post against it before it goes live.