AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
An influencer agreement should list the exact posts, dates and platforms, require the brand's approval before anything goes live, say how long the brand may reuse the content, and tie payment to approved, published deliverables. In Nigeria it should also deal with ARCON, which in December 2022 said adverts on social media, including by influencers and skit makers, need pre-exposure approval.
What goes wrong without a contract
Brand deals with Nigerian creators are often agreed in DMs: a rate, a rough idea, a date. Then the post goes up late, mentions a competitor, or makes a claim the brand cannot back. Or the brand pays, the creator deletes the post after two days, and the brand's agency wants to reuse the video in paid ads without asking. A contract answers each of these before money moves.
ARCON and advert approval
The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) regulates advertising under the ARCON Act No. 23 of 2022 and the Nigerian Code of Advertising Practice. Brand Communicator reported on 12 December 2022 that ARCON's Director-General, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, said all advertisements and marketing communications used on social media and digital platforms need pre-exposure approval. The statement named brand owners, digital agencies, bloggers, vloggers, influencers, comedians and skit makers, cited complaints about unverified claims and misinformation, and warned of sanctions and prosecution.
The report did not set out fees, timelines or the application process. Before a campaign, check ARCON's current requirements and decide in the contract who applies (usually the brand or its agency) and that no paid content goes live until approval is in hand. Content that makes health, financial or product performance claims needs particular care.
Usage rights: who owns the video?
The creator usually owns copyright in what they film. Under section 30 of the Copyright Act 2022, as summarised by Esher & Makarios on Mondaq, an assignment or an exclusive licence has no effect unless it is in writing, while a non-exclusive licence can be oral or inferred from conduct. So if a brand wants to run the creator's video as a paid ad, on its own pages, or on billboards, the contract must say so: which uses, for how long, and whether exclusively.
| Right | What to write |
|---|---|
| Organic posting | Creator posts on their own channels; brand may share or repost. |
| Paid amplification | Brand may boost the post or run it as an ad for [x] months. |
| Reuse | Brand may edit and use the content on its own channels for [x] months. |
| Exclusivity | Creator will not promote a competing product in [category] for [x] days. |
| Takedown | Post stays live for at least [x] days; brand may ask for removal. |
The template
- Deliverables. [e.g. 1 Instagram Reel of 30 to 60 seconds, 3 Instagram Stories with link sticker, 1 TikTok video], on [dates], tagging [@brand] and using [#hashtag].
- Brief. Key messages in Schedule 1. The Creator will not make claims not in the brief, mention competitors, or use music without a licence.
- Disclosure. Each post will be clearly marked as a paid partnership or advertisement.
- Regulatory approval. The Brand will obtain any advertising approval required by ARCON. The Creator will not publish until the Brand confirms approval in writing.
- Approval of content. The Creator submits drafts [3] working days before posting. The Brand may request up to [2] rounds of changes.
- Fee. ₦[amount]. [30]% on signing; balance within [7] days after all deliverables are approved and published, against screenshots and live links.
- Performance report. Within [7] days of the last post: reach, views, link clicks and saves, with screenshots from the platform.
- Usage licence. The Creator grants the Brand a [non-exclusive / exclusive] licence to use the content on [channels] for [months] from first posting, including paid ads.
- Exclusivity. No paid promotion of competing [category] products from [date] to [date].
- Conduct. The Brand may end this agreement and stop payment of unearned sums if the Creator's conduct causes serious public harm to the Brand.
- Data. Any customer data collected through links or giveaways belongs to the Brand and will be handled under the NDPA.
- Signatures. Both parties.
Measuring what you paid for
Agree before the campaign which numbers count and how they will be shown. Platform screenshots of reach, views and link clicks, taken from the creator's own insights page, are harder to dispute than a summary typed into a message. If the brand uses a tracked link or a discount code unique to the creator, sales can be matched directly. Avoid paying bonuses on follower counts alone; they say little about who saw the post.
A worked example
Example only. A skincare brand agrees ₦1,500,000 for one Reel and three Stories. It pays 30% on signing: ₦450,000. The Reel is approved and posted on time, but one Story is missed. If the contract prices each deliverable (say Reel ₦1,050,000, Stories ₦150,000 each, total ₦1,500,000), the brand pays the balance for what was delivered: ₦1,050,000 + ₦300,000 − ₦450,000 = ₦900,000. Without a per-deliverable price, the same missed Story becomes an argument.
Where Pryme fits
Creators can send their invoice from Pryme invoicing, and brands paying several creators at once can use bulk payouts. Promotions with prizes have their own rules; see running sales and promos in Nigeria, and for creators' own terms, the freelance contract template.
Questions people ask
Do influencers need ARCON approval in Nigeria?
ARCON said in December 2022 that adverts on social media and digital platforms, including by influencers and skit makers, need pre-exposure approval. Check its current process and agree in the contract who applies.
Can a brand reuse an influencer's video as an ad?
Only within the rights the creator grants. An exclusive licence or assignment must be in writing under the Copyright Act 2022, so put usage rights, channels and duration in the contract.
When should a brand pay an influencer?
A part payment on signing and the balance after approved posts go live is a common structure, tied to screenshots and live links.
Should influencer posts say they are paid?
Yes. Clear disclosure as an advert or paid partnership avoids misleading followers and fits ARCON's concern about misleading content.
Sources
- Brand Communicator: Influencers, brands, skit makers to obtain pre-exposure approval from ARCON (12 Dec 2022) · accessed Oct 2026
- Mondaq (Esher & Makarios): Assignment of intellectual property rights, essential considerations (24 Sep 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
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