What can I do if a brand doesn’t pay me?

A brand not paying after content is delivered is one of the most common disputes creators face, and how effectively you can act depends heavily on what you have in writing before you started work.

• Gather everything in writing: the original brief or contract, the agreed rate, the payment deadline, and any confirmation the brand received your deliverables.
• Send one clear, professional written follow-up referencing the specific agreed date and amount, and give a firm but reasonable new deadline.
• If a purchase order or invoice number exists, reference it directly — finance teams at larger brands often need this to process any payment at all.

• Escalate to a different contact at the brand if you have one — the person who briefed you isn’t always the person who approves payment.
• If an agency arranged the deal, involve them directly; agencies typically have more leverage with the brand and a reputational interest in resolving it.
• Set a final, explicit deadline in writing before escalating further, so there’s a clear record that you gave reasonable notice.

A factual, evidence-backed review describing exactly what happened — dates, amount owed, and what you delivered — is one of the most effective tools available to a creator, both to warn others and to create pressure on the brand to resolve it. Stick to verifiable facts rather than characterizations, since accuracy is what makes a review defensible and useful.

For higher-value disputes, or a brand with a pattern of non-payment across multiple creators, it’s worth consulting a lawyer or a consumer-grievance body about formal options — the right path depends on the amount involved, your contract, and your jurisdiction, so this is a case where general guidance stops being useful and specific advice matters.