Payments & Escrow: How It Works

SocialBrandMatch uses secure escrow payments powered by Stripe to protect both businesses and creators. Your money is held safely until campaign deliverables are approved, ensuring fair transactions for everyone. This guide explains how payments work, how to set up your payout account, our transparent commission structure, and what to expect with payout timelines.

How Escrow Payments Work

Escrow provides a secure middle ground where funds are held by a trusted third party until both sides fulfill their obligations. Here's how the payment flow works on SocialBrandMatch:

1. Business Funds Campaign: When a business accepts a creator's proposal, they pay the campaign amount plus service fees upfront via Stripe.
2. Funds Held in Escrow: The payment is securely held in escrow—not released to the creator yet, but guaranteed to be available when the work is completed.
3. Creator Delivers Content: The influencer creates and submits the agreed-upon content (posts, stories, reels, etc.) according to the campaign brief.
4. Business Reviews & Approves: The business reviews the deliverables and either approves them or requests revisions if needed.
5. Funds Released: Once the business approves the content, funds are automatically released from escrow to the creator's connected Stripe account, minus platform fees.

Stripe Connect Setup

To receive payouts as a creator, you need to connect your Stripe account. SocialBrandMatch uses Stripe Connect, the industry-standard payment infrastructure trusted by millions of platforms worldwide.

Step-by-step setup process:

1. Go to your Stripe Settings page (Settings → Stripe Connect).
2. Click "Connect with Stripe" to begin the onboarding process.
3. You'll be redirected to Stripe's secure onboarding form. Stripe will ask for:
   • Business or individual information
   • Tax identification (SSN or EIN)
   • Bank account details for payouts
   • Identity verification documents
4. Complete all required fields. Stripe verifies your information to comply with financial regulations.
5. Once approved, your account status will show as "Connected" on SocialBrandMatch.
6. You're now ready to receive campaign payouts directly to your bank account.

Commission Breakdown

SocialBrandMatch charges transparent service fees to maintain the platform, provide escrow protection, and support both businesses and creators. Our fee structure is simple:

Example: $1,000 Campaign

• • Campaign amount agreed with creator: $1,000
• • Business pays: $1,100 (campaign amount + 10% service fee)
• • Creator receives: $950 ($1,000 - 5% platform fee)
• • Platform collects: $150 total ($100 from business + $50 from creator)

These fees cover payment processing (Stripe fees), escrow services, platform maintenance, customer support, fraud protection, and dispute resolution. There are no hidden fees, subscription costs, or surprise charges.

Payout Timelines

Once a business approves your campaign deliverables, the payout process begins automatically. Here's what to expect:

Factors that may affect payout timing:

• Bank processing times: Some banks process transfers faster than others.
• Weekends and holidays: Business days exclude weekends and bank holidays.
• First payout: Your first payout may take slightly longer as Stripe verifies your account.
• Stripe verification: Additional security checks may delay payouts for high-value campaigns.

You can track all your payouts in the Stripe Dashboard, which you can access from your Stripe settings page. Stripe provides detailed transaction history, pending payouts, and estimated arrival dates.

Dispute Resolution

While most campaigns go smoothly, SocialBrandMatch provides a fair dispute resolution process to handle disagreements between businesses and creators.

How dispute resolution works:

1. Creator Raises Dispute: If a business refuses to approve deliverables that meet the campaign brief, the creator can open a dispute through the platform.
2. Evidence Submission: Both parties submit evidence—the original campaign brief, deliverables, communications, and any relevant screenshots or documentation.
3. Platform Mediation: The SocialBrandMatch team reviews all submitted evidence objectively and mediates between both parties to reach a fair resolution.
4. Resolution Decision: Based on the evidence and platform policies, we determine whether funds should be released to the creator, refunded to the business, or split according to partial completion.

Refund policies:

• Full refunds are issued if a creator fails to deliver any content or violates the campaign agreement.
• Partial refunds may be issued if deliverables are incomplete or partially meet requirements.
• No refunds are issued if the creator delivers content that meets the agreed-upon brief, even if the business changes their mind about the campaign.

Our goal is to protect both parties fairly. Escrow ensures that businesses don't pay for undelivered work, and creators don't work for free. Clear communication, detailed briefs, and mutual respect prevent most disputes.