You’re Paying for Visibility That Disappears

How to negotiate creator content usage rights so you can reuse content across channels.

You’ve sourced and vetted influencers, the posts are live, and engagement is looking good. 24-72 hours later, it’s all over, and the posts are buried under the millions of pieces of content that were uploaded after it. You paid a premium for content with a rapid half-life. 
 

The post performed so well that you reached out to ask if you could run it as paid media or use it on your website. Unfortunately, you didn’t negotiate this upfront, and now the influencer quotes you a price to use the content that is almost as much as you paid them for the entire campaign.  That’s definitely not in the budget.

This same scenario happens every day in the influencer marketing world. If you don’t negotiate rights up front, you’re simply paying a ton to rent the influencer’s audience for a few days, not investing in an asset that will help you drive travel to your destination for months and years to come. 

Content usage rights have always been important, but a few key shifts in the last year have made them essential. 

Influencer costs have increased significantly, and content now costs more than it ever has. 

Distribution has shifted. AI summaries and tools have shifted where distribution is happening. Destinations don’t have as many clicks to their website. The social algorithms have also changed to be more interest-based and less follower-based, meaning people see less content from those they follow.   

In a world where brands aren’t getting as many organic clicks to their websites, and they are getting fewer organic views on their own social content, where are they to turn? Creators. Creators are keeping brands in the algorithm, building awareness, and loyalty and they are charging for it. 

At the same time, there is more pressure from leadership to prove that influencer marketing is working. Leadership wants to see ROI and it’s extremely tough to prove ROI when you only pay for an organic in-feed post and skip the usage rights. 

Why should you secure usage rights of your influencer marketing campaign content?  Usage rights allow you to use the content you paid for on multiple channels. You can use the content on your website, in email, through paid advertising, in CTV ads, in print, etc.  
 
Creator content converts on all channels. Making sure there are authentic voices from a diverse range of travelers will build trust at every touchpoint a potential traveler has with your brand.  Studies show that 57% of people visit your website after they see creator content. If you’re not continuing the story there with more creator content, you’re missing an opportunity to build trust with those people.  The same goes for your other marketing channels, creator content performs exceptionally well when mixed with brand content. 

Usage needs to be part of the initial contract or you will end up overpaying for it. If you try to go back and negotiate usage rights on your top-performing content, you will not get a great deal.

When writing usage rights into a contract, be clear on what channels you will use the content on: web, paid, email, CTV, etc. Do not include channels you don’t intend to use the content on as there isn’t a reason to pay for things you won’t use. 

You’ll also need to include the duration of time you plan to use the content on each channel: 1 month, 3 months, 1 year, perpetual, etc. Perpetual rights can be expensive based on the creator and are often unnecessary. Make sure you truly need perpetual rights before you pay for them.

Your contract should also include the formats you’re requesting for usage. Do you want raw footage you can use how you wish? Do you want final polished cuts? Do you want stills and photos? Make sure you include all formats you’re expecting in the contract.  

Again, creators are more flexible on usage rights before the contract is signed than after the content goes live. Make sure you think ahead about how you will use the content, negotiate upfront, and include all needed language in the initial contract. 

Influencer marketing is expensive. BUT it works. We all know it works or we wouldn’t keep doing it. If you want more proof it works, though, we can help you prove how many people planned and booked a trip to your destination as a direct result of your influencer marketing campaign – book a call to see how here. 

We also want to encourage you to think of influencer campaigns more holistically. A $75K influencer marketing campaign with only organic social reach is expensive. A $75K campaign becomes incredibly cost-efficient when the content is used on your website to drive people to trip planning, in emails to show people how being in your destination feels, in paid ads where it’s proven to perform higher than branded content, and showcasing real travelers in your destination in print and CTV ads. When used across multiple channels, the cost per view decreases to almost nothing.  

If you’re thinking we don’t use creator content like that or have the resources to use creator content like that, you’re not alone. In our 2026 State of Travel Influencer Marketing Report, 40% of DMOs reported using influencer marketing content in paid ads, but most were not using influencer content in other channels. 

Every Steller campaign comes with 1 year of content usage baked in. We also make sure the content gets used to the fullest extent. First, we build your Steller Connect email /push notification marketing flows which keep your destination top of mind and guides prospective travelers towards planning and booking. All your influencer marketing content on social (and everywhere else you put it) is connected to this flow. You can embed the highest performing pieces of content on your website utilizing our Steller Connect Video Moment and Trip Players – also connected to the flow. You can utilize the content in paid ads, in CTV ads (we’ll even create the ad for you), and through your other marketing channels.  
 
Utilizing your content to this extent lowers your cost per content view to almost nothing but it also does something else. It makes sure there are authentic, trusted voices at every touchpoint a prospective traveler has with your brand. That continuity is the reason Steller campaigns are successful. It’s one of the reasons we can tell you how many trips were planned and booked at the end of your campaign.  
 
Influencer content is powerful. It shouldn’t only live on social. 
 
Book a call today to see what Steller Connect can do for your campaigns.