When do influencers get paid?

It varies and is whatever you agree, so pin it down in writing first. Common: a deposit upfront with the balance on delivery or full payment on completion.

Larger brands frequently pay net-30 or net-60 after invoicing, which is normal procurement, not a brush-off, so factor that timing into your cash flow.

For a new brand, a partial upfront payment is reasonable and protects you. Invoice promptly, since the clock on payment frequently starts at the invoice date.

There is no single standard, payment timing is whatever the two parties agree, so the most important thing is that it is agreed in writing before any work starts. That said, a few arrangements are common. A split is frequent and fair for both sides: a deposit upfront (say half) to start, with the balance paid on delivery of the agreed content, which protects the creator from doing all the work unpaid while giving the brand assurance the work gets done. Full payment on completion, the creator delivers the agreed posts, then gets paid, is also common, especially for smaller or established relationships. And for larger brands and agencies, payment frequently runs on invoicing terms, net-30 or even net-60, meaning you invoice after delivering and get paid 30 to 60 days later, which is normal in corporate procurement but slower than creators new to it expect.

A few practical points protect you. Always pin down the timing and trigger in writing before you start, exactly when payment happens (on signing, on delivery, on posting, net-30 after invoice) and what counts as the deliverable that releases it, so there is no ambiguity later. For a new brand you have not worked with, asking for a partial upfront payment is reasonable and protects you from non-payment and a legitimate brand will not balk at a fair deposit, whereas resistance to any upfront commitment can be a warning sign. Send a clear, prompt invoice when terms require it, since payment frequently starts counting from the invoice date and delays frequently come from a creator not invoicing promptly. Understand that bigger companies genuinely operate on slower net terms (it is procurement, not a brush-off), so factor that timing into your cash flow rather than assuming something went wrong. And keep records of the agreement and deliverables in case you need to chase. The throughline: payment timing is negotiable and varies from upfront-split to net-60, so the protection is not a particular schedule but agreeing it explicitly in advance and, with unfamiliar partners, securing some payment before you hand over all the work.

This is the creator side of the deal, personal to your own business rather than anything a brand discovery tool reaches into, so there is genuinely no Flinque tie here and I will not invent one. The real point is to get payment timing in writing before you start and protect yourself with unfamiliar partners, which matters far more than any tool.