When a Brand Asks You to Keep the Deal Confidential — Here's What to Charge
A brand reaches out, the deal looks solid, and then the contract arrives with a clause you weren't expecting: you agree to keep the terms of this agreement confidential.
Maybe they call it an NDA. Maybe it's buried in the general provisions under "non-disclosure." Either way, you're being asked to stay quiet, and the question is whether that silence should cost them more. And how much more.
Knowing how much to charge for a confidentiality clause in a brand deal matters more than most creators realize, because confidentiality requests are not neutral. They range from routine boilerplate to meaningful restrictions that can cost you money, relationships, and positioning.
This guide breaks down when confidentiality is standard, when it signals a premium deal, and how to price your silence when the brand values it.
What Brands Are Actually Protecting When They Ask for Confidentiality
Before pricing anything, understand what the brand is trying to protect. The answer shapes whether this clause should change your rate.
Protecting market rate information
This is the version that matters most to you. When a brand is paying above-market rates (or paying different rates to different creators) confidentiality clauses prevent word from spreading. If you're being paid $8,000 for a campaign and another creator in your tier gets $3,500, the brand would prefer those numbers never meet.
That's not a paranoid read. It's how brand-side procurement works. Standardizing creator rates downward is easier when creators don't know what their peers earned. Confidentiality clauses serve that function.
A brand that insists on strict financial confidentiality is often paying enough that disclosure would shift market expectations. That's worth pricing.
Protecting campaign strategy
Some confidentiality requests are genuinely about timing. A product launch that hasn't been announced publicly, a campaign tied to an event, a partnership that would tip off competitors. In these cases, the brand isn't trying to suppress your rate. They're protecting business information that happens to involve you.
This type of clause is often time-limited. Once the campaign launches, the restriction loosens or disappears. That's a meaningful difference from a clause that runs indefinitely.
Protecting the relationship from scrutiny
Occasionally, the confidentiality ask has nothing to do with you. It's about the brand not wanting any of their vendor or creator agreements visible. Legal boilerplate, in other words. Finance teams that apply the same NDA to every vendor they work with, including influencers. This version is common, low-stakes, and usually doesn't need a price adjustment.
The Two Types of Confidentiality Clauses (and Why They Price Differently)
Not all confidentiality requests are the same. Read the specific language carefully before deciding how to respond.
"Don't post about this deal" — Content Embargo
This means the brand doesn't want you publicly announcing the partnership, posting behind-the-scenes content, or referencing the collaboration anywhere outside the agreed deliverables. You can deliver the content. You just can't talk about the deal itself.
This is fairly standard in certain categories — pharma, finance, some food and beverage brands with strict legal review requirements. It limits your ability to use the campaign as public portfolio content while you're under the embargo, but it's not necessarily permanent.
Price impact: Mild to moderate. If the embargo is time-limited (say, 90 days), a 5–10% bump on the total deal is reasonable. If it's indefinite, treat it as portfolio loss and price accordingly — more on that below.
"Don't tell anyone the terms" — Financial Confidentiality
This is the version that directly benefits the brand at your expense. You're being asked not to disclose what you were paid, which prevents you from sharing rate information with other creators, your community, or anyone who might use it as a data point.
This one should move the number. The brand is extracting something concrete from you — your ability to share market information — and that has real value.
Price impact: 10–20% premium on the base deal, depending on the scope and duration of the restriction.
How Much to Charge for a Confidentiality Clause in a Brand Deal
Here's how to think about pricing confidentiality as a line item.
Start with what you're giving up
Confidentiality clauses cost you in two ways: portfolio access and community positioning.
Portfolio loss is real if you can't show this work publicly. Many creators build their next deal on the last one — brands want to see proof of past partnerships. An NDA that prevents you from sharing the content or even naming the brand takes that away. Price it at 15–25% of the base content fee for an indefinite restriction. For a time-limited embargo (under 90 days), 5–10% is appropriate.
Community positioning is subtler but meaningful. If you openly share your rates with other creators, or if you're known for transparency about deal terms, a financial NDA costs you credibility in that community. That's not priced into most deals, but you can name it in negotiation.
The tier-specific math
| Follower Count | Base Deal Value (example Reel) | Confidentiality Add-On (financial NDA, indefinite) | Confidentiality Add-On (time-limited embargo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10K–50K | $500–$1,500 | +$75–$300 | +$25–$100 |
| 50K–100K | $1,500–$3,500 | +$300–$700 | +$75–$250 |
| 100K–200K | $3,500–$6,000 | +$600–$1,200 | +$175–$450 |
| 200K–350K | $6,000–$10,000 | +$1,000–$2,000 | +$300–$750 |
| 350K–500K | $10,000–$18,000 | +$1,500–$3,600 | +$500–$1,200 |
These are base rates — add-ons for usage rights, exclusivity, or boosting are priced separately and stack.
Bonus Tip: If the brand pushes back on your confidentiality add-on, ask them to time-limit the clause instead of removing it. A 12-month financial NDA you can live with is worth less than a perpetual one you can't reference. Let them choose the scope — then price it accordingly.
The Portfolio Trade-Off: When You Should Charge More, Not Negotiate Down
Here's the friction point most creators don't name out loud. Confidentiality clauses are often attached to deals that pay well — and the payout can feel like enough justification to accept the terms without adjusting the rate.
Resist that logic. The deal paying well is precisely why the restriction costs you something real.
If you can't reference the brand publicly, you lose the compounding value of that partnership. A visible campaign with a well-known brand signals your positioning to future brands. An invisible campaign, no matter how well-paid in the moment, doesn't build that signal.
The math isn't complicated: a $6,000 deal you can showcase is worth more over time than a $6,000 deal you can't. If the brand wants the invisibility clause, the deal should compensate for that.
Most creators online recommend under-pricing confidentiality because they've already accepted it without negotiating. Selah is built for the creator side: you should be paid what you're worth.
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A Real Example Breakdown
Creator profile: Lifestyle creator, 118K Instagram followers, 4.2% engagement rate. Known for authentic product reviews and visible brand partnerships.
Brand ask: One Instagram Reel + 90-day usage rights, financial NDA (no disclosure of deal terms, ever), and an embargo on mentioning the brand until launch date (60 days out).
| Line Item | Rate |
|---|---|
| Instagram Reel — base content fee | $4,200 |
| 90-day usage rights | $840 |
| Financial NDA (indefinite, no-disclose terms) — 15% of base | $630 |
| Content embargo (60 days, time-limited) — 7% of base | $294 |
| Total | $5,964 |
Without the NDA and embargo add-ons, this deal would have quoted at $5,040. The confidentiality terms cost the brand an additional $924 — which is about 18% of the base fee, not a negotiated discount.
When Confidentiality Requests Feel Unreasonable
Some confidentiality clauses go too far. Watch for these:
"You cannot disclose this agreement to any third party, including your attorney or accountant." This is a red flag, not boilerplate. You have an absolute right to share contract terms with your legal and financial advisors. Any clause that tries to prevent this is either poorly written or deliberately overreaching. Do not accept it as written.
Confidentiality that runs "in perpetuity." A financial NDA without an end date means you can never reference the terms, ever. This pairs especially badly if the brand also holds usage rights in perpetuity — you've effectively handed over your work and your ability to talk about it, forever. Price it accordingly or push for a sunset date.
NDA paired with exclusivity. When you're being asked to stay quiet and not work with competitors, you're absorbing two restrictions in one deal. These stack. Price them as separate line items, not a bundled discount. You can read more about how to price exclusivity in a brand deal if you're navigating both at once.
Brands include these clauses in boilerplate contracts because creators sign them without questioning. You don't have to be one of them.
What to Say When the Brand Pushes Back
If the brand objects to your confidentiality add-on, you have a few options — none of which involve removing the line item entirely.
Counter with a time limit. Propose that the financial NDA runs for 24 months rather than indefinitely. This is a reasonable compromise that most brands will accept, and it reduces your portfolio loss over time.
Ask for a case study carve-out. Request language that allows you to reference the partnership (without disclosing financial terms) in your media kit or portfolio after the campaign launches. This preserves some positioning value and is a fair ask.
Hold the number. If the brand insists on indefinite, broad financial confidentiality, the add-on stays. Explain that you're pricing for what you're giving up, not punishing them for asking.
If you've been using your visible partnerships to build your brand — and you have — this conversation is worth having. Understanding how to counter a brand deal offer before you reply gives you the framework to hold your position without it feeling like a confrontation.
Confidentiality clauses are a legitimate part of brand deal contracts. They're also one of the few contract elements that directly benefit the brand at your expense, and one of the few that almost never gets priced on the creator side. When a brand wants your silence, that silence has value. Charge for it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much to charge for a confidentiality clause in a brand deal? For a financial NDA with no end date, add 10–20% to your base content fee as a separate line item. For a time-limited content embargo (under 90 days), 5–10% of the base fee is appropriate. The exact amount depends on how much the restriction affects your portfolio visibility and ability to share market rate information with peers.
Is an NDA in a brand deal normal? Partial confidentiality is common — especially around campaign timing and unreleased product information. A financial NDA that prevents you from disclosing what you were paid is less standard and more self-serving for the brand. Treat these differently when pricing.
Does signing an NDA mean I can't show the content in my portfolio? It depends on the specific language. Some NDAs restrict financial terms only and allow you to reference the partnership publicly. Others include content embargoes that prevent you from posting or sharing the work. Read the clause carefully and ask for a portfolio carve-out if the restriction is broad.
Can I negotiate confidentiality clauses in brand deals? Yes. Common negotiation points include: adding a time limit to the NDA, requesting a carve-out for legal and financial advisors, asking to reference the partnership (without disclosing terms) after launch, and increasing your rate to account for the restriction. Brands expect some negotiation on contract language — you're not out of line for pushing back.
What if a brand says confidentiality is non-negotiable? If they won't move on the terms, move on the rate. A non-negotiable, indefinite financial NDA is a real restriction that reduces the compounding value of the partnership. Price it accordingly rather than absorbing it at the standard rate. If the deal math doesn't work after the add-on, that's useful information too.