Start from the problem, not the feature list
Bill a sponsor half up front and half on delivery
You do not want to film a sponsored video before any money moves. A split payment protects your time and gives the sponsor a clear schedule.
The situation
Cedar Path, a cooking channel, agrees a $3,000 integration with a kitchenware brand: half when the contract is signed, half when the video goes live. The brand wants to see both payments on paper before its finance team will release the first.
What goes wrong today
One invoice for the full amount sits unpaid until the video is live, so you shoot, edit and publish on your own money. Or two invoices go out with different descriptions and no shared reference, and the finance team pays one and loses the other.
How it works in Invoice My Clients
Send invoice one for $1,500 when the contract is signed and invoice two for the balance when you publish, both citing the contract. This works on every plan. On Starter and above, clone the first invoice for the second and schedule it to send on the publish date.
If the brand prefers one document, Starter and above accept partial payments against a single invoice, and the invoice shows what is paid and what is left.
On Professional and above you can quote first: a proposal with a pricing table and e-signature, which converts into an invoice once the brand accepts.
When it does not fit
| Situation | What happens | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| You want the balance invoice to send when the post goes live | Nothing watches a platform or a post | Schedule it for the publish date (Starter and above), or send it yourself |
| You need a kill fee or cancellation terms | Those terms live in your contract | Write them into the agreement and invoice the fee as a line if it applies |
| The brand wants to match a purchase order before paying | PO matching is on Business and above | Put the PO number on both invoices |
| You are on the Free plan | No cloning, scheduled send or partial payments | Create the second invoice yourself on the publish date |
Where this lives in the product
Free tools
Questions people ask
Is a deposit refundable?+
That depends on your contract. Say it in the agreement before the first invoice goes out.
How large should the deposit be?+
Whatever you and the sponsor agree. The deposit calculator gives you a starting point from the total and your costs.
Can the sponsor pay online?+
On Starter and above, through the View and pay link in the invoice email. On Free the invoice is sent as a PDF link.